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I] 1 I I i NARRAGANSETT PARK TRACK Builder Predicts One of Fastest Yet Safest Courses in Country — Proper Soil at Hand. PAWTUCKET, R. I., July 18.— "Miles in better than 1:37" are predicted at Narra-gansett Park by Harry Klees, who is building the Narragansett Racing Associations ,000,000 race track near here. Klees goes farther and declares that the new course will be one of the fastest in the country, comparable even to Belmont Park, Hialeah Park and Arlington Park. Klees has been constructing racing strips for thoroughbreds for thirty years. He began at Latonia and continued his work at tracks from Fort Erie, in Canada, to Oriental Park, in Cuba. He was called to Miami when the new track was built there and he assisted in the construction of Coney Island. "I believe Narragansett Park will gain immediate distinction because of its speed," said Klees today, as he watched two eighteen-ton rollers, harrows and other equipment and a large crew of men working on the track. "The running surface not only will be fast, but it will be safe. The nature of the soil accounts for this. "We have been singularly fortunate here in having the proper soil for race track purposes right at hand. At Miami we were severely handicapped in this respect. We had to search all over Florida before we i found the proper soil, and then we discovered it was in the Everglades. Here we had the loam right on the track site, or in the immediate vicinity. The matter of obtaining proper soil fills an all important detail in race track construction. The soil must possess qualities that make for both speed and safety. The combination is frequently difficult to find. Often track builders sacrifice safety for speed. A hard track is a fast track, but it breaks down thoroughbreds, and horsemen complain. Dry, deep footing also puts undue strain on horses legs. Again, trainers complain, and also the public, who prefer speed above everything. The ideal footing is one that permits fast time being made without inviting injury to horses. "I am confident we have this happy combination at Narragansett Park. The soil is friable, yet resilient. Moreover, with our drainage system, it will dry quickly after rain. I do not hesitate to declare that both horsemen and racegoers will be pleased with the footing here."
