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George Swinbroad SWINEBROADS NASRC ADDRESS George Surinebroad president of the Thoroughbred Club of America made the iollowing address before the convention of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners yesterday yesterdayIt It is a privilege to address a group of men whose activities so importantly in ¬ fluence the course of racing in the TJnited tries associated with this organization I have never before at ¬ tended an annual con ¬ vention of the NASRC but I am well aware of the proceedings of these conventions because I have followed the reports in racing and breeding papers A few years ago we at Lexington had the pleasure of your pres ence in our city on the occasion of one of your annual meetings and we feel honored that Central Kentucky has furn ¬ ished the only two secretaries the NASRC has ever had in the persons of Tom TJnder wood and Mrs Smith SmithI I speak to you as President of the Thor ¬ oughbred Club of America a national organization whose membership is com ¬ posed principally by the hreeders and owners of Thoroughbred horses Our role as providers of the horses which compete on the nations race tracks requires us to scrutinize racing carefully and to be well aware of the trends in what is Americas fastestgrowing spectator sport We try to be informed of both its strengths and its weaknesses weaknessesNASRC NASRC Has Raised Sport to High Plane PlaneSome Some of racings strength lies in the thrilling contests it provides for a nation that loves competitive sports The people of the United States have an affection for race horses that dates from the earliest days of our colonial history Another part of its strength is derived from such an organization as the National Association of State Racing Commissioners which since its formation back in the 1930s has been greatly influential in helping raise racing to its present high place in public esteem Aside from its regulatory and adminis ¬ trative functions the NASRC has made a particularly important contribution to rac ¬ ing through the forum rt provides for vari ¬ ous elements within the sport to present their viewpoints The NASRC is the only organization of such high stature that solicits the opinions and impressions of others in racing and listens attentively to what they say On behalf of the more than 500 members of the Thoroughbred Club of America I extend thanks for the opportunity of ap ¬ pearing here and commenting on some matters which Thoroughbred hreeders con ¬ sider to be important importantAt At previous NASRC conventions when the Thoroughbred Club has been privileged to have a spokesman mention has been made of the comparative scarcity of races restricted to fillies and mares I want to bring to your attention the fact that this situation has improved very little within the last few years By reason of their phy ¬ sical structure mares and fillies are usually not able to compete on even terms with male horses Yet the very facts of equine life require that large numbers of mares be retired to the breeding paddocks each year By selecting these future broodmares at least partly on the hasis of their per ¬ formance on the race course hreeders can choose animals that are qualified to con tribute to the improvement of the breed of race horses And believe me gentlemen improvement of the breed is the serious goal of the members of the Thoroughbred Club of America 46 Per Cent of All Races for Fillies Mares MaresFor For a good many years the Thorough ¬ bred Club has gathered statistics on the number of mare and filly races in North America in comparison with the total num ¬ ber of races The latest figures available show that only 46 per cent of the races held at the nations race tracks permitted mares and fillies to race against each other The other 95 per cent of the time they had to compete against more rugged male horses and thus were afr a disadvantage disadvantageBreeders Breeders would like to see more races for filhes and mares so that the process of broodmare selection could be advanced and so mares and fillies would be able to remain in competition long enough to prove their merit or their lack of merit The situation which now prevails requires breeders to decline to race some of their filly prospects because they would be at a marked competitive disadvantage or to race them only a little and retire them before their class can be evaluated evaluatedFrom From still another standpoint breeders are at a disadvantage because of the pres ¬ ent pattern in American racing This is from the marketing standpoint Slightly more than 50 per cent of all the thorough ¬ bred foals horn each year are females yet the opportunity for selling females at a price comparable to male horses is mark ¬ edly lower In 1952 at the auction sales of yearling Thoroughbreds colts sold for an average price of slightly above 5000 while fillies brought an average of about 3400 It costs a breeder just as much to raise a filly as it does a colt yet he has to sell his fillies lor about one third less than he could get for a comparable colt coltThe The reason for this is simply that buyers are lukewarm toward fillies as racing pros ¬ pects because they havent the earning potential of colts except in rare cases There are very few Gallorettes who can meet colts on even terms termsSuggests Suggests Conference With Track Heads HeadsOn On behalf of the Thoroughbred Club I suggest that when you confer with the race track managements in your home states regarding the programs they plan to offer at their tracks you remind them of the desirability for carding more races exclu ¬ sively for mares and fillies By so doing you will be making a fundamental contri ¬ bution toward the improvement of our horses and you will be providing very good contests for the spectators spectatorsNow Now for some remarks about purse dis ¬ tribution which for the last few months has been one of racings very hot potatoes If I addressed such an important group as this regarding racing from the breeders viewpoint without discussing purses I would be an extremely unrepresentative representative The problem of purses is as important to breeders as it is to race track management jockeys trainers own ¬ ers and all the other elements in racing Breeders canno more survive without an adequate purse program than General