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J Samuel Perman PERLMANS NASRC ADDRESS J Samuel Perlman publisher of Daily Racing Form and The Morning Telegraph gave the following address at the conven ¬ tion of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners in Boston yesterday yesterdayTwo Two months ago I spoke before the Thoroughbred Club of America on the problems that face racing in this country At that time I indi ¬ cated that I believed that the foremost problem was the in ¬ equitable distribution of purse money I of ¬ fered the opinion that the change in distribu ¬ tion put into effect in California whereby first money was re ¬ duced from 65 to 55 per cent and added to third and fourth monies was definitely a step in tne ngnt direction that it was advisable that fifth money and the payment of jockeys fees for all other starters in the race should be considered However I recommended that no im ¬ portant changes should be effected without serious study studySince Since that time many men who have the interest of racing at heart have discussed the matter with me Some agreed others disagreed although by far the majority were of the opinion that a study is neces ¬ sary and changes are needed I firmly be ¬ lieve that the least that should be done by all race tracks is to follow the example set by Santa Anita and Hollywood Park Whether the distribution should go beyond the fourth horse should be determined only after a thorough study I firmly be ¬ lieve that a more equitable distribution of purse money is essential for the welfare of thoroughbred racing and it is even more to the interest of race track owners than anyone else because as individuals they have the greatest stake in the sport sportChange Change in Distribution Method Essential EssentialThough Though I have not made a thorough study of what happens to purse money I have gone into it sufficiently to know that a change in the method of distribution is essential I will give you some figures that I am sure will be enlightening but before doing so I want to assure you that I am strongly in favor of better purses for better i rses and that if this principle is not followed racing itself will suffer inestimable harm harmIn In submitting some statistics I cite the Hialeah meeting of last winter This meet ¬ ing was endowed with a rich stakes pro ¬ gram and excellent purses for all races The minimum purse for non juvenile races was 3500 The gross distribution for 40 days was 2049650 for a daily average of 51241 The purses were considered very fair by the horsemen and on the whole the meeting was on the highest level levelDuring During the 40 days of racing 360 races were run Two hundred and eighty horses won all the races These 280 horses also accumulated 94 seconds 95 thirds and fin ¬ ished fourth 77 times In all these 280 horses won 1607863 or 79 per cent of all the pursemoney pursemoneyFive Five hundred and twelve horses finished in the money without winning any races Their total winnings were 441787 441787Of Of the total of 1525 horses which started at the meeting 733 or roughly 50 per cent did not win any money at all 247 Owners Didnt Win Any Money MoneyThe The 1525 horses which started at Hia ¬ leah were the property of 694 different owners A total of 247 owners did not win any money whatsoever One hundred and seventy two others won less than 1000 1000It It is important not to draw any false con ¬ clusions from this analysis To begin with the best horses must always win the most money However in the case of Hialeah if the winners received 55 per cent as in Cali ¬ fornia a total of more than 200000 would have been taken from the winners and dis ¬ tributed among other horses still leaving 55 per cent of the total money with the 280 winners winnersMany Many believe that paying money beyond the fourth horse may cheapen the sport However in the case of Hialeah the condi ¬ tions of the races virtually eliminated all undesirable horses The fact is that there were more than 3000 horses in Florida and approximately 1500 of them did not even start at Hialeah HialeahAs As I stated before a keen study by quali ¬ fied officials representing all groups should be made before any changes are contem ¬ plated beyond the fourth horse Many who have discussed this matter with me have offered the reasonable suggestion that fifth money should not be paid in claiming races under 7500 and should be confined only to allowance races and highpriced claim ¬ ing races in order to discourage the racing of cheap horses They also believe that the payment beyond the fourth horse would help race tracks fill the better races racesDesire Desire Is to Elevate Sport SportI I hardly need make the statement that I would under no circumstances offer any recommendation that would cheapen rac ¬ ing No one has a greater desire to elevate the sport than I have but I am sure you will agree that if a proper study is made and it shows that the present structure is economically unsound then a change should be made for the benefit of the sport sportI I want to emphasize that the considera ¬ tion of paying purse money beyond the fourth horse must not be used by horsemen as a reason for seeking further increases in purses It would destroy the whole purpose if horsemen were to use this as a weapon The most important conclusion that may be drawn from the Hialeah purse analysis is that high purses do not solve the main problem Even if purses liad been doubled it would in no way have aided the 247 owners and 733 horses who won no money at all
