view raw text
. AnnounceThree Stewards For Centennial Meeting Tunney, Leighninger and Thomas To Serve at Fifty-Day Session IJTTLETON, Colo., June 18. — H. A. Christensen, executive secretary of the Colorado Racing Commission, announced that the three stewards for the Centennial Park meeting, which begins Saturday, June ■ 30, have been approved. They are: Willard F. "Bill" Tunney, R. E. Leighninger and Ivan Thomas. Tunney will serve as presiding steward, Leighninger as steward representing the Colorado Racing Commission, and Thomas 1 as associate, steward. Tunney has been active at Centennial Park as general manager since before the plant was even .constructed. He came to Centennial from Del Mar, where he was also general manager. He held down the post of manager of operations at Santa Anita, and his thoroughly developed background from all facets of the racing business make him an ideal selection for th# post to which he has been appointed. Leighninger, in addition to being a racing official, has made friends with turf fans across the nation through his writings under* the familiar byline, of "Lanny." He has been active during the past 15 years as an official on the West. Coast, serving in the stewards stand at Golden Gate Fields, .Del Mar and Bay Meadows. In addition to acting as a steward or placing judge at numerous West Coast meeting, "Lanny" has also been publicity chief at Hollywood Park, Longacres, Del Mar and Agua Caliente. Thomas is considered among the most, promising young officials to appear on the western racing scene in the past two decades. Although only 37 years of age, his rise has been almost meteoric. Thomas has come up the hard way, starting in the "bushes" of California and Arizona. Later he went to Chicago, where he served as paddock judge at both Arlington and Washington Parks. He was placing judge at Narragansett and moved to Mexico City as racing secretary. More recently, however, Thomas has confined his talents strictly to the West Coast until his appointment at Centennial Park last year. Thomas has been racing secretary at Del Mar, Golden Gate, Bay Meadows and Portland Meadows. He just finished a most successful season as facing secretary at Bay Meadows, and is currently racing secretary at Portland Meadows. He is no newcomer to the stewards stand, having doubled as steward at a, number of the meetings where he was secretary. Thomas is expected at Centennial immediately following the close of the current Portland Meadows meeting. Like Leighninger, Thomas is returning to the same post this season that he held last year at Centennial Park. Christiansen stated that the remaining officials would be announced following the meeting at Brush, Colo., which concludes tomorrow.