U.S. TROTTING AND RACING

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27395, 7 July 1954, Page 13

U.S. TROTTING AND RACING

IMPRESSIONS OF MR J. S. SHAW - VALETS FOR JOCKEYS “The status of trainers and drivers in America is very high-some of the leading trainers have an income of about 70,000 dollars,” said the prom-

inent Riccarton horseman, Mr J. S. Shaw, in an interview with “The Press” last evening. Mr Shaw arrived in Christchurch by air from Auckland last evening on his return from a visit to the United States.

“There are no driving fees, for practically all of the trainers are drivers,” he said. “The standard of driving

was good, but I did not get much of a chance to study the training methods. “They still train in heats over there, and I think that practice is a bit antiquated. At one time they used to race in heats, and had to train that way.”

The best horses in New Zealand would be equal to America’s best, but where New Zealand had one 2min horse, the United States had a dozen 2min horses —trotters and pacers. “I’m sure that Johnny Globe would hold his own there,” said Mr Shaw.

Mr Shaw was granted a licence to drive during the trip, but after working a horse in a heat he was denied the chance of driving in a race, as the meeting was postponed because of rain.

The meetings were run off with clocklike, precision, said Mr Shaw. The tracks were very fast. They were well looked after, and were given attention after every race. Mr Shaw visited the offices of the United States Trotting Association, which was the equivalent of the New Zealand Trotting Conference “I put in a whole day at the association’s quarters, and I thought their organisation was truly wonderful,” he said. Commenting on Flying Son and Garrison Hanover, the two sires purchased for New Zealand during the trip, Mr Shaw said: “They are two very nice horses. They should be very good sires, both of them.”

A Day at Hollywood Park Mr Shaw travelled 500 miles to attend a day’s racing at the Hollywood '.Turf Club’s 50-day meeting as a guest of the president, Mr Mervyn Le Roy, a prominent Hollywood film producer. .The track provided fairly fast going. The mile record was Imin 34 l-ssec, and the six-furlong record, Imin 9 l-ssec, or just a shade slower than for Riccarton.

Races are filmed by five cameras, the first placed 50 yards from the start, and the stipendiary stewards can view a film of the race a minute and a half after it ends. If horses were troublesome at the start, said Mr Shaw, they were given assistance by officials on hacks and by attendants, one to each horse, who stood on the ledge of the starting stalls and held each runner by the head if it gave trouble. These attendants stayed in the stalls until the fields were sent away. Four patrol stewards round the course were in touch with the stewards’ stand by, ’phone, and reported cases of interference while the race

was in progress. Mr Shaw said that the club supplied a valet for each jockey. He attended to the gear, weighed the jockey out, and carried the saddle over to the saddling paddock, a tan bark ring near the judge’s box. Acceptances are taken at 7 a.m. on the day of the races at Hollywood Park and by 10.30 between 45,000 and 50,000 race cards are printed and on the course for sale.

Every winner is given a saliva and urine test, and in a race worth 10,000 dollars or more all the placed horses are swabbed.