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SPORTSMANS 0PEN1NC Final Illinois Meeting of Year Begins Monday at Half Mile Track. Everything Spic and Span for Inaugural With Abundance of Horses Available. CICERO, 111., Oct. 10. The last meeting in Illinois for 1936 will be inaugurated at 2:15 oclock Monday afternoon when the National Jockey Club begins its eighteen-day meeting at compact little Sportsmans Park here. The plant has been put into ship-shape order, approximately 1,000 horses are available for competition, all the officials are on hand, an attractive opening day program has been arranged and the management feels that only fair weather is necessary to make Mondays opening a complete success. Sportsmans Park is only a half mile track, but it is immensely popular with Chicago racing patrons and seldom if ever have meetings at the local course been anything but successful. The tracks easy accessibility from all sections of the city helps it attract large crowds and the interesting sport which the National Jockey Club always has been able to present appeals to racing devotees. Then, too. Sportsmans Park patrons have no difficulty following their favorites over every part of the half mile racing strip. IMPROVEMENTS MADE. Under the direction of John Patton, secretary and treasurer of the track and its active head, many improvements have been made to the plant and all of the buildings have received fresh applications of paint. A new camera apparatus has been installed for the photographing of close finishes and tests have shown it to be eminently successful. The racing strip itself also is in excellent condition, largely through the industry of track superintendent Billy Myers, who has been working it for weeks. Many of the horses which will be seen in action here during the ensuing eighteen days have been racing on the Chicago circuit all summer, while quite a few more have come from other points to lend variety to the daily programs. Eight races are to be offered daily and no purse will be of less value than 00. On Saturdays ,200 features will be offered. With the first race scheduled to go to the post daily at 2:15 oclock, the management has decided upon a schedule which will make it possible for the eighth event to be over by 5:30 oclock, another detail that should prove popular to those who have long ways to return to their homes. OFFICIALS ON HAND. With the arrival from California of George W. Schilling the body of officials for the I meeting was completed. Schilling will serve as steward, along with J. J. Graddy and C. J. FitzGerald, Sr., the latter representing the Illinois Racing Commission. Robert Shelley is general manager and racing secretary; Robert McAuliffc, Thomas Steele and Robert Shelley, placing judges, and George Palmer, the starter. The opening days card boasts a double feature, the Columbus Day Purse, for three-year-olds and over, and the Inaugural Pursn, for juveniles. The former, fifth on the program, drew nine entries and the latter, to be run as the sixth race, attracted a field of eight. Both contests are to be decided over six and a half furlongs. Among those scheduled to start in the Columbus Day Purse arc Salaam, Palm Island, Bushmaster, Masterpiece and Tomye, while included in the list named for the Inaugural are Teddy Green, Ipso Facto, Viajero and Sir Midas. The other six races also bring together well matched and well filled fields and should provide sport of the most interesting variety.
