view raw text
HereandThere on the Turf Want to Buy a Race Track? Fair Grounds Is for Sale Vanderbilt Youngsters Promise Syracuse Ruling Was Expected .....-■.--.-- Anybody want a race track? Colonel Bradley has one on his hands that he is very anxious to lease or sell to some deserving person or persons. Colonel Bradley may be found any morning in the Arlington Park clubhouse clocking the horses and conversing with his multitude of friends and j he would be happy to take time out to talk to any one interested in taking over the New Orleans Fair Grounds. For the j past two years, the Fair Grounds has been operated by the Crescent City Jockey Club j under lease from Bradleys company, the I Louisiana Jockey Club, but the former or- j ganization, of which Joseph A. Murphy was the directing head, has not made enough money out of the venture to make the required payments to Bradley. Some enterprising promoter, seeing the success of the bookmaking form of betting in New York, might take a chance on the Fair Grounds with that sort of wagering. The track can hardly be successful with any other method as there does not seem to be enough support any more for the pari-mutuels to - esult in a profit. However, open bookmaking will attract many players to New Orleans who otherwise can be expected to try their luck and figures at Miami or some other winter point. There are any number of players, particularly the heavy ones, who prefer the book-making system to the mutuels because they know what odds they are getting and can act accordingly. A mixture of the two systems cannot be expected to succeed. It was tried last winter at the Fair Grounds, but after a few days, the books were taken off Continued on nineteenth page. ■ HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. although business in the latter had shown a steady increase. For the track to be successful, a large number of bookmakers will have to cut in and their patronage must be sufficient for them to keep going. So anyone looking for a race track, see Colonel Bradley. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt, who came into racing last fall when he arrived at voting age, will have one of the largest stables in America next season. J. H. "Bud" Stotler has thirty-seven yearlings receiving their first lessons at Sagamore Farm in the Worthington Valley, just outside of Baltimore, and these youngsters will sport young Vanderbilts cerise and white silks next season. Twenty-six of the youngsters were purchased from the Mereworth Stud of Walter J. Salmon, the day before the Kentucky Derby was run, and they were added to the eleven bred by Mrs. Charles Amory, mother of the youthful sportsman. Stotler reports several very bright prospects among the Vanderbilt yearlings, Including a three parts brother to Display. The colt is a son of Mad Hatter and Cicuta and Stotler believes he will make good. Many of the Mereworth bred yearlings are by Display, whose good son, Discovery, is the outstanding member of the Vanderbilt stable. Of the homebreds, the get of Balko are particularly attractive. Balko was one of the best sprinters this country has ever seen and frequently was successful in high weight events, in which he carried the highest impost. As young Vanderbilt intends to expand the stud he is maintaining at Sagamore, Balko will get every chance. The attorney general of New York calls the option system of betting as daringly practiced at Syracuse a violation of the law. This ruling did not come as a surprise in view of the expert legal opinion obtained in the past in connection with the Crawford-Breitenbach measure under which the present open betting is now conducted. It will be interesting to note what action the New York State Racing Commission takes against the Syractise promoters for violating the law. Probably they will do nothing about it as the meeting will soon be over, but when the promoters ask for future dates they may not be treated so favorably.
