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Here and There on the Turf ! ■ ■ * ■ j Kentucky Derby Popularity. J Sectional Rivalry. 5 Catering to the Public. 6 Needed Reforms. The Kentucky Derby, more than any other 1 race in this country, tells of the tremendous j 2 popularity of the turf. It has been impossible . 3 for the Kentucky Jockey Club to keep pace 4 4 •with the growth of this race in esteem, and | with a million and a half dollars expended at . beautiful Churchill Downs, every effort has 7 been made to keep step, yet the vast throngs that journey to Louisville for the running of the race really need still more accommo- 1 1 dation for that one day of sport. j 2 The Kentucky Jockey Club has builded well , and has shown a commendable liberality, when 4 its magnificent stands and the various appoint-ments are considered. It has all been done for one day of racing, Derby Day. No other race * could demand such accommodations, and a , fortune has been spent for this one day. And it is money well spent, for the Kentucky Derby is one race that means more to all that is best on the turf than all the others. It is a race that brings the best horses and the best turfmen together and a race that shows the sport in its best light. It is a race . that probably wins more of the most desirable citizens to the turf than all the others. Not « 2 3 to have seen a Kentucky Derby is not to know 4 4 racing at its best and no effort and money is 5 5 6 to be considered to keep it in its proud place. - 7 For the running of the race this year the battle between the East and West has been a pretty one from the beginning. The failure 1 of St. James, Wise Counsellor, Sarazen, Apprehension 2 and some others to go through the 3 3 rigors of preparation satisfactorily, was a disappointment, 4 but it made for more interest in 5 5 the race. It resulted in the big field that has b»n named, being more evenly matched than C would have been the case with the others " present. I It is possible and probable that the winner of v this fiftieth renewal of the Derby would have been winner with all of the two-year-old stars of last year in the field. It is possible that the winner will go on to all the fame that fell c to Zev last year, but the fact that these most v feared candidates went amiss heartened many a a trainer to make a try. Candidates that were e lightly considered came into a measure of a prominence, and on the eve of post time the 1924 Kentucky Dearby appears to be an open race. b With eleven of the twenty that are named to start coming from the east it is shown v what a wide appeal the Kentucky Derby has a and its importance to the whole turf world. And these eleven that have been named come D from nine different interests, while the others r are in seven different interests. 0 Thus it is seen what importance the Ken- u tucky Derby enjoys outside of Kentucky. It 0 of has a tremendous appeal and it is an appeal 1 that is growing with each decision. The East has recently been taking its share 2 2 and more than its share, with Zev in 1923, a Morvich in 1922, Paul Jones in 1920, Sir Bar- n ton in 1919, Exterminator in 1918, Omar S Khayyam in 1917, George Smith in 1916 and Regret in 1915. u There has been another eastern victory in c] the big race and there will ever be the best A sort of healthy rivalry in the running of the S famous old race. s, _ __ Each year when the New Yorker travels to h " I v c v a e a b v a D r 0 u 0 of 1 2 2 a n S u c] A S s, h Louisville to see the Derby he is impressed 1 with many of the conveniences that are not t enjoyed at home. The printing of the , scratches, post positions and the equipment carried by each horse is of wonderful convenience to the racegoer. Then, in addition- to » all this, the weight, jockey and equipment of I each horse in his most recent previous start is also shown. It has been urged repeatedly that the New • York tracks furnish patrons with like programs, , but under the existing rules it is impossible. . What would be most needed in New York would be an earlier closing of the entries and a new scratch rule. These are two changes that should have been made long ago in the interests of the j racing public. To close the entries at 10 oclock the morning of the day before the racing and fix a similar scratch time on the day the race would be absolutely necessary for • the program conveniences that are desired. Just so long as entries are not closed until I oclock in the afternoon and the scratches are permitted to drag along through the afternoon all of these desirable features are absolutely impossible. To these changes that should be made to improve the sport in New York may be included the prohibition of added starters. Many-have given this too much importance in describing it as the chief annoyance. Added starters are only possible in stake races and, while they should be discouraged and prohibited if possible, there is much more thai is 1 1 t , » I • , . objectionable in the indiscriminate scratching ; of horses. New York racing has come back to a proud I place that makes it worth whd to cater more carefully to the desires of the patrons. Daily programs that will offer the information that ; is found in Kentucky and in Maryland would ■ be the biggest thing that could be done at this time to further popularize the sport. The only way all of this would be possible would be to move up the closing time for the entries at least four hours and to make the same change in the time limit for scratches.
