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California Board Sets Down Neves for 1 5 Days Announcing Ruling for Assisting Tout Without Intent of Profit LOS ANGELES, Calif., June 11.— The California Horse Racing Board concluded a lengthy session late Friday afternoon at its downtown offices in Los Angeles, and the commissioners desks were cleared of several matters having a vital interest to the turf as well as an abundance of matters styled as "routine." Jockey Ralph Neves, handed a suspension by the Hollywood Park at Santa Anita stewards early in the meeting for conduct detrimental to the best interests of the turf, appeared with Bert Thompson, field representative of the western wing of the Jockeys Guild, and asked for a prompt hearing. Commissioners Loyd Wright, chairman, Nion Tucker, and Dwight Murphy, acceded to the request, and Neves for himself, waiving the right of legal counsel. Neves admitted the charges, but made a strong point that he had acted unwisely, not maliciously, and the commissioners agreed with this version of an unfortunate instance, and decreed a penalty of 15 racing days, the suspension to take effect on Tuesday. The ruling follows: "Jockey Ralph Neves is suspended for 15 days, and thereafter his license as a rider will be on a probationary basis. The reasoning for this ruling was conduct detrimental to the best interests of racing under Rule 319, specifically that of assisting a known tout, without, however, any intent of profit or gain for himself. During the period of his suspension, jockey Ralph Neves will be permitted to fill any stakes engagements on file with the stewards." Of extreme importance to harness horsemen was the announcement that the meeting of the Western Harness Association would be run as scheduled, at Hollywood Park, from October 8 through November 26. This conclusion was reached following a conference between the board and representatives of both Hollywood Park and Western Harness. Many of the accommodations for the public will be make-shift and only one portion of the grandstand will be available, but even so the three parties concerned, including the board, representing the people of California, decided that said accommodations would be adequate but not lavish. The commission also approved the request of the Pacific Harness Association now staging a meeting at Golden Gate Fields, to operate a daily double. Double tickets, under rigid safeguards, will be sold from racks. The commission has had the daily double situation under study for some time and reports from eastern tracks, where the double is in vogue, indicated that the public was fully protected under the system used.
