view raw text
OMaHA INAUGURAL THURSDAY Ak-Sar-Ben Meeting of Thirty Days; Plant Ready. Martin Nathanson Acting as Presiding Steward General Manager Isaacson Is Busiest Man on Grounds. OMAHA, Neb., May 26. -Racing returns to Nebraska Thursday for thirty days, which promise to be replete with thrills. Over 500 head of horses are quartered at Ak-Sar-Ben Field awaiting the bugle call, and indications point to a large turnout for opening day and a highly-successful meeting. The recent arrival of a six-car horse train from Aurora boosted the equine population, and additional animals are expected from the west coast before the meeting gets under way. General manager J. J. Isaacson has been working night and day to have the plant in, tip-top shape for the coming meeting and he has been successful in his endeavors. The picturesque mile track was never more beautiful and horsemen claim that the track proper is one of the best in America. Although Riverside Park, Kansas City, will run in competition with Ak-Sar-Ben, it is thought that the conflicting dates will help rather than hinder the Omaha sport-General manager Kyne of Riverside is said to have about 1,000 horses at his park, and a few of the better .ones may possibly be shipped to Ak-Sar-Ben for the more important races, as it takes but a half day to van from one track to the other. Kansas City is but 200 miles from Omaha. The Ak-Sar-Ben officials are working diligently preparing for the opening. Presiding steward Martin Nathanson, one of Americas outstanding officials, is on the job, while racing secretary Eugene Bury and his assistant, John L. Watkins, have been present for some time. Jack Hudgins, whose work at the barrier last season was highly satisfactory, is on the grounds schooling horses, while "Brick" Torrel, "Frenchy" Schwartz, Jim Farley, Joe Walters, "Apples" Tabor and other well known dockers are keeping tab on the horses in the early morning hours. The feature race on opening day will be the Inaugural Handicap, at five and one-half furlongs, and the fayorite and high weight for the event will probably be Cloud DOr, from the stable of W. T. Westrope. That fast sprinter was named high weight in the Inaugural Handicap at Bay Meadows and performed in consistent fashion on west coast tracks during the winter and spring seasons. In order to encourage breeding in the state a race for Nebraska-bred, horses will be given every day. Such events have created much interest in the past and have been responsible for Nebraska sportsmen going into the breeding business on a larger scale. The state now boasts a number of well-equipped farms devoted to the raising of thoroughbred stock.
