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, | . ■ , NEW CHURCHILL DOWNS IMPROVEMENTS. I Measures to Provide More Free Space and Comfort for Derby Day Spccta.ors. By c. A. Bergin. l.or.isvill". Ky.. March 31.— In line with his Mil-known policy of progrossiveiiess Col. Matt J. Winn, vice-president and general manager of the .v w Louisville Jockey Club is undertaking many costly improvements at Churchill Downs in preparation foe the forty-third annual spring meeting that opi .May 32. on which date the Kentucky Derby will !»■ decided. Most of the improvements being made ■:i with the view to the better accommodation of the great crowd that is expected to turn out Derby Day. in former years the ass. mblfng of many thousand persons within a limited spice worked a hardship on many of tie- patrons and necessitated much crowding. The lack of sufficient seating accommodations has also proven a big dravrbs . an Derby Day. In order to overcome these disadvantages and give the dubs patrons every comfort and convenience, Co!. Winn has great!] enlarged the grand stand space by combining it with the paddock grounds, thus turning the two into on. enclosure. Hereafter admission to the grand stand will also over admission to the paddock. The fi •• • ■ that formerly served as the boundary between the grand stand and paddock has been removed, and beginning with the spring meeting, an extra charge for admission to the paddock will be a thing of the past. This innovation on the part of Co!. Winn is bound to prov ■ popular with ran goers. I baa bei ■ decided, hou rver, to raise tee price ot" admission on Derby Day from |1.M to |2. 1 he litter juice will only be charged Derby Day. On all other days of the nil, ding the price of admission will be the same as heretofore. Public to Bo Better Aceomiv.Ovated. The new arrangement vill give CharchttJ Downs ■ lawn space fully a quarter oi a i -: : 1 ■ ■ i:i length, and extending from Die rtubbouse to the quart r post at the heel of the homestretch. That part oi the grounds forming the paddock la much wider than th grandstand space, ami will afford abundant room for those desiring to witness the raci - from the shade of its numerous stately tr *. Several thousand benches hare been constructed, and these win be placed on the paddock lawns. The removal of the paddock fence is a notable improvi meat. It affords an uninterrupted swei p of green lawn, to which the enclosure of the dub !i a e is Hie only barrier. It is possible now tor the crowd to surge forward at wi!l without tic vexatious delay of tic narrow paddock entrance and, since, in the psychology of crowds ability to move at will is a means of expressing enthusiasm, this innovation should lie a great bid for popular support. In anticipation of a record fi Id facing the bar-rii r in this years Derby. Colonel Winn has had the track widened at the quarter post, where Ok start of the big race will lake place. He has a;.. arranged so that tic start of die Derby will be practically straightaway, by having coiistruet"d a chute at the head of the homestretch, out of which the Derby borsca will start on their long touiu i !:" horses will now he ■-... ■ n en the straight away, instead of on a turn as formerly. Tic track i it this point was widened by the addition of twenty feet, mahint its width now over one hundred feet, Twenty or more horses can now be aligned without crowding. Sixty Pari-Mutuei Me chines to Ec Vsui, A small grandstand built on tic plan of a clib-house, to be erected adjacent to the pa Idoek build btg, was planned by Colonel Winn, but had to be abandoned, as it was believed the building could not be completed in time for the meeting. In order to provide for th- speculatively Inclined Col. Winn will hare in operation Dei by Day. close to sixty pari-mutuel machines, while forty-five cashiers will be on duty. Tin- arrangements for tie- additional fifteen cashiers have been completed for some time. There arc other Improvements of note, all made with an eye to the comfort and convenience of the clubs patron-;. Col. Winn is daily in receipt of correspondence from all parts of the country in i card to the Derby, thus showing the widespread Interest icing taken in the iiig race. lie h..s already had Beaut ancea from many prominent men that they would ••• on hand to view the race. Col. Wiaa i- inuch encouraged by the outlook, and makes no hesitation in declaring that the raca will be the hist bi the history of the Derby, and that the biggest crowd ever gathered within the gates will be on hand to witness the event. The international aspect • f the Derby is what is going to make this renewal the most ■ neat al of years, according to Col. Winn. The presence of so many imported three-year-olds in the contest v ill make it tie meat tllked of Hire. --year-old race of the year, ami make i: preeminent among American turf fixture.-.
