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Hazel Raceway Changes Track Superintendents SuperintendentsSwitch Switch Made When Horsemen Threaten to Withhold Horses HorsesDETROIT DETROIT Mich May 7 The Hazel Park Harness Raceway narrowly averted a shutdown with a quick change in track superintendents superintendentsHorsemen Horsemen threatened to withhold their horses from Mondays races unless some ¬ thing was done to put the racing strip in satisfactory condition for the second full week of the 3 9 night meeting meetingAs As a result the Raceway discharged Dick James as superintendent and hired Paul Buck who has been competing as a driver in the first six nights of the meeting meetingI I can get the track in shape for you Buck volunteered as horsemen grew more rebellious about the trolly track trackTrack Track officials explained that James was unable to cope with the conditions he found locally In addition they pointed out that the unusually early start of racing April 29 had created a peculiar set of prob ¬ lems for James JamesThe The weather has been so cold and damp the officials said that it was impossible to get the track in shape shapeMost Most of the difficulties were ironed out at a meeting of track officials horsemen and state steward Malcolm Linehan and horse ¬ men who competed Thursday night reported that the track was 100 per cent better than the previous night nightHazel Hazel Parks track conditioning has been complicated by the staging of both flat and harness races since 1953 Before that the track was used only for thoroughbred rac ¬ ing ingLast Last year With the advent of the harness horses the Hazel Park Racing Association had to convert the entire fivefurlong course for the trotters trottersIt It allowed the Raceway to scrape off the top soil down to the clay base and then put another layer of clay on the track to make it suitable for harness horses When the thoroughbreds moved in after the spring trot meet the top clay had to be removed and the old dirt replaced replacedThis This costly and involved procedure prompted vicepresident Waldo Andrews and his HPRA partners to seek a new solu ¬ tion They arranged to remove the top dressing and have the harness horses race on the clay bottom bottomThis This bottom caused the trouble until the new track superintendent took over and ended the trouble troubleIn In another change the Hazel Park Har ¬ ness Raceway summoned Eddie Miller from Miami to take over announcing duties at the track this week end endMiller Miller who has announced running races at Hazel Park ever since the track opened in 1949 and before that at the old Detroit Fair Grounds has never called the stand ardbreds in Detroit before beforeCold Cold weather with temperatures around freezing has held down attendance and betting at Hazel Park so far this spring A year ago the track hung up the best marks in the midwest doing an average nightly business oli 313000
