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BETWEEN RACES * oscar om HOLLYWOOD, PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 9. — Atlantic City race track, since its inception, has been a course whose officers were willing to listen to ideas that would come under the broad department; of improvement, and since Philadelphias Dr. Leon Levy has taken a more active interest, that virtue nas oeen empna-sized even more. Dr. Levy, you may recall, reduced his activities a couple of years ago in the radio and television field to devote more time to the affairs of Atlantic City, and he has been working harder, it seems, on the management of the Jersey seashore track than he does in his own business. Dr. Levy serves on the board of directors and as head, of the racing department without pay. He believes he has made some steps in the past toward what might be termed reforms in the stable area, and plans to complete the job this fall. When we say reforms, we mean the correction of practices by both horsemen und management which haveled to friction, misunderstandings and, consequently, to a lowering of the tone of the racing. "The Atlantic City race track today finds itself in. a peculiar position financially," says Dr. Levy, "in that our expenses have been steadily increasing, but our sources of revenue have either remained almost constant, or have not increased enough to offset the added expense. During our summer meeting which opens August 9, we intend to make two concrete steps toward meeting that problem." AAA "The first is toward the public," explained Levy, "and consists of a slight raise in our service charge on passes. Along this line we are extremely interested in the accept-" ability of the plan of lower entrance fees and no passes, Levy Analyzes Turfs Financial Structure Plan Nine-Race Programs for Atlantic City The Case for an Extra Race Is Explained Air Conditioned Train Service Is Arranged as decreed at Arlington and Washington Parks in Chicago. Also, for the first time, the Atlantic City track will guarantee a special, aif conditioned train from Philadelphia, at a fare to the race fan of .53 a round trip. While last year a Pennsylvania Railroad fan could go from Philadelphia to Atlantic City for .00 round trip, it cost .04 for a round trip to the track, which is 14 miles lesser mileage. The answer in the cost difference is for the track to make a guarantee to the road of a minimum number of fares, which we have agreed to do. In return, the railroad has agreed to provide our train customers with modern and air conditioned equipment. Our second gesture is towards the horsemen. We will run nine races a day, every day, instead of nine races only a couple of times a week, as we did last summer." A A A "That ninth race has come in. for a lot of argument in the last few years, and for that reason Id like to discuss our thinking in the matter a little more in detail. Insofar as the horsemen are concerned, the carding of the ninth race will enable us to lift our total daily purse distribution from 3,500 per day to 6,000 per day, and also will make it possible for us to card two additional stakes, which will be run after Labor Day. Now, as to the ninth race and its relationship to the public. While it is logical that too much of anything is not good, just where that point is reached is debatable. We at Atlantic City feel that the ninth race is not too much for some very good reasons. You may recall that in New York, they used to have only six races. Now they have eight. We intend to put on our nine-race programs smartly and promptly, and our last post, by cutting down five minutes between races, so our last post will be no later than prevailed last season with eight. The nine races will offer the fan three alternatives. He can come early, see six or seven races and go back to the beach. Or he may stay on the beach until midafternoon, still get to the track and enjoy five or six races, which is enough racing to make the trip worthwhile. Or he may come and enjoy the" entire card. Its like an American plan hotel, the food is there, and you can take it or leave it at your individual pleasure. Six races a day seemed too few in New York, and nine races do not seem to be too many." AAA "We are adopting some new rules as to our racing which should be of benefit to the public," continued Levy. "We will not permit a maiden, six years old or older, to compete. Our idea behind this is not, as was the case at some tracks which have adopted the same rule, to weed out the cheaper, inferior older horse and thus help solve, in a small way, the economic problem posed by over-extensive breeding, but rather in fairness to owners and trainers to whom we give stalls. Now we have had some 4,000 applications for stalls, can accommodate only silghtly more than 1,000. It would be unfair to give a stall to the six or over maiden, and deny a stall privilege to a person with a horse what would fit our racing program and be a credit to our racing. By the same thinking, no horses eight years old or older who has not won at least once during- the previous 12 months after having Continued on Page Forty BETWEEN RACES By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty-Four run at least five times during the year foi ,000 or less will be allowed to compete We will limit the privilege of racing onlj to horses- on the grounds, but horses stabled at nearby farms, of which both horse; and farms have been approved, will be considered as being on the grounds. The farm; that have been approved have been personally inspected by myself and measur up to the standards of cleanliness anc comfort. Some farms that have asked foi approval have been turned down becaust sanitary conditions were not satisfactory and we want no horse racing who mighl bring in disease from the outside, and ir so doing impair or destroy the value oi thoroughbreds on our property, when proper sanitary safeguards and standard; are maintained. In addition, we aire insisting, for the first time,, that every horse racing at Atlantic City be tattooed." ▲ ▲ ▲ "I might mention in connection with oui nine-race programs," saysLevy, "that it gives us a wonderful opportunity to give two-year-olds a chance. We plan to have two juvenile races each day, and run the whole range of conditions from maidens through claimers, allowances, and stakes, Special emphasis will be placed upon our two-year-old program, and we believe that Atlantic City, under these conditions, will prove an ideal place for the development of the younger horses, yet without sacrificing any opportunities normally available to older thoroughbreds. Incidentally, we have announced two new stakes for fillies, one of them to be carded for two-year-olds, the other for fillies and. mares, three and upward." r i
