The Question: Would you accept Nashua as a Christmas present? (Asked at Miami Beach, Fla.)

ROY COLLINS
Governor of Florida
"Yes. By executive order, I would proclaim him the official Florida State Horse. Isn't it right that the fastest-growing state be represented by the fastest horse? Nashua would love Florida. When his racing days are over, he and I can retire and take it easy in our warm Florida sunshine."

D. LEE POWELL
Mayor of Miami Beach
"No, because of the responsibility, liability and cost of keeping such a valuable animal. Nashua is loved by millions—racing fans and others. Through ownership, you assume a responsibility to these people. Think of the indignation of horse players if you didn't handle Nashua properly."

BILL GROARK,
Miami
Owner, Terrace Plaza Hotel
"I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. That would be as silly as refusing a 20-carat diamond or an MG. Friends of mine own a stable in Miami. I'd ride Nashua for the thrill and pleasure of association before peddling him for the small sum of a million and a quarter."

MRS. HAROLD A. CLARK,
Marathon and Miami Beach
"Yes, my friends who bet hundreds of dollars on a single horse race laugh at me because I'm always at the $2 window. I like mingling with $2 bettors. That's real excitement. I'd spare no expense to train and race Nashua for these $2 bettors, in memory of a beloved sportsman, Bill Woodward."

BILL HUSTED,
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and New York
Investment banker
"As an investment banker, I must answer your question by asking another, as the New England Yankees do. Would this present be in stud or fee simple? If in fee simple, yes. I know nothing about improving racing stock and I'd never exchange a friend's Christmas present."

ILSE BAY,
Vienna, Austria
Actress
"Certainly, I'd ship Nashua to Havana, to the stables of friends I'm visiting at Christmas. Did you ever see a horse race in Cuba? The nags have rumble seats on their backs. Nashua would certainly improve their stock."

DEAN MURPHY,
Los Angeles and Miami
Actor
"No. There's something sad about owning and loving a great race horse. Sam Riddle spent every afternoon of his old age in the pasture with Man O' War. As an actor, I couldn't afford to keep Nashua. The only filly I can afford is my wife. Wish she were as young, comparatively, as Nashua."

MARIANNE REYNOLDS,
Miami and New York
"Yes, without hesitation. Nashua couldn't cost more to feed than my two boys. I would refuse all offers for him. I'd keep him as a pet for my boys. I've given them a dog that's almost as big as a pony. Now they want a pony. If I got Nashua as a Christmas present, It would solve my problem."

LILLIAN DORSEY,
Pittsburgh, Pa.
National Airlines
stewardess
"Don't tell me you're I serious. What a wonderful Christmas present! Maybe it isn't ladylike to say this, but Nashua's stud fee is $10,000. The racing world would come to me. Instead of flying high as an airlines hostess, I'd be in the clouds as the proud owner of Nashua. Don't disappoint me!"

BOB ELLIOTT,
Miami
Executive sports editor, Miami Herald
"Having supported the horses—one way or another most of my life—it might be a new twist. However, Nashua's feed bill would run me into financial ruin so quickly that it would rapidly resolve into a question of who would starve first. On the other hand, since there were five individuals willing and anxious to pay a million and a quarter for Nashua, it would seem slightly ridiculous for me to refuse him for nothing. If these five would pay this unprecedented sum to the Belair estate, there doesn't seem to be any logical reason why they wouldn't pay it to me. So, being an individual who has spent most of his life trying to fill an inside straight, I don't see why this small gamble shouldn't appeal to me. Ergo: the answer is yes."

ILLUSTRATION

TEN PHOTOS

THE QUESTION ANNOUNCED FOR THIS WEEK—"ARE BOWL GAMES GOOD OR BAD FOR FOOTBALL?"—WILL APPEAR IN THE ISSUE OF JAN. 9.

NEXT WEEK:

A SPECIAL JIMMY JEMAIL QUESTION ADDRESSED TO MEMBERS OF THE BROWN AND WASHINGTON STATE ROSE BOWL TEAMS OF 40 YEARS AGO:

How have you changed through the years?