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AURORA RACING ENDS SUDDENLY "Lack of Patronage" Assigned as Reason for Declaring Meeting Off After Two Unsuccessful Days Mr. Carruthers Surprised , AURORA, 111., Sept. 6. Edward F. Carruthers, general manager of Exposition Park, arrived in Chicago this morning via plane from Detroit. On his arrival here he stated that he knew nothing about the closing of the Aurora meeting and that the action was taken without his knowledge. From all indications, Mr. Carruthers apparently fully, intended to race out the meeting and the closing was as much of a surprise to him as to others. He stated that the reason for the sudden decision to cease operating was a shortage of the better class of horses. Mr. Carruthers was scheduled to return to Detroit tonight. g At a meeting of the board of directors of the Aurora Jockey Club, held late Monday night at Exposition Park Hotel, in Aurora, it was decided to call off the scheduled thirteen day meeting which got under way on Saturday, September 3. Lack of patronage in the face Of opposition from Lincoln Fields convinced the backers of the track that seeing the session through to a conclusion would mean a great financial loss and they decided to sacrifice 9,500 state tax which has already been paid rather than suffer an additional deficit. Ed. F. Carruthers, general-manager of the track was out of the city when the meeting was held, those present being A. M. Hirsch, Frank Theilen and Richard Jones. Those gentlemen approved of the following statement, "Owing to present financial conditions and lack of patronage, directors of the Aurora Jockey Club have decided to call off the meeting which started last Saturday. The move is regretted, but we find it compulsory and have in mind the best interests of racing in Illinois." Considerably less than 00,000 was wager-1 ed at Exposition Park during the two days that racing was held and a check shows that the combined attendance for the two days was less than 10,000. Mostly all the patrons were from Aurora and nearby smaller cities, the special trains from Chicago carrying but few fans. Although it is stated that the state tax for the eleven days which will not be raced may be applied if it is decided to hold a meeting later this autumn, it is not likely that such a session will be attempted and whether or not a meeting will be held next spring is problematical. The purses which horsemen won during the two days of the meeting were paid in full on Monday afternoon and the employees also received their salaries at the same time. Several carloads of horses arrived at Exposition Park today and it is likely that the majority of those as well as the animals on the grounds will attempt to obtain stabling room at Riverside Park, Kansas City, where a meeting is now in progress. Others may go to Fairmount Park; which opens September 17.
