view raw text
: Burnett Views Fairmount Outlook Optimistically Sees Horse Colony of 650 Head By Time Meeting Opens May 27 COLLINSVILLE, 111., April 22.— Requests for stalls for the Fairmount Park annual spring meeting, which gets under way May 27, are being received by racing secretary Richard A. Leigh at a lively rate, and general manager D. C. Burnett predicts the horse colony at the local track will number more than 650 head. Burnett is extremely optimistic about the coming season and bases his judgment on the meetings at other points. "Never in the history of racing has there been such amazing turnouts. The daily average at New Orleans last winter was beyond 50,000. At Oaklawn Park they ran to the amazing total of almost 50,000 daily average. At Kentucky they are breaking the daily averages. At New York they are exceeding ,000,000 a day. Therefore, I feel that a metropolitan city like St. Louis naturally will respond to good racing. "That is what I propose to offer. I have instructed racing secretary Leigh to bring in only the best horses obtainable at this time. I hope that the people of St. Louis and Illinois and the territory contiguous will appreciate my thought-." Leigh states he had more reservations than usual at this time of the year. He has been on the job for over two weeks and has opened his offices and is readying his forces for the meeting. Cliff Abbo, placing judge and publicity man, is an arrival and likewise sees a great season at the local course.
