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THE TRANSFORMATION OF CHURCHILL DOWNS Louisville Ky August Churchill Downs the plant of the New Louisville Jockey Club is now the scene of the greatest activity in connection with the turf in this continent It is l eing transformed into what is believed will be one of the handsomest race tracks in America By September 15 when the im ¬ provements are finished it will compare with any race course in New York and be the equal of many of those in Europe The remodeling under the di ¬ rection of Col M J Winn general manager of Churchill Downs is being done at a cost of 25000 Colonel Wiun planned the details and he is giving his personal supervision to the carrying out of his ideas More than one hundred men have been en ¬ gaged in the work for over three months Every ¬ thing will be spick and span for the nine days of racing at the Downs o sning on Monday October 7 and closing on Wednesday October 10 10We We are going to have the greatest racing planl in America said Colonel Winn as he led a party of visitors toward the clubhouse at the Downs He added Immediately after the close of the spring meeting I put a large force of men to work making alterations iu the plant The first thing done was to remove the brick wall which has licen in front of the grandstand extending to the paddock entrane The space between the grandstand and the race course was widened ten feet lengthened and sodde so that I here is now a lawn onehalf mile long The ground has been graded until it is as level as a table An iron fence is being built to replace the old picket fence and the center tield has been sodded The betting she has been extended and there will no longer be any congestion there The arrangement of the cashiers Itooths has been un tirely changed The ticket sellers thirty in num ¬ ber will be in a straight line and the cashiers will be in line with them all facing eist Under this arrangement we can easily handle 20000 more per ¬ sons than heretofore we can handle them more quickly and in a way that will be appreciated by the public This gives an idea of the great changes that are under way at the Downs DownsThe The quartets heretofore used by the cashiers haying been dismantled it became necessary to build a general otlice at the end of the building set apart for the use of the cashiers We have made ample provision for the parimutuel ticket room which is looked after by Eugene Elrod who in fact has clmrge of all of the pnrimutuel i fraierimlU It is twice as big as the old quarters used bv him This will greatly facilitate the handling of tho business Another notable change is the removal of tiie blackboards Hereafter all of them will be found directly above the cashiers booths We are also putting up a twostory structure north of the general oflices 24 by 40 feet for the use of the secretary and clerk of the scales Tho second floor which is equipped with shower baths lockers etc will be used by the jockeys jockeysUnquestionably Unquestionably the most noticeable change re ¬ lates in the paddock and the park in front of the grandstand All of the stables adjacent to the pad ¬ dock having been removed there is now an unob ¬ structed view of the entire race course from the paddock section A still greater transformation re ¬ lates to the rearrangement of boulevard drives to the grandstand Heretofore the principal entrance for all kinds of vehicles was at Fourth Street and Central avenue Hereafter entrances for vehicles will be at Sixth and Seventh streets and the gate at Fourth street and Central avenue will be closed The new boulevards are sixty feet wide One is for incoming vehicles the other is for outgoing vehicles Parking space for atitos carriages etc has been doubled The old entrance leading directly alongside the betting ring is now a sodded lawn the boulevards having been constructed on the oppo site side of the park They are separated by a wire fence The whole park has been beautified with evergreens and flowers The high fence surrounding the entire race track is being painted green with touches of orange these being the colors of the New Louisville Jockey Club In front of the clubhouse a wire fence will replace the wooden fence and here evergreens and flowers will be found iu profusion profusionVe Ve are rebuilding the judges stand by con ¬ verting it into double decker The stewards Messrs Price Grainger and Daingerfield will occupy the upper deck and the placing judges Messrs Shelley Breivogel and Jasper will be below This stand is a reproduction of those used on the New York tracks and at Juarez Mexico The steps of the grandstand are being raised as is the press stand We are doing everything we can think of to add to the beauty of the place and I think we are succeeding When the people come to the Downs on Octolier 7 they will behold a great transforma ¬ tion which they could hardly have imagined possible They are going to see a paddock just like those in Europe when the thoroughbreds are saddled under the trees and ridden over the lawn to a course sec ¬ ond to none in the world The Downs track always fast and always safe is going to be faster than ever because we are putting in a system of sewerage all over the plant that will prove helpful in every way I am certainly anticipating a grand season of sport this fall and I want to sny that we have in store for the patrons of racing sport of the highest order of excellence the chief feature of which will be the Kentucky Endurance Stakes at four miles open to the world to be run on tho opening day October 7 This is the richest turf prize of the year in North America Besides the special trophy for the winner a gold cup valued at 1000 the value of the stakes it is estimated will reach 15000 15000Lyman Lyman IT Davis secretary of the New Louisville Jockey Club announces that ho has received forty entries for the Endurance Stakes Among those who have sent in nominations are J N Camden George J Long John W Schorr Eugene Lutsc A P Humphrey Jr Beverwyck Stable Jacob