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OMAHAS NEW LANDSCAPING Ak-Sar-Ben Field To Be Enhanced in Beauty A New Streamlined Odds Board To Be Installed. OMAHA, Neb., April 1. When the patrons of thoroughbred racing flock to Ak-Sar-Ben Field in Omaha for the opening of this years racing on Saturday, May 27, they will be regaled with a beautiful new landscaping effect, now under construction. A gorgeous area comprised of thousands of floral plants, in distinctive formations, is now being set out in the enclosure immediately across the race track from the grandstand, chairman W. H. Schellberg announced. The work is being carried out under the direction of Mrs. F. F. Grouseman, horticultural expert. Not only is the Ak-Sar-Ben plant being improved from a beauty standpoint, but also in another way to the advantage of racing fans. The large approximate-odds board heretofore in use, which hid the view of the back stretch from the patrons assembled on the terrace, is to be replaced by a new streamlined board of the latest design, Schellberg said. It is less than half the height of the board formerly used, and will permit the eyes of the racing fans to follow the horses entirely around the track. Furthermore, the new board will be fitted out with the most efficient modern equipment, so synchronized to the totalizator machines as to give practically instantaneous notice of any change in the odds. Although the opening of the meet, which continues from May 27 to July 4, is nearly two months away, superintendent Jimmy Ronin has his track in good condition and ready for the early arrivals who are beginning to assemble. The railbirds are turning out for the early morning workouts and on Sundays the crowd of interested spectators has been of large proportions. There are nearly 100 horses already quartered on the grounds, Ronin says.