Motors could survive unless its products sold for the cost of production plus a rea ¬ sonable profit profitThe The growth of racing within the last 10 years and particularly since 1944 has been one of the amazing phenomena of American sports The number of racing days has increased sharply the number of races has nearly doubled and purse dis ¬ tribution has mounted mountedIt It was to be expected that all the parts of racing would not adjust themselves to their unexpected expansion at the same pace Some parts would soar ahead some lements would lag behind before all the elements would lag behind before all the surface from a mere scanning of raw fig ¬ ures it might appear that purse distribu ¬ tion has kept up with the growth of other factors Yet it has not when one considers purse distribution in comparison with the cost of maintaining a race horse horseMinimum Minimum Cost of 3500 3500It It takes a brave horseman to undertake to campaign the average horse for a whole year on a bankroll of less than 3500 and it takes careful management to hold costs to this level The fact is that for a normal operation with average horses the cost of keeping a horse in training for a year lies between 4500 and 5000 This includes shipping charges veterinary fees shoeing insurance training charges racing colors jockey fees wages of grooms and exercise boys and other essential items You can no more keep a horse in training without having to meet these expenses than you can operate your automobile on air airKeep Keep in mind this minimum of 3500 which I consider to be the barest of mini mums Against this place the fact that the average starter at a North American track last year earned only about 2700 This figure can be verified in the American Racing Manual The Manual records that total purse distribution in 1952 was 63 63Continued Continued en Page Six Swinebroads NASRC Address Continued from Page Four 950000 The Manual records that 23813 horses started on North American race tracks last year Divide 63950000 by 23 813 and the answer is 2686 That is an average potential of 2686 per starter and it also is a theoretical potential because some horses actually won more than that since racings prizes go to the fleetest and still many horses earned substantially less lessSo So on the basis of plain arithmetic it becomes apparent that the mere ownership of race horses is no guarantee of prosperity The ownership of horses offers a morex or less sporting chance of breaking even or perhaps of making a little money while it positively assures you of a cost of 3500 or more for maintaining each horse dis ¬ regarding the amount of money you have invested in that horse horseAs As the representative of the Thorough ¬ bred Club of America I have no desire to project myself or my organization into a dispute which already has provoked a great deal of bitterness and harsh talk But I do suggest that if race horse owners are will ¬ ing to face the odds that constantly con ¬ front them in the hope of making a little money or at least breaking even then race track managements might well be satisfied with a reasonable return on their invest ¬ ment and exhibit a sincere willingness to meet with horsemen and arrive at a purse distribution figure which takes into account the cost of maintaining a racing stable stableI I might state before leaving the subject of purse distribution that breeders I have talked with are generally opposed to the payment of fifth money Four moneys are enough There also is a growing sentiment against 100000 purses It isfelt that such large purses expose racing to attacks from its enemies and that the money might better be distributed in the form of in ¬ creased purses for other stakes and fea ¬ ture races racesPublic Public Confidence in Sport SportIn In the past few years especially since the formation of the Thoroughbred Racing Association and the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau racing has enjoyed greater public confidence than ever before The Thoroughbred Club suggests that Rac ¬ ing Commissions avail themselves of the services of the TRPB when advisable and that such safeguards as thq totalizator and the film patrol be installed at all race tracks where finances permit Indeed no race track can afford not to adopt all possible protection to the public which patronizes the sport and pays the bills billsThe The last topic I shall discuss is stall allotment The power to allot stalls is a power that tracks can use for the benefit of racing Careful screening of applications can do much toward eliminating or at least seriously handicapping the compara ¬ tively few individuals who try to cut corners and bring honest horsemen and honest track operators into disrepute with the public It i an obligation of race tracks to be careful about stall allotments Their unique position sometimes referred to as a licensed monopoly carries a grave responsibility responsibilityBy By the judicious exercise of their power to assign stalls the tracks can also elimi ¬ nate many unfit horses This will lead to more formful racing and to a better deal for the public and also will favor owners who want to race good horses but some ¬ times are denied the opportunity to do so because they are unable to get stall space The solution of the present overcrowding in stable areas is not in building more barns It lies in admitting only those horses that have a reasonable chance of starting during the meeting The allocation of stalls should be placed in the hands of a person or persons whose integrity is beyond dis ¬ pute puteGentlemen Gentlemen of the National Association of State Racing Commissioners I thank you on behalf of the Thoroughbred Club of America for the privilege of appearing be ¬ fore you As I mentioned earlier rio com ¬ parable organization within racing offers a similar opportunity I realize that although you are the most powerful body in Ameri ¬ can racing your influence is limited to the making of suggestions I realize also that in your many states you have many dif ¬ ferent problems and many different points of view Yet I hope that some of the matters I have called to your attention will appeal to you as being worthy of further consideration If the Thoroughbred Club of America can be helpful to you in the exploration of some of these situations we shall be most pleased Gentlemen I thank you
