view raw text
ST. I.OTJIS IATE3. On December 8 the Western Jcckey Club will allot exclusive racing dates to the various tracks which recognize its government, which means all the big race tracks in the central west; in fact, all the tracks in the west, bar those of San Francisco. P. J. Carmody, promoter of the Missouri Racers and Breeders Association, which proposes to bnild a new race track near Natural Bridge road and Union avenue, will apply for thirty days exclusive racing at the Western Jockey Club meeting on December 8. It has been stated that the Western Jockey Club would not license or issue dates to any more tracks in any city which already possesses a track affiliated with the Western Jockey Club. The inference is that Mr. Carmodys proposed track will not receive exclusive racing dates, as there are already three Western Jockey Club tracks in St. Louis. Mr. Carmody says that he cannot entirely build his track until he ascertains the position of the Western Jockey Club on the date question. He will, he says, do a reasonable amount of work on it to show caus3 why he should be given dates. Should he fail, and he does not anticipate failure, Mr. Carmody says that he will build his track anyhow and will seek legislation to arrange dates for all race tracks in Missouri. Should the jockey club refuse to allow Mr. Cai-mody dates and should he seek legislation to arrange them there may be a wide split between Mr. Carmody and the Wostorn Jockey Club. The most important law of the Western Jockey Club says that any perEon who seeks to embarrass the Western Jockey Club or any of its tracks by invoking the process of law to settle matters that may be in dispute shall ba forever barred from favor and countenauco of the Western Jockey Club. The Western Jockey Club cannot prevent Mr. Carmody or any one else from building a race track in St. Louis or from racing horses or making books on it. The only thiog the Western Jockey Club could do to impede or interfere with Mr. Carmodywould be to refuse any horses, owners, jockeys or bookmakers who might have run, ridden or operated at his proposed track the privilege of subsequently opei-ating on Western Jockey Club tracks. This is what is known as outlawing." It has proven a potent weapon in the past. The Delmar track was originally outlawed in this manner by the Western Jockey Club and its owners were obliged to buy the Fair Grounds to save their interests at Delmar from threatened destruction by this outlaw rule. Horsemen will hesitate to race on one track when, by doing so, they close all other western tracks against themselves. Mr. Carmody says that he wants but thirty days of racing. He adds that he does not care how the other days the Missouri law allows about 180 racing days are apportioned. The Kinloch people are eagar to get increased dates. They want sixty days, they say. They had thirty last year, fifteen in April and fifteen in August. A gentleman connected with Kinloch Baid the other day that he thought Delmar Park, the Fair Grounds and Kinloch should get a division cf sixty days each. This would not leave any days for Mr. Carmodys proposed new track. When the gentlemans attention was called to this he said: "Oh, I do not believe that it will ever ba built." Mr. Carmody holds just as good an opinion of the Kinloch people as they do of him. He says the track is too far out, too limited accommodations, and points with pride to the fact that he was the only man who ever operated Kinloch racetrack successfully and at a profit, and points out that they did not use the dates given them last year until he made it possible for them to do so. It is said that the Kinloch people are sure of fifteen days racing in the fall and fifteen days in the spring, as they had. last year. The Fair Grounds and Delmar people, having had what dates they wanted and expecting what dates they want again, are apparently resting easily. " We will ask for pretty much the same dates we had last year," eaid Mr. Tilles of the Fair Grounds. " We expect to get them, but if wo do not we will take what we get and be thankful. I do not know what the Jockey Club will do with Kinloch, Mr. Carmody or any one else. 1 do not know anything about the regulation of dates by the Missouri law. All I know is that we stand in a good position with the laws of the state and the rules of the Western Jockey Club, have two good plants in operation, that we will obey tho laws of MiEsonri and therules of the Western Jockey Club. We will take what dates we get and be satisfied, ruled by state or turf organization." St. Louis Republic.
