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DELAY AT ASHLAND TRACK I Contractor Unable to Complete 3 Road to Course, Necessitating Change of Racing Dates. LEXINGTON, Ky., May 21.— After a meeting of the board of directors of the Tri-State I Fair and Racing Association, which was held here this morning, J. O. Keene, general manager of the companys new race course near Ashland, made the following statement to the press : "Early last week Mr. C. W. , Fuller, of the firm of Langhorne and Lang-horne, of Huntington, W. V., contractors for the building of the new highway from Ashland to Greenup, upon which our grounds are located, informed us that it would not be possible to complete this road in time for the openng of. our inaugural race meeting on July 10, and advised that if it were possible to do so we secure a change of dates. , He was positive that the road can be completed by August 15, perhaps by August 1, agreeing, with certain assistance from us, to put an extra subcontractor on the work. "At Louisville Saturday I conferred with t the members of the State Racing Commission and with Colonel Matt J. Winn, general manager of the Kentucky Jockey Club. It was agreed that we can relinquish our dates — July 10 to July 31 — and that we can have later dates. It may be that Dade Tark will want to have its meeting on the July dates, in which event the State Racing Commission will eanction the change. "Colonel Winn informed me that it is the desire of the Kentucky Jockey Club to open its Louisville meeting about September 17 or 18, and Mayor Thomas C. Bradley, general manager of the Kentucky Association track, wishes to hold the Lexington fall meeting after the Latonia meeting, which will be during the delightful days in November. "Such an arrangement would permit us to open at Ashland on Saturday, August 25. and close on Saturday, September 15, and would give us nineteen days, including four Saturdays and Labor Day. The members of the State Racing Commission have informed me that they will take up the subject for definite determination at a meeting of the commission to be held at Latonia in June. I am happy to say that the members of the commission and the officials of the other racing associations have evidenced a fine spirit toward us and our enterprise, and I am sure that when our plant is opened that all who are interested in racing and the great thoroughbred horse breeding industry will come to know that Raceland, as we call our track, is destined to become one of the greatest racing grounds of America. We have the people of that wonderful section for us and with us, and we are giving them a plant that they may well be proud of." ♦ ■
