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r 1 Here and There! on the Turf j Santa Anita After New Record. J Improvements to Greet Fans. j New Track Marks Likely. j More, Better Horses Available. s Santa .Anita Park, now the most prosper ous track in America, opens its fifth season to?iay with every prospect that the meeting wilAbe its finest yet. With more horses on its grounds than ever before, lured by the highst average purse distribution since the boom days and the greatest in the history of winter racing, the Los Angeles Turf Club has made plans to accommodate more visitors than ever before and with the hope they will be provided with the finest sport possible. The meeting, as have its predecessors, will be climaxed by the annual running of the 00,000 Santa Anita Handicap on March 4, and at this time, more than two months before the running of the exacting mile and one-quarter struggle, the field shapes up as the finest yet. Much can happen, however, and only average luck will be necessary for the event to carry out its early promise. Increasingly prosperous since the first month of its inaugural meeting, Santa Anita has not hesitated in putting back much of its earnings in improvements in addition to steadily increasing the stakes and purses. Today the Arcadia course is comparable to any in the world in beauty and appointments as well as being able to accommodate crowds that would overflow nearly all of the other tracks in the country. In enlarging the tracks grandstand and clubhouse, Hal Roach, Dr. Charles H. Strub and their associates have seen to it that its beauty was correspondingly improved. For the fifth meeting, Santa Anita has a new, larger paddock that is almost the last word in horticultural art, a more extensively decorated infield, and a clubhouse that will be a delight to all fortunate enough to use its facilities. It is the racing, however, that will concern all after they have seen and appreciated the plant itself. More than enough horses with an increased number in the higher classifications are available and to ride them is a colony of jockeys that would make any other course, whether operating winter or summer, feel justly proud. The track has been resoiled and seemingly is faster than ever before, judging by the manner in which horses have gone through their workouts, but that will be proven or otherwise with competition. Except for the three furlongs straightaway, Santa Anita holds no American records, but its marks for the other distances nearly compare with the fastest elsewhere, the time for three-quarters being 1:10, for the mile around two turns 1:35 and mile and one-quarter 2:01. All of Santa Anitas records except the three furlongs mark seem in danger if the track is as fast as workouts indicate that it is. For the first time, the Arcadia course will have no races for thoroughbreds just turning two years of age, therefore no three furlongs events will be offered. As no juveniles are on the grounds, the stalls formerly occupied by them now are filled by older horses. The purse minimums have been elevated to ,500 and with such an outlay racing secretary Webb Everett has written conditions to provide that the lowest claiming price for races of six furlongs be 53,000 and for events at a. mile or longer ,200. In his first condition book, he has provided for as few claiming races as possible, making up for the latter with graded handicaps, of which there are four classifications. The other contests are stakes, maiden races and allowances affairs as well as the handicaps carrying added money. Another innovation to be provided at Santa Anitr. is in the officiating, it being the idea of the association that the stewards can do a better job by being placed at intervals around the track, viewing the races from towers situated along the inner rail. At the conclusion of each event, they will gather at the finish and trade their views with each other. To further strengthen its staff of stewards, Santa Anita his increased its number to five. Believing that nothing has been left u .done to make the meeting the best so far in every respect, the Los Angeles Turf Club directors are hoping that the weather will be reasonably good throughout the fifty-two day term ending on March 11. The sport will hold sway five days weekly, after January 7, New Years May being the only Monday when a program will be offered.
