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j ; ! Here and There on the Turf Mayer Strengthens Investment, j Oots Should Prove Invaluable, j i Cane Desires Co-Operation. Competition Will Bother New j York. j ---A Louis B. Mayers appointment of Howard Oots as general manager of his racing interests is a ten-strike for the wealthy motion picture executive, but only if he accepts in its entirety the counsel of the veteran Kentucky horseman and exercises the patience E. R. Bradley, Joseph E. Widener, Mrs. Payne Whitney, John Sanford and other prominent long-time owners have exercised to obtain full enjoyment of the sport. Without a thoroughbred a few months ago, Mayer now possesses a pretentious stable of ready-made horses, a fortune in yearlings, a most attractive collection of brood mares, and in J his employment are three trainers, three i jockeys and a farm manager, without a farm. Perhaps he has had too much advice and has paid too much for some of his purchases, but Mayer wished to get into racing in a big way quickly, and none can doubt that he has succeeded. Now has begun the task of co-ordination, and Mayer may consider himself fortunate in obtaining the services of Oots, a greater part of whose lifetime iScs been spent with thoroughbreds as an owner, trainer and breeder, and thoroughly experienced in managing a breeding farm and several divisions of a large racing stable scattered about the country. In his new position the Kentuckian necessarily must relinquish most of the active control of his own enterprises, and most likely the burden will fall to his nephew, a proven horseman in his own right. Now at Santa Anita Park with a comparatively small band of horses but including such topnotch-ers as Marica and Yale o Nine, owned by Thomas D. Taggart, Oots probably will continue to direct their preparation until the summer season, when the duties of his new association will prove more exacting. That will be the time when the Mayer two-year-olds will be coming on and another bunch of yearlings must be selected. Even with a good organization, which Oots undoubtedly will attempt to weld, Mayer should not hope to "break up racing." His stable may be unusually successful in its first year or two, as those of many other newcomers have been, but again he may have to wait a long time before having the rare pleasure that only comes with the ownership of a champion. Some persons have tried for years to achieve such an ambition, but racing is one sport in which good horses cannot be obtained for the asking. Our advice to Mayer is to be a good loser and the taste of victory will be all the more enjoyable. He must learn sooner or later and it is hoped the former that good horses just happen along, sometimes coming up quickly but more often after a period of long development, and to hope for the ultimate success with the horses at present in his stable he afford them every chance of development. That most nearly can be done with a person of Oots ability and experience enjoying the full confidence of his employer and having the widest latitude in operation. William H. Cane, chairman of the New Jersey Racing Commission, which in its half dozen years of existence, hasnt had any racing to supervise, speaks sensibly in saying: "We will try to work with the New York commission," meaning, ,of course, if wagering on the sport is approved by Jersey voters at the special election next June 20. In addition Cane has stated that although no applications for the construction of race trades have been received, only three courses would be permitted, one in the-southern portion of the state, another in the central and the third in the northern section. New Jersey, being rather small, all of its tracks would attract some of their patronage from Greater New York City, although the state is populous enough to support the three tracks for many years if a sensible control of dates is maintained. Viewing the Jersey situation with alarm, as he well might, is Herbert Bayard Swope, chairman of the New York Commission and for several years the principal advocate of the dual system of wagering bookmaking and wagering. He says the former method has its advantages and disadvantages. Fortunately, the encouraging points of personalized wagering will keep New York racing alive no matter how big the New Jersey sport may grow. The metropolitan circuit may lose some of its patrons to the tracks across the Hudson River and in the long run the mutuels may make new fans for New York, but too many prominent stables enjoy the conditions surrounding the sport in the latter state to be lured away very long by totalisator dollars. Most trouble will be forthcoming in the competition for racing material and this thought may be uppermost in chairman Canes mind in his wish for co-operation, with New York.
