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No Entries Made At Sportsmans SportsmansHBPA HBPA Holds to Demands Track Petitions Board for Hearing Plans Damage Suit SuitBy By J SWEENEY GRANT GRANTStaff Staff Correspondent SPORTSMANS PARK Cicero 111 May 3 The dispute between members of the Central Division of the Horsemens Bene ¬ volent and Protective Association led by the groups vicepresident Joseph Kohout and the management of Sportsmans Park represented by the tracks president Wil ¬ liam H Johnston over the matter of purses came to a head here today todayHorsemen Horsemen refused ta enter their charges for Mondays races at this course and Johnston countered with a statement say ¬ ing that he would suet responsible horse owners for damages sustained by the track because of this failure to enter Johnston also released the text of a petition he had filed with the Illinois Racing Board asking that a hearing be held by the board Tues ¬ day morning and requesting the board to take disciplinary action against horsemen who have refused to race their horses at the meeting meetingAsks Asks Board Hearing Tuesday TuesdayJohnston Johnston said he would sue for profits the National Jockey Club would have made if the race meeting had continued through its scheduled closing date May 10 The tracks management served notice of the suit on every horseman they were able to contact Horsemen also were notified that representatives of the National Jockey Club would appear before the Illinois Racing Board on Tuesday morning in connection with its petition and asked the horsemen to attend the session if they saw fit fitThe The announcement of the suit came after Kohout spokesman for the HBPA an ¬ nounced that members of the horsemens group would not enter their horses for Mondays races racesKohout Kohout stated that the horsemen would refuse to fill future programs unless the theContinued Continued Jrom Page Five No Entries for Todays Racing Filed by Sportsmans Horsemen Track Petitions Board for Hearing and Plans Damage Suit for Loss Sustained SustainedContinued Continued from Page One Onemanagement management of the track met their de ¬ mands to calculate the daily purse dis ¬ tribution on a basis of 50 per cent of the tracks share of the mutuel take and breakage breakageJohnston Johnston and his associates have refused to recognize these demands presenting signed statements from individual horse owners to the effect that the owners had agreed when they were granted stabling accommodations that they would race their thoroughbreds for a daily distribution of 16000 and a minimum purse of 2000 2000Previous Previous to releasing his statement Johnston said that he had received word from the horsemen requesting a meeting with him in his executive offices later in the afternoon Johnston said that he had instructed racing secretary Robert Mc Auliffe and members of his staff to keep the racing secretarys office open all day Sunday so that interested horsemen could enter their horses if they desired desiredThis This afternoons meeting again resulted in a deadlock and neither side would com ¬ ment any further than that As the situa ¬ tion now stands there definitely will be no racing at Sportsmans Park Monday The office of the local racing secretary will be open tomorrow morning and afternoon to take entries if the strike should be termin ¬ ated later today or Sunday SundayJohnston Johnston repeated that since the opening of this years meeting purses have been raised three times The last increase grant ¬ ed yesterday was a flat increase of2000 per day According to Johnston starting with Mondays program the daily purse distribution would average approximately 20800 This is in comparison to the 16000 the horsemen originally agreed to acceptText accept Text of Petition to Racing Board BoardFollowing Following is the text of a petition signed by Johnston and sent to Stuyvesant Pea body Jr chairman of the Illinois Racing Board and members Frank R Wharton and William S Miller To the Honorable Stuyvesant Peabody PeabodyJr Jr chairman and William S Miller MillerFrank Frank R Wharton members of the Illi ¬ nois Racing Board BoardYour Your petitioner National Jockey Club an Illinois corporation respectfully repre ¬ sents 1 National Jockey Club owns and operates Sportsmans Park a race track and enclosure located in Cicero 111 where pursuant to a license granted by this honor ¬ able board it is now conducting a spring horse racing meeting which commenced April 21 and ends on Saturday May 10 1952 2 One hundred and sixtyfive horse owners whose names are set forth on ex ¬ hibit A to this petition which is by express reference made a part hereof con ¬ tracted with your petitioner National Jockey Club to race their horses at the aforesaid spring meeting that in and by said contract between said horse owners and National Jockey Club it was under ¬ stood and agreed that the minimum daily purse distribution during said meeting would be 16600 with 2000 minimum purses that to each of said horse owners prior to the commencement of said racing meeting National Jockey Club sent a letter a true and correct copy of which is hereto attached marked exhibit B and by ex ¬ press reference made a part hereof and prior to said meeting each of said horse owners signed and delivered to National Jockey Club the following agreement National Jockey Club Cicero Illinois Gentlemen I hereby accept stalls allotted me for the Sportsmans Park 1952 spring meeting under the following conditions Minimum daily purse distribution 16600 with minimum 2000 purses I will ship horses not later laterthan than Signed 3 That stalls were allotted by Na ¬ tional Jockey Club to said horse owners and they are now occupying the same and in accordance with their contract afore ¬ said with National Jockey Club have raced their horses at said meeting but Joseph G Kohout who is vicepresident of an alleged association called the Horsemens Benevo ¬ lent and Protective Association with the aid and assistance of Ralph Bohn Robert Cameron and Ray Henry Freeark Jr formulated and adopted a plan or scheme to force National Jockey Club to increase its minimum daily purses above the amounts aforesaid specified in the horse owners contract with National Jockey Club by having all of said horse owners