view raw text
JUDGE CHARLES F. PRICE Serving His Thirty-Seventh Year as Racing Official — Presided Over 35,000 Races. LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 21.— With the opening of the present Churchill Downs season Charles F. Price entered upon his thirty-seventh year as a racing official. In continuous and active service judge Price is the oldest steward and racing judge in America today. He has been over thirty-six years in the stand, during which time he has judged over 35,000 races. His turf career as an official began in 1886 under the late Colonel M. Lewis Clark at Churchill Downs. Prior to that he was engaged in newspaper work, at the time of his departure therefrom being city editor of the Louisville Post. Ipon the death of Major B. G. Bruce he succeeded him as secretary of the old Ix uisville Jockey Club. This position, and as associate judge with Colonel Clark, he held for a number of years. He was also associated as judge with Colonel Clark on a number of other tracks. Ipon the death of Colonel Clark Judge Price succeeded him as presiding judge at Churchill Downs. For thirty-one years he has been in the judges stand at Latonia, and he presided at Douglas Park almost from the opening to the closing of that track. He was also in the stand at Lexington for a considerable number of years. His services, however, have not been confined to Kentucky. He has been presiding steward of the California Jockey Club at Oakland, Tanforan and Sacramento, at the Highland Park track in Detroit, on the site of which is located the Ford automobile factory ; at Windsor, Kenilworth and Fort Uric in Canada ; at Nashville, Tenn. ; San Antonio, Texas; Jaurez, Mexico; Ideal Park, Wisconsin, and other courses. No man probably is more familiar with turf law. He was identified with the American Turf Congress founded in 1891, the oldest, or first, turf governing body in the West. Many of the turf rules of the present day were formulated by the late Col. Clark, L. P. Tarleton and Judge Price. He has been associated in the stand with many of the most noted turf officials of the past — Col. Clark, John Carter, Col. Tarleton, Capt, Jus. 11. Rees and others.