Lexington Stables Overcrowded, Daily Racing Form, 1908-03-22

article


view raw text

LEXINGTON STABLES OVERCROWDED. L xing ton. Ky.. March 21. — The first, three days of this week the weather was flue ani.l the folks in the hxal training camp were looking ftprw.-.rd to uninterrupted work, bnt a h avy rain followed by a sudden drop in the temperature put a crimp into their plans. The horses, however, are more forward than at this time for many seasons past and a fortnight of good weather before racing time, will see them ready when the bugle sounds. There is already a scarcity of stable room here, and the greatest number of the horses that will come this way from the south after the dose at N w Orleans will have to take quarters outside the track enclosure. Tie re are only 339 stalls within the enclosure and over : oo, of these are occupied. It is true that there are not many good horses here, but it is hardly to ! ■ exacted that the trainers of even the weedy ones will be asked to vacate the stalls for which they have been paying a rental of $.1 iter month p r horse all winter. That $.* per ■Math has l een a heavy tax. but it is practically the onl.r sottrce from which revenue can he derived for the maintenance of the plant, for the meetings here have never been more than self sustaining. There is no profit to be made out of racing h re: that is. none for the owners of the track. They are not looking for profit, though they would, of course, not lie averse to a dividend now and th n if it were possible. The niemliors of th" association count themselves fortunate if they are not ask d to go down into their pockots for a contribution for expenses. Sonic of the trainers know thai and pay tin ir stall rent without complaint, but oth rs kick loudly and long at the tax. They contend that they are not getting enough for their money -that the equipment far working the track is poor and inadequate and that the man on the job is on a par with his tools. Secretary Ietoher says he expects to begin the construction of the banks for the steeplechase course at the Kentucky Association plant next week. "It is only a month until we will be racing here, but I am sure that I can have the steeplechase course completed in that time," said he. "It will he laid out in the infield and will be in the shape of the figure eight. I am not looking for sprinting races through the field and I propose to fix it so that th re will be plenty of jumping. It was never intended that in stecplechasing the horses should have long stretches between jumps so that their riders might rush them over the course at t% speed."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908032201/drf1908032201_1_5
Local Identifier: drf1908032201_1_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800