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i i i GEORGE HAGGARTY — Michigan Racing Association executive Yice-president who was. in charge of the tracks TV film patrol at Saturdays preview. ♦ — _ — ; . Detroit Tracks TV Turf Patrol Makes impressive Public Bow , , t 50 Guests Preview System of f Televising and Filming Races on Closed Circuit DETROIT, Mich., May 2.— TV Turf Patrol, the Detroit Race Courses heralded system of televising and filming horse e races through a closed-circuit television 1 setup, made an impressive public bow as s part of the University of Detroit "Derby Day" festivities at the track last week end. • More than 50 guests, invited to the 2 special preview, were interested spectators 3 on behalf of racing organizations in Detroit . and throughout the country. John Morris, president of Jamaica Race Course and past president of the 2 Thoroughbred Racing Associations, ,was 3 among the visitors. His reaction was cal. "TV Turf Patrol certainly shows real 1 possibilities," Morris declared. "Im interested . chiefly in the system from the standpoint of what it will do to help stewards , in viewing all stages of a race at close i range." Morris and such other guests as David . Nadel, of Suffolk Downs; Zoltan Gombos and V. V. Marshman, of the Ohio Racing p Commission, and Robert Laughlin, representing ; the Thoroughbred Racing Protective Bureau, all were invited back by r George Haggarty, executive vice president of the Michigan Racing Association. "By the time our meeting opens May 20," said he, "all the bugs and technical ■ difficulties will be ironed out and the full impact of TV Turf Patrol will be felt. What you saw today will give you an idea of its potentialities." James H.,Inglis, Michigan racing~com- missioner, was on hand along with Michigan horsemen Ray Grundy, Charley 1 Kranz, Harry Lindy, Bill Bridge, Leo i Hertsberg and Tremon McDermott. All joined in congratulating Haggarty and Dale Shaffer, MRA president, on their sponsoring TV Turf Patrol. ; Watch Two Races They were enthusiastic after watching two special races between thoroughbreds in training at the track. The guests followed ! the horses in action on two 24-inch television monitors set up in the club cq [ dining room. On one set they saw the race through ; the eye of a camera located atop the grandstand. At the same time they could see on the other set the horses as caught j by the eye of one of 12 cameras located around the track itself . | | i At all times there, was a clear broadside or head-on view of the field,, 1 As part of the TV Turf Patrol system all 1 this action was recorded on film and later i run off for the assembled visitors to dem- 1 onstrate how the stewards could use the i system after any race. When the equipment is ready for full 1 operation, complete finished films of any race will be available for viewing within i 45 seconds after the end of the race. Dick Shanahan and Bill Deneen, the 1 young Detroiters who invented the system, I demonstrated the entire operation Satur- day after hastily setting it up during the i last week. They pointed out that there t would be no time lost in picking up films £ and processing them for the stewards: i Instead the judges would be able to see 1 a rerun of the race on film almost im- t mediately without leaving their stand. I "Even before most races are over," said Shanahan, "the start of the race would be ready for showing." i Ten 24-inch screens were scattered i under the grandstand in the preview and more will be added for the MRA meet. Only in the stewards stand will there be c two monitors. j There will be single sets in the pressbox, r restaurants, bars, jockeys room and else- + where in the grandstand — and these will pick up only the panorama view of the j race, while the stewards will receive the close-ups as well. c Between races, it was explained, the pub- t lie monitors would carry shots of the odds board with mutuel prices, horses in the . paddock and post parades. " ° Shanahan declined to comment on the cost of the MRA setup, but reliable esti- a as mates put it between 0,000 and 0,000. He said, however, that the service can be sold for a price "very competitive with similar ones on. the market today." The entire system is controlled from a J trailer behind the infield tote board. In s it is .all the equipment, including the con- £ trol panel arid the recording and processing £ devices. . TV .Turf Patrol .€an« be.tpufc. in M full ope*ratio» with a? crew vbf itwtfmen? i » b noil »r s-r it u «/ i E wtf.0iu? «t oi h,m
