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~ — ! — Fv" ~"T i fW ! Mm 8 ,- ■ ■■•*•and■ ..M W M RICHARD A. CONNELL— President of the Hazel Park Racing Association, will be at Churchill Downs today in the interests of the Michigan track whose program was announced on Saturday. Hazel Park Lists Handicap Program Ten Feature Races At 57-Day Meeting Five Will Carry 0,000 Value; Purse Distribution Will Total ,200,000 DETROIT, Mich., May 9. — The richest handicap program in the history of Hazel Park, was officially announced today for the 57-day meeting which opens August 6 and runs through October 10. Included in the feature attractions for the 1953 season are five 0,000 handicaps, three handicaps at ,500 and two ,000 handicaps. Richard A. Connell, president of the Hazel Park Racing Association, and racing secretary Horace Wade revealed the schedule of features following several conferences with other officials of the group which has operated Hazel Park since its inception in 1949. Besides Connell, other officers are Waldo D. Andrews and James V. Bellanca, vice - presidents; John R. Monaghan, secretary; S. Truman Hart, treasurer; Ralph G. Matkin, assistant treasurer, and Lester A. Smith, assistant secretary. Hazel Park officials estimated that total purse distribution will exceed ,200,000. The estimate is based on 2.875 per cent of anticipated mutuel play, they said. Minimum purses will be ,000, as compared with last years ,800 minimum. "We are going to adhere to the policy of Better Purses for Better Horses whenever possible," Connell said, "but we also realize that the smaller stables with cheaper horses are entitled to share in the anticipated increase in business." Officials pointed to last years record-breaking season and the steady increase in the popularity of thoroughbred racing as solid reasons for their optimistic views for the coming season. Last year Hazel Park led Michigan race tracks in attendance, mutuel play, purses paid to horsemen and revenue to the state of Michigan. A total of just under ,150,000 was distributed in purses for the 56-day meeting. Hope to Better Record "With a one-day longer meeting and the upsurge of the sport throughout the country we have every confidence of surpassing last years records in every department," a spokesman said. Feature attractions for 1953 follow: Hazel Park Mile, 0,000, three -year -olds and upward, one mile. Ed McCuan Handicap, 0,000, three-year-olds and upward, one mile and a sixteenth. Labor Day Handicap, 0,000 three-year-olds and upward, one mile and one-eighth. Border Cities Handicap, 0,000, three-year-olds and upward, one mile and a sixteenth. Endurance Handicap, 0,000, three-year-olds and upward, one mile and three-quarters. Great Lakes Handicap, ,500, three-year-olds and upward, six and one -half furlongs. Sophomore Mile, ,500, three-year-olds, one mile. Maple Leaf Handicap, ,500. three-year-olds and upward, one mile. Adolescents Handicap, ,000, two-year-olds, six furlongs. Youngsters Handicap, ,000. two-year-olds, six furlongs. The Endurahce Handicap Series will consist of: Series 1, The Long Winded, for horses which have started for a claiming price of ,500 or less in 1953, purses to ,000. Series 2, The Marathon, for horses which have started for a claiming price of ,500 or less in 1953, purses to 0,000. Series 3, The Endurance, for horses entered to be claimed for ,500, purses to ,000. Endurance Championship, closing day, purse ,500. . Connell will make an early "missionary" trip to Midwest tracks, including Churchill Downs and Sportsmans Park, where he will make personal contact with owners and trainers of desirable stables, while Wade will be doing a similar job at eastern tracks. Meantime improvements at the track have been under the supervision of Andrews. Major project completed was changing the concrete apron in front of the 10,000 capacity grandstand to permit a panoramic view of the races by standees. Entrances and exits from the stands into the mezzanine mutuels section have been widened and the paddock patio has been extended around the first turn to provide additional bleacher seats.
