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Between Races By OSCAR OTIS Vegas Story Continues to Unfold Tops French Riviera, Monte Carlo Lou Smith Takes Personal Charge DEL MAR, Calif., Aug. 25. The "Las Vegas Story" continues to unfold day by day with one dramatic development follow- ing another and, as the track prepares to open its inaugural meeting on Friday, September 4, we can" truthfully report that nothing in modern Western turf history we ever come close to precipitating the fierce and positive arguments bandied about over how the track will "do," whether it will be a smashing success or not, and the like. Las Vegas has been in the headlines consistently because of some of its bizarre announcements, or because of decisions by the Federal court of Nevada concerning the status of Webb Everett, who at the moment is pretty much of an advisor without pay, but a nonetheless effective force in Vegas policies, plus the very glamor of the city of Las Vegas and its environs, notably the fabulous strip, and which Lou Smith describes to us as putting the French Riviera andMonte Carlo to shame, even in their palmiest days. We are willing to take his word for it, because he has been there and we havent, although we think even in imagination it would be hard to surpass Les Vegas as a glamor center. When we speak of bizarre announcements we cite as an example an ad for Vegas appearing in the papers the other day advising opening week-end fans that if they were unable to find accommodations over Labor Day in the many new hotels and motels there, to bring blanket and pillow and make use of the Jockey Club facilities for slumber. Lou Smith and his associates in -Vegas have launched the final stages of a whirlwind campaign, and we do mean whirlwind, that is setting the stage for the momentous opening. Of course, as readers know, a flock of owners and trainers were flown from Del Mar to the track last Sunday to look over the facilities for- themselves, but even before that junket we detected a hard core of enthusiasm for the place among horsemen who felt that a competitive meeting to California tracks in Nevada would tend to upgrade Western sport elsewhere, and because of this was entitled to substantial support among the, horsemen. Las Vegas concedes that its first four days will be the most crucial, for some horsemen are slightly skeptical of the whole thing being as big as advertised, would like to go there, but figure if they do they will be without stalls all fall, particularly .at Golden Gate, and be sitting in the middle fct .sagebrush, on one hand, and luxury hotelson the other, without adequate purse money to buy hay. Explains advisor Everett: "The condition you describe is accurate in a good many cases. That is one reason Vegas decided to open before the close of Del Mar and the inaugural at Golden Gate. It was figured the Labor Day week-end opener would be such a smasher that the doubters would be convinced, and they js-ill then ship in just as they had wanted to. Hence, the problem is to get enough good horses to fill those first few days, and then the rush will be on. Nobody blames the horsemen who feel this way, but this was the reason it was decided to open before Del Mar closed, even leaving aside the point that Labor Day week end is the biggest of the year in Vegas." New Englanders will not be surprised to learn that Lou Smith has gone western, except he will not concede one tradition, the wearing of a Stetson hat, turned up on both, sides in the approved Nevada manner. "I always will be at Rockingham Park, God willing," Smith tells us, "but plan to make Nevada my second home. Like everyone else, I was skeptical of Las Vegas at first, but the more I looked at the place, the better I liked it. Mark my words, Las Vegas has a great future. Weve got something to offer just like we have at Rockingham. For instance, there we emphasize that Rockingham has the lowest take from Maine to Maryland and the public is well aware of it as shown by our expected increase of 14 per cent by the time the meeting closes. In Vegas, we will offer top flight racing in one of the worlds great settings Continued on Page Forty-Three i BETWEEN RACES I By OSCAR OTIS Continued from Page Four and with a background of luxury and excitement that prevails nowhere in America outside Nevada. Life is fast and fascinating in Vegas, and it is within reach of the so-called common man, not just the idle rich. I am personally assuming charge of detailed operation as well as of board policy, and I can say that,.r we intend to have top quality racing or none at all. I wouldnt be associated with a second rate place." Las Vegas is counting heavily on an influx of Eastern sports-minded folks for the opening with a view that on their return to the Atlantic seaboard they will spread the good word and help inaugurate a flow of people from far away distances across the Rockies. Actually, Eastern capital is predominant in the Vegas jockey club project, to be exact, of the two million dollars invested, ,650,000 in stock is owned east of the Mississippi. Turf writers from Boston, New York and Chicago will be on hand to cover the opening. One veteran California turf executive tells us, "no track in modern years in the West has ever had as much advance publicity nor created the interest as has Las Vegas. The conditions have been unique, for Las Vegas is a town of unprecedented color and most everybody, it seems, has set himself up as a judge of the situation whereby a modern track is starting in a desert oasis. This naturally has led to highly vocal differences of opinion. Guesses on the handle, for instance, have ranged all the way from 50,000 to 00,000 per day, and all parties have statistics to back up their points of view. It all adds up to the most tremendous free publicity ever received by a race track in the West. What makes it the more interesting is the fact the doubters have been proven wrong so often in the past. For instance, when Del Mar was built, it was argued the track was 100 miles from any place of consequence and it was too far to drag the people in quantity. When Santa Anita was built, some really smart racing people said Los Angeles was a nickel town, and would never support big-time metropolitan racing. But the way racing is going, it wouldnt surprise me too much if someone built a track in the middle of the Gobi desert and made a success of it. And Vegas certaiy is a long cry from the Gobi, even though admittedly on a desert. A combination of circumstances, including the federal courts, have served to make Las Vegas headline news over and over leading up to the inaugural, and at least everybody in California, especially southern California, which will be the backbone of its patronage, seems to be aware that there is a race track in Las Vegas that is about to open. Public relationswise, Vegas has done an outstanding jcb, but even its backers will, I believe, concede that the special circumstances surrounding the opening and building of the plant has been of great help." This corner is leaving for Long-acres, and after that, well be reporting the last minute developments from the aforementioned oasis. The answers will all be in by Labor Day nightfall.
