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HORSEMEN PRAISE FOOTING Resurfaced Course at Aurora Meets With Approval of All. New Sixty-Foot Odds and Jockey Board Erected Under Grandstand for Patrons Convenience. AURORA, 111., April 17. Although actual work on the Fox Valley Jockey Club track began only last Sunday, the track proper has come in for much commendation from horsemen who have inspected the mile oval. Those who have been visiting the Aurora track since 1925 say that the track has never been as good as at the present time, and that it will make a decided hit with all horsemen racing here during the nineteen-day meeting beginning May 1 to May 22. Racing secretary Richard Leigh, who has been an official at Aurora since 1925, and who has seen the track at its worst, said that the resurfacing done following the close of last years spring meeting has done wonders. "The new soil, which is a sandy loam," he said, "has been worked into the black soil until it now forms a fine cushion and will be adaptable for racing for all classes of horses." Jack Bainton, veteran horseman who has been an annual visitor to Aurora since its first race meeting, said: "The track at Aurora was never better than at the present time. The sand loam added has been a wonderful improvement, and I look for no broken down horses this season. The cushion is one of the best Ive seen anywhere, and I find that the soil does not clog as heretofore, but breaks easily under the lightest pressure." Lou Meripol, Red Wormel-dorff, and the veteran Bon Rogers added their praise, as did Al Gaal and Duke Mc-Cue, who have been breezing horses over . the course each morning since last Sunday. James Farley, veteran clocker, said that the repair work was being done on the track by the deep harrows and grader will work to an added advantage, and that he looks for a course on which horses will run fast and at the same time not be subjected to breaking down because of the hardness of the course in former years. Farley has been clocking horses at Aurora since the first race meeting. General manager Robert Eddy said that he invited inspection of the course by the public and horsemen alike, and was going to ask the members of the Illinois State Racing Commission to come down and make a personal inspection along with the board of stewards. Since last season 30,000 cubic yards of sand loam have been added to the course. Another Illinois Derby nominee and arn rival on the grounds is Mrs. Dan Hardys Jaber, which arrived from Florida on Tuesday. Frankie Seremba was an arrival from Hot Springs, where he stopped off en route from New Orleans by motor. His eight two-year-olds, which he will campaign here, also arrived Wednesday morning. Recent jockey arrivals included Robert Haber, L. Laurin, Willie Lang, Red Dias and J. Donoho. Dominick Tortorich, veteran concessionaire of New Orleans, arrived Wednesday and began work on the new candy stands he will install at Aurora. M. Weil was an arrival from Miami, unloading five horses which he will campaign at the Aurora meeting. Electricians began work on the three telephones which will connect the patrol judges with the stewards stand for reporting the running of races during the meeting. A ten-foot wire fence has been erected on the outer edge of the grandstand proper and running back as far as the paddock, enclosing the secretarys office from the general parking space. A shrubbery garden has been planted along the inside of the fence, and a new rock garden also has been erected immediately in front of the paddock on the lawn side. A new sixty-foot odds and jockey board has been erected uader the grandstand in the betting ring for the convenience of the spectators. Racing secretary Leigh received word that the majority of the horses coming from New Orleans would leave there Wednesday. There also were two express carloads coming from Hot Springs. The Arlington Downs horses, which would comprise some 150, would leave there at the end of the Arlington Downs meeting. Several Illinois Derby candidates will probably start in the Texas Derby next Saturday at Arlington Downs, they including Holl Image, Rushaway, Flag Cadet, Lolschen, Palm Island and Miss Bam; Racing secretary Leigh has announced that all stall room has been assigned at Aurora, and only those receiving confirmation of stable room are advised to ship.