who contracted to race their horses at Sports ¬ mans Park during said spring meeting re ¬ fuse to enter their horses in the races conducted by National Jockey Club during the week commencing May 5 and ending May 10 1952 that by persuasion threats and intimidation the said Joseph G Ko ¬ hout aided and abetted by Ralph Bohn Robert Cameron and Ray Henry Freeark Jr at a meeting held with a majority of said horsemen induced them to agree to refuse to race their horses at Sportsmans Park during said week commencing May 5 1952 and the said Joseph G Kohout has issued to all of said horsemen an order that none of such horsemen shall make an entry on Saturday May 3 1952 for the Monday May 5 1952 race card at Sports ¬ mans Park and the said Joseph G Kohout further threatened that any horseman violating said order will be brought before him as local vicepresident and the execu ¬ tive committee of the Horsemens Benevo ¬ lent and Protective Association on charges of violating said order A tine and correct copy of said order of the said Joseph G Kohout is hereto attached marked exhibit C and by express reference made a part hereof hereofSpecify Specify Purse Demands 4 That National Jockey Club by and through its president has been advised by a socalled executive committee of said horse owners consisting of John Beck W Bishop E E Major W Mikel Frank Nugent and Harold Hoffman and by the said Joseph G Kohout that unless the minimum purses are raised above the amounts specified in the aforesaid contract between said horse owners and National Jockey Club none of said horse owners will make an entry for Sportsmans Park race card for Monday May 5 1952 and said horsemen will refuse to race their horses during the remaining days of said meeting 5 The action of said horse owners in refusing to make entries for their race cards and in refusing to race their horses during the remainder of said meeting in breach of their contract with National JockeyClub is in violation of law and the rules and regulations of the Illinois Racing Board BoardWherefore Wherefore your petitioner National Jockey Club respectfully requests that a hearing be held upon this petition and that the Illinois Racing Board take disciplinary action against the aforesaid horse owners who have joined and combined in said plan and scheme to refuse to enter their horses for races at Sportsmans Park and have refused to race their horses at said racing meeting that petitioner may have such other and further relief as to this honor ¬ able board may seem just Signed SignedNATIONAL NATIONAL JOCKEY CLUB William H Johnston President PresidentAlso Also enclosed with the petition to the racing commissioners was a copy of the theContinued Continued on Page ThirtySeven No Entries Made At Sportsmans SportsmansHBPA HBPA Holds to Demands Track Petitions Board for Hearing Plans Damage Suit SuitContinued Continued from Page Five x xprevious previous agreement the track management held with the horsemen It is as follows followsExhibit Exhibit B BDear Dear sir sirYou You have been allotted stalls for horses at f or the Sportsmans SportsmansPark Park 1952 spring meeting to be run Mon ¬ day April 21 through Saturday May 10 Conditions upon which these stalls are areallotted allotted are as follows Horses racing for a claiming price of 1250 or less during the calendar years of 195152 except winners for said claiming price of 1250 will be ineligible for stabling accommodations and entries for the Sports ¬ mans Park 1952 spring meeting meetingDo Do not bring more horses than you have been allotted stall space for as they will not be permitted to unload Positively no dogs will be permitted on the grounds groundsJockey Jockey club certificates of registration t tregistration on all horses must be on file in the racing secretarys office before horses will be per ¬ mitted to start startMinimum Minimum Distribution of 16600 Minimum daily purse distribution 16 600 with 2000 minimum purses pursesThe The enclosed acceptance card must be signed and returned within 10 days A self addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience convenienceHorses Horses not eligible for stalls unless quali ¬ fied since receiving this notice Sincerely SincerelyWin Win H Johnston president National Jockey Club PS Under the rules of the Illinois Rac ¬ ing Board all horses being shipped from outside the state of Illinois must have a health certificate issued by an authorized veterinarian veterinarianExhibit Exhibit C of the tracks petition fol ¬ lows lowsATTENTION ATTENTION ALL HORSEMEN HORSEMENMay May lt 1952 1952Your Your vicepresident executive commit ¬ tee and national office representatives Robert O Read president and Dr Harry W Lindy vicepresident of the Michigan Division met this morning with Sports ¬ mans Park president William Johnston in an attempt to arrive at a fair purse distri ¬ bution formula Mr Johnston refused to make any concrete proposal and absolutely refused to negotiate negotiateIn In view of Mr Johnstons attitude we have no alternative but iff invoke the unanimous authority vested in your vice president and executive committee to re ¬ fuse to enter therefore no horseman will make an entry on Saturday May 3 1952 for Mondays race card cardIn In accordance with our constitution and bylaws any meeting at which three fourths of the members present vote to refuse to enter votewas 1060 for refusal to run all members whether present or absent are boundto accept and abide by the decision Failure to attend the meet ¬ ing shall not be an excuse for not carrying oui the purpose of the motion Any mem ¬ ber violating the above will be brought be ¬ fore the local vicepresident and executive committee on charges for the violation of same sameWe We wish to further caution all horse ¬ men at this time to remain calm and to proceed in a sane and orderly manner Do not be misled or confused by the many rumors you may hear around the race track Your officers as has been their policy to date will keep you informed by bulletin of any official developments Your confidence and cooperation will be helpful and appreciated Signed SignedJoseph Joseph C Kohout VP Illinois Division HBPA HBPAExecutive Executive Committee John Beck W Bishop E E Major W Mikel Frank Nu ¬ gent and Harold Hoffman secretary and treasurer
