New Style Racing for California: Wealthy Men to Establish the Sport at Del Monte with No Betting-Tentative Plans, Daily Racing Form, 1917-09-11

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NEW STYLE RACING FOR CALIFORNIA Wealthy Men to Establish the Sport at Del Monte With No Betting Tentative Plans. Del Monte, Cal., September 10. There is some cheery news for the forlorn devotee of California thoroughbred racing today. A revival of the sport in permanent and stable way is at hand. Furthermore, active measure are to. be token immediately, In fact, the first racing of the renaissance will be observed at Del Monte early next November, when a six day meeting is planned. In 1918 a twelve day meeting in the spring and a meeting of the same length in the autumn is proposed and thereafter these meetings will be observed annually down here is Californias Rivcrra. The dates of the Del Monte meeting will bo announced within the next few days. Wellwishers of racing hwe and believe that this racing at Del Monte will establish comparatively within the next few years the sport in California, upon the same splendid plane it enjoys at Belmont Park and Saratoga in the east today. Behind this announcement is some interesting news for California breeders and racing enthusiasts. The nestor of Del Monte racing is S. F. B. Morse, one of the right hand executives in the organization d.recting the vast interests of William II. Crocker. Morse is a former captain of the Yale Varsity football team and a fine type of the young American sportsman. He saw some racing a few years back m association with Harry Payne Whitney, It. T. Wilson and James Stilhnan, Jr., upon the New York turf. He has done som ebig things since coming to the coast, the putting on the map of the Hotel Del Monte being the result of his initiative, lor two years Morse has been studying the problem of a turf revival in California, finally selecting the pretty mile course at Del Monte as the base of operations. With Morse there will be associated the most representative men of the California and American turf, II. B. De Long, Ii. S. Guiness, Edward Cebnan, Louis St. Cyr, W. II. Crocker p.- C. .Tackling, Charles W. Clark, Harry Payne Whitney, A. King Macomber, W. F. McKitterick, A. YV. Coe, D. T. Burns, R. M. Tobiu and D. M. Liunard. "RACING FOR PROFIT" TABOO. The keynote to the new movement is seen in an eximination of all idea of utilizing the turf as a money-making machine. Instead of institution of high sportsmanship and clothed iu California sentiment, will spring up it is hoped, after the manner of the turf in England, France or under the present day policy of the Jockey Club at New York. In a comparative way racing at Del Monte will be like unto the splendid sport seen annually at Saratoga, the Piping Bock Club, at Brookline, and Boston, whatever profit accrues from these meetings goes back into the improvement of racing better purses and racing facilities and not into the pockets of stockholders as dividends. The men with Morse in this new turf movement have no thought of the type of commercialized racing, as seen at Emeryville, Tanforan and Ingleside in the old days, or more recently at Juarez, Tijuana, or during the recent P. P. I. Exposition. Perhaps the most potential asnect of the situation is the practical abandonment of the desire to ask the legislature at Sacramento for a bill legalizing any form of speculation, where the purpose will be racing for profit." Instead, the meetings at Del Monte will serve as a rallying ground for the true friends of California racing, where, from a modest start, an enduring turf built u:on the solid foundation of wholesome conditions will arise in time. In the matter of betting the sponsors of the "new turf will abide by the spirit of the Wnlker-Otis law and from time to time efforts at relief from courts will be made, just as August Belmont and his conferees of the Jockey Club have done at New York. Advantage of the three favorable decisions affecting oral and individual betting handed down by the Federal Courts arising out of the New York situation will be availed at Del Monte. Not only are the promoters of the present movement opposed to the sordid money making racing of the old days, but they believe that no California legislature will ever afford legislation enabling the conduct of racing for profit. Nor do they believe such legislation to be desirable. SUBSCRIPTION ENDOWED TURF. According to the plans of the turf nestors, which are at this time but tentative, the Turf and Field Club of Monterey is to be organized. Thomas Fortune Ryan, the New York financier, whose breeding establishment at Oak Ridge, Virginia, is growing to be one of the most important in America, may be the first president of the club. He is going to be a permanent citizen of California. It is said either Joseph E. Murphy of New Orleans or Ed. M. Smith, steward of the Jockey Club, will be given the administration of the Del Monte racing. Even at tho early meetings the purses and stakes will be of goodly proportions, 50 for selling races, with ,000 handicaps and a Derby with ,000 added. Tho poor owner and his soiling plater is not to be forgotten, while races for gentlemen and military riders through the field and over the flat are to ha featured. For a few years at least the expensa for racing at Del Monte will be defrayed through annual subscriptions from the club members. The membership will bo limited to 100 members, each membership entitling the holder to a box at the Club House for life. In principle it is the- same idea which permits the wealthy and philanthropic few to afford the many the beautiful symphony concerts, the grand opera seasons and great oratories in many American and foreign cities. The same plan, and in lesser degree, will be the system employed to build up a magnificent turf for California people, with Del Monte as a starting point. As a prelude to tho Del Monte meeting a short gymkana of racing will be promoted by C. W. Clark over the El Palomar course at San Mateo on October IS, 19 and 20. the proceeds to go to the Red Cross Animal Relief Fund. At Del Monte the meeting in November promises to be one of the most brilliant functions socially ever seen in California. The Del Monte course rests in a valley surrounded by the thickly wooded foothills of the La-dina Vista range. From the grandstand one may glimpse the. Bay of Monterey and the Jiistoric Pre-sido. The Hotel del Monte is but a half mile away. Within the midfield is the fine polo field and the club house. The track was built under suggestions from Prince Poniatowski, but has lain unused for many years. A. Byrd, the export, is now bringing back the course into condition for racing. The expense will be about ,000. Here at Del Monte this week the news of the new turf movement occasioned no end of comment among the following of fashionable personages in attendance upon the California State Golfing championships. Everywhere it is the bright keynote of animated conversation.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917091101/drf1917091101_1_7
Local Identifier: drf1917091101_1_7
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800