view raw text
NEW YORK RACING AGAIN COMES INTO ITS OWN Crowd Estimated at 35000 Takes Part in Revival of Sport at Belmont Park Betting Kept Within Bounds of Law New York May 0 Clad In gray uniforms a force of more than 20O Pinkerton guards niinhc l Into the grandstand at Belmoiit Park tills aftcr noon Their coming heralded this return r racing to tho tracks around New York after an enforced abscnre of uealy three years duration But the march of the Pinkertons emphasized more than the rcsiirrccliou of a great sport It brought to promi ¬ nent notice the fact that racing Is not to IK what New Yorkers knew in the dear dead days that letting with nny form of record attached will he as foreign to tho tracks as a demijohn to a W C f IT convention Therefore the ci iy birds who came homing to Kelihont 1ark In the hope of some small crumbs of their former pleas ¬ ure shook their heads sadly and said that racing had changed for the worst lint the bugle was there the liorses the silks of jockeys and the thrill of thundering hoofs That meant much to ico hungry New Yorkers YorkersThe The Westchester Hacing Association isj doing all in its power to put nil absolute extinguisher on betting The 1inkerton men were scattered through tho stand as early as 130 oclock when the vanguard of the spectators l egau to arrive Their instructions were to keep a sharp eye open for the extenders of odds for the powers of racing realize that the success of the experiment in re ¬ viving the sport depends upon the strict enforce ¬ ment of the gambling law The ollireis of the racing associations will insist on preventing all illegal betting And they have good backing too tooThree Three or lour gamblers irom Harlem formerly identilied with the bookmaking game were seen circulating in the grandstand iHfore the tirst race They tipped off their intimate friends that It was possible to pet a bet down in the oldfashioned way lint the big bookmakers were not operating and the transactions were well covered up Too close a surveillance was maintained to permit a general or open attempt to lay odds oddsAt At least 35000 people were estimated to be in attendance just before the classic Metropolitan Han ¬ dicap was scheduled to In run runWhile While he gates to the grounds opened as early as ten oclock when the regulars began to tile in the clubhouse and private box patrons of the sport followed their usual rule timing their arrival at about one oclock All through the morning the Long Island Railroad and the trolley lines were unloading their overtaxed cars at the park entrances and the many thousands of expectant followers like so many contented pilgrims went jubilantly through the gates gatesYesterday Yesterday the four associations which are con ¬ ducting the Bclmont Park meeting made the fol ¬ lowing formal statement statementBelieving Believing that the sport of racing should as an enjoyment b within the reach of those of moder ¬ ate means as well as those who are willing to pay the higher and necessary tax for its support the associations have set aside a portion of the grand ¬ stand and lawn at Bclmont Iark to which enclosure the admission will lx 1 1It It is realized that the crowds may be large in this socalled free field and the difficulty of preventing gambling offences thereby greatly aug ¬ mented mentedThe The associations therefore appeal to this public which provisos to attend the races to come here In the spirit of cooperation and with an equal purpose to observe the law lawShould Should it be found imixissible to effectively ire vent violations the associations will be obliged to close that portion of the grounds