Wright of New York II G Bcdwcll of Colorado and Senor G do Lundn y Escandon of the City of Slexico The latter has named his celebrated long ¬ distance horse Tecoac the best horse over a con ¬ siderable distance of ground developed in the Mexi ¬ can Republic RepublicEntries Entries for the Kentucky Endurance Stakes closed on Thursday of this week They exceed in number and quality the total of last year when the race was won by the threeyearold Messenger Boy in 7141 the fastest four miles on record in a race Messenger Boy will not have an easy task this time for he will be opposed by the fastest longdistance performers in training The Manager and Countless will be in the hunt and with other racers of equal repute the Kentucky Endurance Stakes is sure to yttract to the Downs a greater throng even than that which usually journeys to the historic Churchill Downs course in the spring to witness the Ken lucky Derby DerbyJohn John Haclimeister general manager of Douglas Park is in the east completing some details for his fall meeting of eighteen days which will begin September US Just before starting for the east Mr Ilaclnnelster said Our entries closed on Thursday of ibis week for the Douglas Park In ¬ augural Handicap for threeyearolds and upward at om mile and onesixteenth to be run on Monday September Iti Ieechinont Stakes selling for two yearolds at live and onehalf furlongs to be de ¬ cided September 111 Aiitumii Stakes selling for threeyearolds and upward at threequarters of a mile Thursday September 20 Boulevard Stakes for threeyear olds and upward at one mile and seventy yards Saturday Septemlxr 28 Prospect Stakes Handicap for twoyearolds at threequarters of i mile Wednesday October 2 Cardinal Stakes for threeyearolds and upward at one mile and one eight h Saturday October 5 The Douglas Park Jockey Club will add 100 to each of these events except the Douglas Park Inaugural Handicap for which the added money is SUOiJO Throughout the eighteen days racing there will be no purse of less value than 500 500Vast Vast improvements are under way at Douglas Park Always a beautiful plant modern iu every rtspect it is being brightened and changed in many respects It certainly will be an inviting place and the brand of sport that we are planning to provide for the public will malic our plant unusually popular with tho e who patronize and appreciate good racing racingKace Kace oOieials for the Douglas Park meeting will include Charles K Price presiding jurist1 W H Shelley associate judge Maj F A Daingerlield steward E W Maginn racing secretary and hand icappcr Mars Cassidy starter George Lindenber ger timer 1 It Campbell clerk of the course courseLouisville Louisville Ky August o The eyes of the rac1 jng world are turned Kentucky ward judging from the number of entries received by the Douglas Park Jockey inl for the six stakes Unit are to be run during its fall meeting commencing September 15 Horsemen from the eiist and those racing In the west and on the Canadian circuit have liberally en ¬ tered their best horses and all will come to Ken ¬ tucky to take iiart In tin fiftynine days of racing I which begins at Lexington on August 31 Entries for the six stakes that have been received to data total 240 representing an average of fortyone to each stake The most liberal nominations have boon made for the twoyearold events the list including such cracks as Helios Hawthorn Nobby and others that earned fame during the spring The Douglas Park Handicap which is to be the richest stake 01 the meeting has filled well having such good ones among its eligibles as Free Lance Sprite IIgh Private Froglegs Star Charter T M Green Donau Boola Boola Mary Davis Mockler Princess Call away Any Port and Mary Davis The race is for threeyearolds and upward and the distance a mile and a sixteenth Should twelve start the stake would be worth 4000 The Douglas Park Handicap will be run on the first day of the meeting Monday September Kith KithThe The Autumn Selling Stakes for threeyearolds at threequarters of a mile attracted a large num ¬ ber of entries having among the nominations the best of the selling platers now in training trainingAmong Among the owners who have made nominations to the stakes are J B Hespess T C McDowell John W Schorr Weber Ward Fred A Forsythe II K Knapp V li Hitchcock George J Long Thomas Fortune Ryan J N Camden Lon Johnson George M Odora Adair Baker C F Buschemeyer Win Gerst J S Barbee T P Hayes H P Headley Lon Jones E C Cowdiu W W Darden J R Wainwright 7 C Milam E E McCargo and P D Weir WeirAdvices Advices have lKen received from General Manager Haclimeister who is in Buffalo winding up the financial affairs of the Niagara Racing Association that Assistant Frink Bruon may expect close to one hundred entries from the horsemen who are now racing on the Canadian circuit Some of the horse ¬ men who are now racing in the Northwest will come to Kentucky to race during the fall months as the inducements offered by the Kentucky tracks during the fiftynine days of racing are attractive enough to justify the long shipment shipmentApplications Applications for stable room at Douglas Park con ¬ tinue to coiue in with every mail Horsemen who are now quartered at Lexington have asked to have one hundred stalls reserved and will ship to Douglas Park after the meeting iu the blue grass reion reionAfter After an absence from the turf for the past two years Fred A Forsythe well known as the breeder and owner of Montgomery High Private Fountain blue and other noted horses returns to active racing with a formidable stable of youngsters the product of his breeding establishment in Mercer County CountyInside Inside of three weeks the improvements at the track will be completed The new paddock Is al ¬ ready under roof and little filling remains to be done to level the floor But little work remains to be doue on the grandstand which is already in the painters hands and by the time the first of Septem ¬ ber rolls around the plant will compare favorably with any in the country
