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BELMONT PARK BEAUTIFUL Work of Transformation Under Way and Progressing Rapidly. r Will Be Unsurpassed in Picturesque Detail and Magnificence of Its Appointments. BY C. J. FITZ GERALD. NEW YORK. X. Y December 11. Work is progressing rapidly in the transformation of Belmont- Park, and if the weather remains open until Christmas those who have been familiar with the greatest of all American racing plants since its inception in 1905 will find the physical changes decided upon by the management well under way. These are to cost 00,000. When the gates are thrown open for the spring meeting of 1921 New York will have a race course second to none in the world in picturesque detail and in the magnificence of its appointments. It will be the last word in utility as well as charm. The entire scheme has been developed along lines which have brought out the natural beauties of the environment .in a manner that will delight those who love the horse and want to see hini in an attractive setting. The Westchester Racing Association has had in. comtemplation for some time the improvement of its home. The changes arc the result of much thought on the part of the directorate. They were I not undertaken until viewed from every angle. In their adoption, as well as in their consideration; the dominant thought has been to give the patrons of, -the course the finest return possible for the money paid at the gate. The Westchester Racing Assogiatioji Jiasnever been; a commercial organization. Its members know that it will never yield more than ,itn ordinary return on the investment. It 1b. 4 lielr "contrihution to racing, and the quality of tlielr sportsmanship is revealed in the fact that nu obligation- of ,000 lias been cheerfully .assumed after a period of lean years. It means no dividends for the present. The-public will now share in all the natural gifts with which the place has been endowed. The magnificent gardens, rare shrubberies and sylvan retreats, which were formerly a part of the grounds of the Turf and Field Club, will now be a portion of the paddock. The track clubhouse will be fitted as a public restaurant, while the. newly remodeled grandstand will contain many innovations for the comfort of the public, which will find in Belmont Park an institution unique in .scope and character. When the changes now under way were first discussed three plans were considered and the final choice called for a union of the existing stands through the medium of a fifty-foot bay. The field stand was to be razed and rebuilt at an angle with the grandstand. This gave a structure 950 feet in length, affording seating accommodations for 17,200 persons, taking the benches on the roof luto consideration. Eacli seat commands n perfect. .View of the course. It was deterriiined to elevate the seats in the grandstand twelve feet and carry them out to a line with the front of the structure. This utilized a space of twenty-eight feet hitherto unused. There will be 140 boxes available in this area. Ramps -sixteen feet wide at intervals of every 100 :feet will lead to the mezzanine floor, upon which will be located a rest room, ladies retiring room, emergency Jiospital and booths for the sale of candy, chocolate, coffee, lunches and other refreshments. On the ground floor the steps formerly leading to the lawn from beneath the grandstand have been eliminated. This is now a graduated walk of cement. There will be luncheon counters, a service office, telegraph and telephone booths and a mens toilet in this area. The approach to the stand will bq through the medium of a double stairway every 100 feet. The aisles leading to the seats will be wj.de enough to guarantee against congestion. The top corridor will afford a promenade, giving an extensive view of the splendid paddock and the course proper. From it access will be had to the press box and the band stand. The former will be opposite the finish and the latter in the middle of the stand. TURF AND FIELD CLUB QUABTERS. The Turf and Field Club members will occupy the easterly 150 feet of the rebuilt field stand. In this section there will be thirty-nine boxes, as well as si club buffet, restroom, ladies retiring room, cloak room and n private room for the stewards. There will be an ornamental fence five feet high between the club and public sections. A gate will 1e placed on the mezzanine floor through which club members may reacli the main stand. The stairways at the rear of the stands will afford an easy means of reaching the paddock, which will be the most beautiful in the country and will compare favorably with anything abroad. Eyery variety of rare tree and shrub is to be found in this retreat, a conspicuous feature of which is a fountain lined with weeping beeches whose foliage touches the fringe of the pool. This section of the ground, as well as the former paddock, has been improved by the removal of a number of unsightly stumps. This brings into great prominence the fine box trees, rhododendrons and other ornamental trees and flowering shrubs, while in the background is the historic old Manice homestead, now occupied by the Turf and Field Club. The former paddock will be utilized as a parking space. The impiovements to the course proper are now well under way. The decision to race from right to left necessitated the placing of the new finishing lino at a point about thirty feet below the former furlong post. This will afford a straight run in of 1,130 feet about the same as at Saratoga. Superintendent Pelz has been at work for some time altering the grade on the turn as established by C. W, Leayltt and resoiling the surface with loam full of humus, a deposit of which was located on the course. It is entirely free from grit and gravel, and more than" three-quarters of a mile lias already been finished. AH the sand and devitalized soil had been removed before the work was begun. The grade on the turn, which will now come in for general use, was originally two feet from rail to rail. This was reduced from two to three inches commencing at a point about forty feet from the inner rail. At the end of the turn! and the beginning of the homestretch, the course was remodeled, resoiled and regraded, making it safe for the largest fields. The changes demonstrated that Belmont Park has a splendid bottom, and the rebuilt surface should be lightning fast and a factor in the establishment of new records. The turn will be seventy feet wide and the track will gradually be increased to 110 feet at the old finish. It is proposed to bring in the outer fence at the end of the turn fifteen feet. From this point it wilt run to nothing at the old finish. The inner fence will also be moved from the junction of the straightaway and the circular course, making the rim in much narrower for all events over this ground. It is expected that this will prevent horses from running out at this point. It was found necessary to remodel the steeplechase course also, and at a special meeting of the stewards of the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association, held on Thursday of last week, the plans for the change drawn by Mr. Leavitt were accepted. Superintendent Pelz, who was present, was instructed to make the course over in conformity with the balance of the plan, arid the timber-toppers will race to the left the same as the flat horses. This will necessitate the shifting of several of the obstacles, but they will be completed in ample time for the spring campaign. It was feared at one time that the work would not be entirely completed by spring, but the splendid weather and the fact that the contractors, Terry and Tench, have employed, a large force, is a guarantee that all will be in readiness for the opening of the season of 1921. I President August Belmont, J. E. Widener, Thomas J. Regan and others interested in the welfare of the Westchester Racing Association are regularly in touch with conditions, and are delighted .with the manner in which the work is beng prosecuted. j
