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Sportsmans Attendance Up Over Similar 1948 Period SPORTSMANS PARK, Cicero, 111., April 30. — The opening five days of racing at this half-mile track, which for the second year at the spring session was staged as a charity meeting for the Daily News Veterans Fund and the Herald-American Benefit Fund, had a gross handle of ,911,509 and was attended by 56,617 fans, according to the figures released today by William H. Johnston, president of the National Jockey Club. The net proceeds from the five-day meeting, which preceded the 13 -day regular meeting now in progress, will be turned over to officers of the two charitable organizations next week. While the attendance for the 1949 meeting surpassed the previous years figure, there was a slight drop in mutuel handle. The weather on opening day this year was less favorable and eight races were carded instead of nine, which made up the opening-day program in 1948.
