Kentuckys Racing Dates Discussed: Lexington Horsemen Are in Favor of Opening the Season at Churchill Downs, Daily Racing Form, 1908-02-02

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KENTUCKYS RACING DATES DISCUSSED. Lexington Horsemen Are in Favor of Opening the Season at Churchill Downs. f.einglen. Ky.. February 1. —A meeting of the board of directors of the Kentucky Association will In- hold Monday to determine whether or uot application for dat -s preceding or following the spring meeting at Louisville will tie made and whether or not stakes for tin- local spring meeting will be opened. Had a meeting of the State Raciug Commission been held yesterday as int. tided, the local association might have followed out the thue-hon-ired order. "Lexington. Louisville and I.atonia," and made application for dates beginning with the third week iu April. However, the question was widely discussed in local racing circles yesterday and today and several of the directors have expressed the opinion that it would he better for horsemen and all concerned to have the Kentucky season open at Louisville during the first week in May. the understanding being that the New Louisville Jockey Club will request twenty-one days and then eeeee to I -oxington lor ten days and thence to I.atonia for the twenty-five or possibly thirty that will probably lie given that track. Garrett I. Wilson voices the reasons of the directors favoring this plan. He says: "A majority of the horses that will race at Louisville and La-lonia this spring will come from tie- south. By the customary route Louisville is right on the way from New Orleans and Memphis to this city. It would be cheaper for horsemen to ship first to Louisville. The cost of shipping from Louisville lo Leviiiglou and from Louisville to Latonia is practically lhe same. Lexington, too, would be benefited as to quality of horses, for local people would have more time in which to get them ready and people wiio stopped at Louisville would ship up only their best ones. AuotheV thing in favor of this plan for Lexington to open the season would be liettcr weather. With twenty one days for Louisville and ten for Lexington, saying that Louisville would cpen on Saturday. May 2. would make opening day at latonia Monday. June 8. That would be two days earlier than I.atonia opened last year ami four days eariler than Louisville opened, but the latter track had thirty days last spring. It is, I believe, generally understood, that they will apply for only twenty one this spring." The notions of Matt J. Winn, who is the general manager of the assoeiat ion here as well as the ludding company controlling the two tracks at Louis ville. will of course, have much to h witli the ultimate shaping of this matter of dates. He is expected here from New Orleans during the coming week and the wishes of the board of directors of the local association will lie made known to him as early as |iossible. Vice-president Hal 1. Headhy of the Kentucky Association, will leave Tuesday for an extended trip to Mexico. Mr. Headley is the owner of Beaumont and La Belle farms and has in the past two years sold numerous horses for export to Mexico. While his trip is largely one for pleasure, he will devote much time to a study of the prospects for the thoroughbred breeding industry and the racing problem in that country.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908020201/drf1908020201_1_6
Local Identifier: drf1908020201_1_6
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800