Homewood Ready July 3: New Washington Park Course Is Rapidly Nearing Completion.; Finishing Touches Being Given to Grandstand and Stables--Track Ready for Horses Now., Daily Racing Form, 1926-06-23

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HOMEWOOD READY JULY 3 ♦ New Washington Park Course Is Rapidly Nearing Completion. ♦ Finishing Touches Being Given to Grandstand and Stables — Track Iteady for Horse* Sow. 1 - • The new Washington Park race course, under construction at Homewood, 111., will be ready for racing on July ?.. This statement is as positive as was the recent one of Robert M. Sweitzer. president of the Illinois Jockey Club, in announcing the meeting would surely take place and open on July I and continue for thirty-one days. A visit to Homewood yesterday dispelled all doubts as to the Washington Park course being ready. It has been well known for a long time that the track proper has been finished. In fact, the track itself is now nearly two years old and will compare favorably with the best in the country. Billy Myer. who has established quite a reputation as a track builder, has put the finishing touches to the course, and it is ready to race over right now. The grandstand is being rushed to completion. All the steel is in place, and the work on the roof is now under way. The contractors in charge of the work are confident that everything will be completed in time for the opening. It is said that this wine of the grandstand will seat 9,000. After the inaugural meeting another wing will be built to accommodate as many more. There is room for thousands in front of the stand. How many, it would be hard to determine at the present moment. Twelve of the fifteen stables have been practically completed and. with a small army of carpenters at work, all will be ready for the horses next Sunday, when the first thoroughbreds to race at the coming meeting will be permitted to enter the grounds. It had been erroneously reported that horses have been working on the course, but such has not been the case. The management notified all horsemet* that no horses would he allowed on the grounds before next Sun- day. The judges and timers stands have been finished. The boxes in front of where the clubhouse will be built are now being erected and will be completed in a few days, though the clubhouse itself will not be ready for the opening of the meeting. Work is going along uninterruptedly on Continued oa thirteenth page. I H0MEW00D READY JULY 3 Continued from first page the paddock and it should be ready early next week. The betting pavilion is likewise almost completed. There is great activity everywhere and the number of visitors to the course is increasing daily. It is the concensus of all that the plant will be ready in time for the opening on July 3. True, it will not be completed in all details, but all the essential things necessary to conduct a successful meeting will have been finished before the bugle sounds on the first Saturday in July. It was announced yesterday that in addition to C. W. Hay, who will be presiding steward, the other stewards would include P. J. Miles, J. T. Ireland and Thomas E. Curran, a leader in the Illinois legislature. The judges would also include John T. Mc-Grath, assistant postmaster of Chicago. Another placing judge recently appointed is W. S. Sherwood, secretary of the Kentucky State Racing Commission. YVilliam Snyder, one of the Kentucky starters, will send the fields away at Home-wood, except on the first two days of the meeting, when Eddie Thomas, his assistant, will be on hand, while Snyder is finishing out the Kairmount meeting. Jake Holtman. old time starter, will send away the field in the first race on the first day, after the manner of mayors pitching the first ball when the big league baseball seasons are inaugurated. Arthur Blanchard, paddock judge, is the busiest official at Home wood, trying to find stable room for horsemen who are now convinced that the "Washington Park race coins. of the Illinois Jockey Club is squarely on the American racing map. Judge . *. Hay is looking after stable applications of horsemen now at Collinsville. I j ! I


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1926062301/drf1926062301_1_3
Local Identifier: drf1926062301_1_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800