view raw text
i . ! [ I . ; [ r , [ . , [ t r Horsemen Ask Higher Purses at Hollywood Board States It Has No Power In Matter; Apply for 1952 Dates LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 11.— Insufficiency of the purses offered at Hollywood Park to insure horsemen making a profit or breaking even on their operations was the main topic of discussion before the California Horse Racing Board meeting yesterday. In addition to an inconclusive debate on this point, the board received 1952 date requests from the six major tracks and from the Western Harness Association and took these under consideration together with several tentative schedules for the entire year, proposed by the representatives of various associations. The board also heard pleas from several indi-I viduals respecting granting of licenses or restoration to good standing. Appearing on behalf of the horsemen, John Beverly, secretary of the western division, HBPA. presented the arguments for increased purses, directed mainly at Holly-i wood Park. He presented figures purport-I ing to show that Hollywood Park paid to horsemen a smaller percentage of its share of the pari-mutuel revenues than any other major racing association in the country. He stated that the Inglewood oval, while ad-[ hering to the 4-3-2 distribution plan in effect in California, actually distributed only 312 per cent, while Bay Meadows, at its last meeting, distributed 40 per cent. Other tracks cited were Belmont Park, 50 per cent; Aqueduct, 53; Saratoga, 77, Hialeah. 41; Garden State. 39. and Monmouth Park, 29. Jack MacKenzie, executive vice-presi- dent and general manager of Hollywood Park, countered by declaring that a comparison of percentages did not reveal the true story since an examination of the ac-I tual money distribution would reveal that in the last six years Hollywood Park had been usually third and never worse than fourth in its total and daily average distribution on a table taking in all tracks in the nation. Winding up the discussion, the board concluded it had no power in the matter and the only recourse of the horsemen was through negotiations with the individual tracks. On the matter of dates, each major association presented its request. Santa Anita led off asking for 50 days, December 28, 1951 to March 8. 1952 and proposed a ,220,000 stakes and purse program. Hollywood Park asked for 50 days, May 27 to August 2; Del Mar for 41 days, July 22 to September 6. In the North, Golden Gate asked for 50 days, March 4 to May 10 and Tanforan and Bay Meadows presented a proposal for a split season for one or the other, half the dates of the split track to be run in the spring, following Golden Gate, the other half in the Autumn. Golden Gate agreed to participate in such a rotation date-splitting plan after 1952. The Alameda County Fair Association also desired an additional four days this year at Pleasanton to. in part make up for the gap in the Fair circuit left by the defection of Gait. The request was taken under submission. Issuance of a license to the Solao County Fair at Vallejo to conduct a race meeting for seven days. June 16-23, 1951, was approved. Applications for licenses of various kinds were denied to Glen W. Perry, Homer L. Baker, Howard K. Pore, Willis Brown, Paul R. Meyers, A. R. Scofield, Jr.. and John Gag-liano. Suspensions of James D. Reynolds, James H. Twinn and Robert J. Bolton were continued until such time as they might appear before the board. No action was taken regarding the suspension of J R. Gregory, pending the filing of a formal application by him for an owner-trainer license.
