Kenilworth Track Not For Sale.: Joe Murphys Ideas of Racing in New York--Unfairness to a Noble Sport Shown., Daily Racing Form, 1908-06-27

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KENILWORTH TRACK NOT FOR SALE Joe Murphys Ideas of Racing in New York Un ¬ fairness to a Nohlo Sport Shown Buffalo N Y June 2G Joe Murphy manager of the Kenllwortli track said before leaving for his work at Windsor Ont Kenilworth Park Is not at present for sale to anybody at any price We have an abiding faith In the future of the property and believe that there Is light ahead It will be found that the New York City tracks will live Perhaps the great splendor of horse racing as it is known In the metropolis today may fade business Ejay be curtailed hut especially favored by their environment with 5000000 people at their elbow the New York tracks may be so able to adjust themselves to circumstances that a sutBcient number will be attracted to pay expenses and perhaps a dividend besides besidesBut But there is no chance for tracks in small com ¬ munities to exist under the present law and when it has been demonstrated that Governor Hughes is a bad shot that be shot at the big tent took only n corner off it and killed everbody In the side show I think the legislature will find some way to give us a chance chanceI I have counseled patience to our directors and that is now the keynote of our policy It has been said by Governor Hughes organs and in perfect good faith too that baseball rowiug tind other sports live without betting and why not racing There are many things in this connection which the general public does not understand High class racing costs money in its maintenance Last year it cost us 3600 a day to operate at Kenilworth track or over 111000 for thirty one days That with fixed charges of 10000 a year makes 121000 lo be made in thirtyone days of racing The fixed expenses of the Buffalo baseball team are probably 35000 a year and they have from April 15 to October 1 to get that out Again the state of New York charges us five per cent of our gross receipts as a tar while ho other sport has such a burden to carry Last year we paid nearly 8000 taxes Into the treasury of the state not counting the taxes on our real estate at all allItiwlll Itiwlll be claimed that the betting end of rac i6 wrong and that it should be suppressed TaeiiJKe of tobacco is an evil I have never used tobacco in any form yet I have never joined in a crHsado tfprC its suppression If my neighbor has a tobacpd heart after all it is his heart and personal liberty idoesnot mean that what I want must he forced on yoa Thousands of people go wrong over wamepUeyeryi lyear but I have never heard of any Extraordinary sessions being called to suppress them t perfectly true that people bare gone wrong over racing but in no greater proportion than over other things that may bo weaknesses In human na ¬ ture Moreover racing iu late years has been made the scapegoat for nearly every crime Men who have embezzled through the machinations of some women have thrown the blame on race tracks to protect the names of wife and children In the last five years I have had half a dozen cases investigated and found that the men who had accused the race tracks of ruining them had never set foot on one Hopeless defaulters have rushed to racing to try to recoup and when the crash came the sport had to carry the burden of men hopelessly involved before they ever saw a race No one was ever forced Into a race track They are usually located a long distance from the center of the city and are reached only after a journey involving some personal inconvenience There is no temptation under peoples noses We open our gates to those who approve of us usThe The Kenilworth race track has never made a dollar It has been maintained at a loss from year to year as one of Buffalos Institutions There has never been any disposition to run it as a money making enterprise But the bookmakers wax rich The ring at Toronto and Hamilton lost 100000 this spring Last year the ring at Kenilworth was loser In the aggregate The bookmaker Is not always a winner


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1908062701/drf1908062701_2_4
Local Identifier: drf1908062701_2_4
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800