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BETWEEN RACES * ore HOLLYWOOD PARK, Inglewood, Calif., June 16. — Californias Horse Racing Board meets Monday in Los Angeles to take up a number of problems, and while the date schedule for Northern California tracks is not officially on the agenda, it is understood the matter wilf be thoroughly discussed informally. "It would really make the racing board happy if the tracks in the San Francisco Bay Area could reach an agreement among themselves on dates," comments board secretary "Al Fiske. "The problem in San Francisco is simply that the. law allows more dates than there are available on the cal-ander without a conflict with a major Southern California track . Each year there has been some bickering over dates and if a solution that is satisfactory to everyone can be worked out, so much the better. It would save the board a lot of headaches. It is highly improbable, however, if any change will be made in the schedule for the rest of this year." Fiske added that the attorney generals office was drawing up a. complaint against jockey Dick Rossall, who got himself into a jam by falsifying his age in his application for license. "If we can find out who put him up to it, we will have a case," explained Fiske. "Young Rossall himself is a fine little fellow, and it is most unfortunate that he should be involved in a case of this kind." Rossall will not reach his 16th birthday until next February, and California law "is quite strict that no rider be licensed until he has attained that age. Rossall, ncidentally, is rated as one of the best apprentice prospects to be seen on the West Coast in recent years. He was tripped up on his age, oddly enough, by a movie studio. Rossall went to Mexico City to work in a picture, contract paying ,100 for ten days, but the studio, be- Important Race Board Session Is on Tap Woodbury College TV Survey Made Public Research Indicates Popularity of Sports Foresee Kentucky Derby Gate1 in Millions cause of insurance risks, declined to accept a notice of birth in lieu of a genuine birth certificate, or photostat of said certificate. The certificate came up at 15. Rossall worked in the picture okay, but at a different and higher rate of insurance than would have prevailed had he actually been 16. In any event, it is an absolute bet that Rossall will be grounded until next February. AAA The fifth, and by far and away most comprehensive survey on the impact of television upon the public has just been made available to this writer by College of Los Angeles, and some of its conclusions are worthy of mention and study. The survey was made in Los Angeles, San Bernardino* the San Francisco Bay Area, Portland, Ore., Fresno, Calif., and Denver, Colo. The latter three, of course, are currently non-TV areas, but they were included for comparative purposes. Here, briefly, is a summary of conclusions pertinent to horse racing. In answer .to the query, "Which of the following programs do you thing best to combat juvenile delinquicy?" Sports was second choice to education in Los Angeles and San Bernardino, on a par in San Francisco. The ratios are interesting. In Los Angeles, education led with 38 per cent to 35 per cent for sport, the next type program mentioned being a mere 14 per cent. In San Bernardino 36 per cent voted for education as against 30 per cent for sports, and in the San Francisco area, both were tied at 37 per cent » each. As to the question, "Have TV sports events made your family more sports minded?" the positive answers were as follows: Los Angeles area, 73 per cent, San Bernardino 64 per cent, San Francisco Bay Area 63 per cent. AAA But perhaps the most significant part of the report, and which might point a long range solution to the relationship between the turf and TV, comes in a part designed to theatre television and phpnevision. Woodbury • College researchers declare they are neither for nor against either, merely reporting consumer reaction to these topics. Here was the question: "If the following events were not available on regular television, would you be willing to pay one dollar for the telecast of: outstanding sporting events such as the Kentucky Derby, World Series, etc?" The answers: Los Angeles area, yes 56 per cent, no 37 per cent; San Bernardino, yes 63 per cent, no 33 per cent; San Francisco Bay Area, yes 53 per cent, no 41 per cent. The difference in percentages is made up of those who made no comment. The percentages of answers was about the same for both phonevision and theatre vision. In the non-TV vision areas of Portland, Denver and Fresno, the percentage of those willing to pay one dollar for a Kentucky Derby or World Series game ran slightly higher than in the three TV communities. And lastly, in the non-TV areas, sports led all other types of programs which folks most wanted to see when TV did come to their locales, excepting in Colorado, where variety shows led sports by 42 per cent, to 29 per cent, but in Oregon, sports led variety 44 per cent to 35, and in Fresno 41 per cent to 34. AAA At Churchill Downs during the spring, we chatted with Col. Bill Corum, who informed us then he was investi- Continued on Page Thirteen BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Forty-Eight - gating the possibilities of phonevision, and had the admittedly somewhat nebulous idea that this coming media might be the answer to allowing a nationwide telecast of the Derby, but at the same time not killing the event for lack of a gate. We say "nebulous" because Corum was not willing to commit himself until he had given -the matter further study. We also are advised that the Thoroughbred Racing Associations is vitally interested in television and its impact upon the sport and the public, and a really large scale survey is under serious consideration. This would take in a cross section of all TV areas in the nation. The TRA survey, of course, would pay closer attention to sports in general and racing in particular than the check of Woodbury College, but it seems somewhat significant that Woodbury mentioned the Kentucky Derby ahead of the World Series. Dave Woods of Pimlico is of the opinion that television will, within the next ten years, become something of a giant, and that it well behooves every racing association to give careful consideration of how* the sport can best utilize this media to make racing more popular than ever before. AAA A Kentucky Derby with a "gate" of as much as 5,000,000 would not be an impossibility by either phonevision or theatre vision or a combination of . perhaps both. The Thoroughbred Racing Association survey, when and if completed, will be made available to member tracks for their consideration. If the project is given the "go ahead," it is understood that one of Americas leading analysts Of radio and television, who also has the background of thoroughbred ownership, will direct the poll and sift the results for conclusions. The survey, incidentally, has been informally discussed by the TRA directorate, and is now on Spencer Draytons desk. It was temporarily shelved two months ago because Drayton was urgently needed in Washington. I
