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HAWTHORNE INAUGURAL NEAR Chicagos Popular Track Opens Its Meeting Week From Saturday. i Electrical Engineers Installing Foto Electric Eye — Public Test of Apparatus Planned Sunday. I Increased activity at the Hawthorne race track these days shows as well as does the calendar that the thirty-one day meeting is not far off. Just a week from Saturday, on May 23, racing comes to Chicagos handiest track. On opening day the ,000 added Inaugural Handicap will be run, and on June 20 the 5,000 added Chicago Derby will headline the program. Many improvements have been made in the west side plant for the spring meeting, but the one occupying the most attention right now is the installation of the foto electric eye. Hawthorne will be the first to introduce the camera finish to Chicago race followers, and Aaron Harvey, electrical engineer, who developed the foto electric, or Hobson eye, ia busy this week installing the apparatus. A public test is scheduled for Sunday, after which Harvey will depart to put in similar equipment at Rockingham Park. He will return here to personally operate the eye during the Hawthorne meeting. The booth housing six cameras is completed on the roof of the grandstand. The wiring is being installed now for the infra red rays which form a screen across the track near the finish line. These rays set off the first camera when broken by the winning horse. Originally the foto electric eye consisted of four cameras, but since the end of the Tropical Park meeting futher improvements have been made and the addition of two extra cameras perfected. Hawthorne will be the first to introduce the improved eye which likely will be adopted by all other Chicago tracks. Continued on thirtieth rage. HAWTHORNE INAUGURAL NEAR Continued from first page. Activity at the track is not confined to mechanical improvements. Some 200 thoroughbreds are on hand and more arriving daily. Trainer R. N. "Dick" Vestal checked in Tuesday with the Three Ds Stock Farm horses that have been campaigning at Churchill Downs. Those representing Texas leading breeding establishment are Money Getter, five-year-old handicap performer, the consistent Black Peter, which has won five times this year; Irish Ford, winner of his only 1936 start; Double Kerry, Headliner, Gin Daisy, Pansys First. Heelfly and Phala-san. The latter is a full sister to tin good Strideaway. ■ Charles Miller, son of track superintendent Ben Miller, has six youngsters on hand, three for Val Crane and one each for himself, his mother, Grace Miller, and Dr. Mar-shak, local owner. Transferring of the Alderman J. J. Cough-lin horses from the farm to the Hawthrone track has been started. Trainer A. J. Hef-fernan is in charge. The hordes Jack Hanover is training for J. H. Manheimer are on the grounds and working daily.
