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•h * WHAT WISE GOVERNMENT OF THE SPORT HAS DONE FOR RACING IN KENTUCKY i-u. .A. J I i i , Lexington. Ky.. April and.— It is wonderful bow thoroughbred racing in Kentucky has regained its idd time prestige, due unquestionably to the wise regulation provided by the Kentucky State Racing Commission. The enactment of the law creating i.ie commission took place in the general assembly of Kentucky on March S . HMRi. It became effective forthwith. From ISM to 1912 the New Louisville Jockey Club and the Douglas lark Club, incorporated in Louisville, had their property in one holding corporation, the New Louisville Racing Association. By in agreement covering the division of profits the clubs idticted spr.ng and fall meetings at Char-chill Downs instead of having meetings at both tracks. With the coaamenccmenl of IMS the agree mint expired and the two jockey clubs applied folic use to conduct independent meetings. Since then four race courses in Kentucky have been operated under the direction of the commission, as follows: Kentucky Association, al Lexington; few Louisville Jockei Club, at Churchill Downs, at LoohJvUle; DongUs lark Jockey Club, at Louisville; I.atouia Jockey Club at I.atouia. Last rear the commission granted licenses and allotted;! total of MIS racing days to the clubs named. For the Spring and summer season at these courses thai year dates for sixty-one days racing liav • heea sanctioned. The commission restricts the sport to the pari mutiiel system of wagering. II..- distinguished feature of mutuel belling is thai the public establishes I lie odds. Other features re late to the absolute fairness of the system and its exceptionally low percentage. it is the betting method in vogue in France. Australia and the Argentine Republic, with this difference, that in Kentucky the percentage deducted by the jockey club :,s tar below that exacted in foreign countries. The tickets sold on the Kentucky courses range in value from to 5. All of the money goes into a pool. Then it is pro-rated according to the value of the ticket minus five pcr-ceiit. This amount is allowed tin- racing associations to defray expenses of operation. Since the regulation of the thoroughbred pastime hi Kentucky by the racing commission the various racing organisations of the commonwealth have had an:: will continue to have steadily in view the development of ti.e turf on the highest plane of excellence. The management of the various tracks conduct the financial end of racing along lines cal cuiated to beat serve the i atrons of tin- sport. They are contenl with a revenue of 10 or 12 per cent., expending the surplus in modernising and beautifying the race track property, not forgetting to practice substantial liberality toward the horsemen by iicieasing purses. The natural conseqnence is that they have the anreserved confidence ami approval of the public in general. .1. ivlhuni Johnston, secretary of the Kentucky State Raciag Commission, has this to say: •It gratifying to report that the sales of thoroughbred horses indicate I he improving condition of the horse-breeding industry. In 1!12 one yearling sold at auction for 4,000. Another colt of the same- age brought 1. INK. In one sale of sixteen yearlings at Lexington. Ky., that season, the collection fetched an average of $.;.IM»::. the total being 7,650. In 1013 forty live stal.ic.ns. mares and weanlings were disposed of in one sale for 96,000, .-. an average of ,400. In this sale one horse brought 8,000. In another sale a few days later still another racer sold for s::s.imki. "Already tin- maaon 5,000 has lu-en refused for the Kentucky Derby favorite, old Rosebud, a three year old gelding, which is the highest offer ever -.ir in America for a horse thus unsexed. So far this spring several men have offered 0. hhi for thoroughbred racers. High prices rule constantly for all horses of class. "For the tirst time in the annals of Kentucky vac ing there are two races to be run this spring the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Handicap -each of Which carries ,000 in added money. The other lea tines and the purse events carry exceptional values, increasing every year. • "The wisdom of the Kentucky Legislature in placing racing in this state under the regulation of a coniinission and the existing flourishing condition of racing in Kentucky may lie judged hy the numerous requests received from racing enthusiasts in other states for copies of Ihe act authorizing the establishment of the Kentucky Stale Racing Coniinission and for copies of the commissions racing rules, also for informal ion covering all other points involved in the commissions work. Application for copies of the law have Ix-en received from Massachusetts. Rhode Island. Maryland. Virginia, South Carolina. Indiana, Illinois. Missouri. Tennessee. Louisiana, Montana. Utah, Colorado, Nevada. Wasbiag ton. California and Porto Rico. Hon. Weisburg, of San Juan, on August 30, wrote to me as follow-: " 1 lake pleasure in enlorniing you that the law creating the Kentucky Slab- Racing Commissioa law has been enacted into law by the Legislative Assembly of Porto Rico. The cap] of the law which you were kind enough fo send me several months ag.. 1 delivered to the meniliers of the legislature. When the matter came up in connection with the Insular Fair QroUBMBB, a feature of which is the r.oc track. Ihey embodied tin- act in toto ill the Fair law. "Although the Kentucky act may not. in every Instance, l"- enacted elsewhere without change, as was done in Porto Rico, it has served and is serving as a pattern for all similar legislation in the United Statis. It is believed thaf in this way racing will be re established throughout the Union, thus bringing aboal great beneht to the thoroughbred Indus try." The Kentucky State Racing Commission consists of ive persons appointed by the governor, three of whom shall be breeders and raisers of thoroughbred stock. No two of them are allowed to be iiiein-Im-is of the same racing association. The members of the coniinission hold their term of office for four years. The members appoint their own secretary. The salary of the secretary is ,200 per year and this is paid by the racing associations of Kentucky. The members of the commission serve with out compensation. The present commission is composed of Milton Young, chairman: T. II. Talbot. vice-chairman: George J. Long. Charles F. Grainger and J. N. Camden. The oshce of the coniinission is at Lexington. Kentucky. While the racing commission has proved a real salvation to thoroughbred racing in Kentucky there i- yet another contributing feature to the healthy condition in which the sport linds itself. Reference is made to Hi,, pari iniiliiel method of betting. This system has been so perfected in Kentucky, reaching that degree of unqualified fairness, thai today it is more popular witli the speculative public than hook making ever was. The revival of pari mulucls in America was brought about by Charles F. Grainger, president of the New Louisville Jockey Club. M. J. Winn, general manager of that club, and that organizations pie-iding judge, Charles F. Price. They gave the system careful thought and applied to it those methods employed in banking bouses to insure BCCa racy. They devised and installed every mechanical device Working to the same end, including speed. They employed expert calculators and taught men to so carefully conduct Hie system that long ago they were rewarded with the Indorsement of the public Hoping to make still further improvement Manager Winn and Judge Price went to France and Germany to study the methods there. They found that the Kentucky system is preferable. As if to supply the method with a cap-sheaf of security the racing coniinission decided to name a pari-iiiutuel supervisor in the person of W. II. l.aude-uian. of Lexington. He officiates on all race courses in Kentucky and has in charge Hie details of the system. He has full jurisdiction and sees to it that no errors occur.
