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OLD HAWTHORNE READY • Final Official Inspection of Plant Finds Everything in Fine Shape. — — ♦ Removal of Infield Paddock and Installation of Electrical Eye Meets Approval of Horsemen. « Track superintendent Ben Miller, accompanied by Messrs. Thomas McHale, chairman of the board; Albert Sabath, president, and Charles W. Bidwell, secretary and treasurer, made a final tour of inspection of old Hawthorne Tuesday and pronounced the popular west side track ready for the return of horse racing next Monday. The thoroughbreds will clash eight times daily up to and including September 1 and the officials of the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association expressed themselves as highly pleased with conditions at the track and, after looking over Millers stable reservation book, declared that Hawthorne would not suffer from the lack of talent. Shipments of horse flesh are arriving hourly and with starter Jack Hodgins on the job for schooling purposes, the oldest track in Illinois, and the middle west for that matter, presents a daily scene of busy activity. That the coming meeting will be more of an Illinois affair that ever before is already evident. At least twenty Chicago-owned stables already have some of their racers on the grounds and it is believed that eighty or ninety of the Illinois sportsmen who campaign race horses will be represented during the meeting. Officials and stockholders of the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association are largely natives of this state, while most of the racing officials themselves also call Chicago or Illinois their home. Francis Dunne, associate steward and racing secretary and one of the up-and-coming young officials on the American turf, was born and raised in the neighborhood of old Hawthorne. Hodgins, the new starter, came from Bunker Hill, 111. PLEASED WITH CHANGES. The track officials are interested largely in sounding out horsemen on the innovation to be introducted with this meeting and owners and trainers expressed themselves as highly satisfied with the changes made. The principle physical change was the removal of the infield paddock. The horses will now be saddled in a new paddock constructed beneath the stand and dividing the grandstand and clubhouse section. The infra-red ray electrical timing device also came in for much praise and the trainers expressed themselves as pleased with the managements announcement that the device would be available for training workouts. Other expressions of satisfaction were heard from the horsemen over their new lounge which has been constructed on the side of the old indoor paddock at the extreme end of the grandstand. It is located just outside of the secretarys office and the loud speaker from a mike in the secretarys office will keep them appraised of what is going on while making entries. Hawthornes easy accessibility and the reduction in admissions so that the track pays both state and federal tax will, in the opinion of the officials, make this meeting even more popular than any that have gone before. Fast train schedules are being worked out with the Illinois Central railroad, while the elevated is planning increased service. The bus lines and street cars which serve the track are also working on the idea that the fans will turn out for the meeting.
