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GLORIOUS RACING REVIVAL t 30,000 Gather at Tahforan to Greet Return of King Horse. Californlans Give Striking Testimony of Their Love of the Thoroughbred and the Greatest of Outdoors Sport. California racing came back with a "vengeance." Not even in the "good old days" was there a larger or more enthusiastic gathering than that which welcomed the return of the thoroughbred and the sport of racing at Tanforan. Saturday, Nov. 3. Read what the San Francisco Chronicle- had to say on the subject: "The thoroughbred was king, and 30,000 people paid homage to his majesty when the Pacific Coast Jockey Club unfurled its green and white colors at Tanforan Saturday. The great crowd that went to celebrate the revival of the sport "of kings, a sport that California in years gone by made distinctly its own, was a typical California racing crowd. It went to Tanforan to receive a thrill and it got one that even the palmly days seldom produced. "That big thrill came when, in a gruelling drive, jockey Barnes piloted All Over home first as winner of the Inaugural Handicap. That was a great race ; even old-timers had to admit it. When the leaders swept into the homestretch they were so bunched that it looked like anybodys race. The uncertainty drew the great crowd to its feet and the yells and cries of encouragement to this and that favorite would have compared to the best of ye olden days. "That spontaneous outburst, that one long ringing cheer as All Over passed the winning Continued on twelfth page. GLORIOUS RACING REVIVAL Continued from first page. line was ample demonstration that King Horse had come back. "It did not need a huge betting concourse, with the mob intent on the dollars, to sweep that thirty thousand into a frenzy of excitement and give them the thrill that each and every one sought. . "It was racing for the sake of racing, with all the interest centered on the horse and his rider. "Thus California, natural home of the thoroughbred, producer of some of the greatest horses that ever faced the bari-ier, again came to the fore, after 12 years of weed-grown tracks and silent stables, and sent word to the world that Californians were ready to worship at the shrine of King Horse. "One could not help but make a contrast Banked in solid rows to the north of the grandstand, were thousands of automobiles, all silent and inert while the owners, drivers and passengers forgot all about autos, and thought only of the equine beauties, sleek and glossy from the hands of the stable boys and riders, gorgeous and kaleidoscopic in their satins. "The crowd began to gather early. When the gates opened at 11 oclock several hundred were ready to pass the turnstiles. By auto, bus, electric and steaVn cars they arrived at Tanforan. The stream of arrivals was steady, with the big rush coming between 1 :30 and 2, the time the first race was scheduled to start. "The early arrivals went on tours of inspection. All wanted to see what had been done in the rebuilding of Tanforan. They found a huge, well placed and comfortable grandstand, a handsome clubhouse, the lawn replaced by a gentle slope of cement, all clean and convenient. At the paddock, with the weighing in stand, where one saw that King Horse was paramount, the clean thick layer of tanbark was significant "Tanforan, once as noted as any place in racing annals, is ideally situated, nestling in a valley to the south of great hills, backed on the west by thick woods and facing the shimmering blue of salt waters. With a perfect day, the brilliant California sunshine, tempered by a snappy gentle breeze, all was set right for the opening of the season, that every lover of King Horse hopes and believes will be the first of many seasons and bring California and His Equine Majesty and Tanforan back into their own. "Every one said it was a great event, a typical racing day. The crowd was expectant and everything that recalled old days sent a thrill through the thousands. When the track steward in his red coat passed by the stand he got a hand, when the band in its bright green and white uniforms took its place, they were applauded, and when the bugle blew the call for the first race, a roar vibrant with feeling went up. No one with an ounce of good red blood in their veins could but feel that spark of expectancy, when the first bunch of thorough-bieds passed in review, before facing the tape. "It was an apreciative crowd, too, responsive to the human as well as the equine, and when jockey Metcalf was thrown just before the start of the second race, a moan of sympathy passed through the multitude. When Metcalf again mounted the bad-acting Runpour, they cheered, even with the ridera and horses a quarter of a mile away. "That was the spirit of the 30,000 that celebrated the re-opening of Tanforan."
