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Call Meeting to Discuss 48-Hour Entry Closing . Horsemen, Arlington Management To Confer on System Now in Use ARLINGTON PARK, Arlington Heights, 111., June 25. — Horsemen racing at Arlington Park today were invited by the management to a breakfast in the clubhouse dining room Wednesday morning at 10:00 oclock to discuss the 48-hour entry system. The system, which has long been advocated by such a prominent racing personality as Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, has been in use here since this meeting opened last week. Entries have been taken on a 48-hour basis in New England and other areas around the country, but Arlington Park is the first big race track in the country to put it into actual operation. Some minor hitches in the system have developed, largely due to the unfamiliarity with all phases of the plan on the part of the horsemen. However, the management has ironed out most of the objectional features and will endeavor to explain the new and smoother operation to the trainers tomorrow. Some local horsemen have objected to the 48-hour system "on the basis of uncertainty about the weather more than a day in advance. However, those who favor the measure point out that the stewards have been quite lenient about permitting the declaration of horses who cant "mud" in the event of an "6"ff" track. Another point of dispute, discussed at a meeting of the horsemen in the clubhouse terrace after the races last night, was the taking of Tuesdays entries on Saturday, thus actually making the plan work 72 hours in advance. The maiagement since has discontinued this phase of the operation and now the racing der*irtment takes both Tuesdays and Wednesdays entries on Monday. Since Mondays entries have always been taken on Saturday under the old 24-hour system, and since Tuesdays entries have always been taken on Monday, this leaves only four actual days of the week under which the 48-hour system will operate. A great many midwestern horsemen have found the new system advantageous in numerous respects. Some have pointed out that they can now blow out a horse for a particular race with confidence, since they Continued on Page * irtf-Six Call Meeting to Discuss 48-Hour Entry Closing Horsemen, Arlington Management To Confer on System Now in Use Continued from Page Fifty-Two know it will go a day in advance. If the particular race for which they are pointing fails to fill, then they may reserve then-work until it does. It is their opinion that this phase of the new plan makes for better conditioned horses. Another benefit of the 48-hour system, it is noted, is to give owners a chance to learn that their horse is definitely in a race and to make plans to attend the races to watch him run. Out-of-town owners in particular have found the extra 24 hours particularly helpful in arranging transportation and re-scheduling business affairs. The 48-hour system has been hailed as a stimulus to business at the race track because it insures that the entries will appear in the early editions of the local newspapers. It has been proven that the printing of the entries and graded handicaps is a key factor in keeping handle and attendance at a peak level, which reflects in the purses the association is able to offer. Churchill Downs recognized the publicity value of an added 24 hours when in 1956 it initiated the system of closing the Derby Day program 48 hours in advance. The success of the new system locally is underlined by statistics released today by the racing department. Last year, 100 races in the four condition books of the Arlington Park meeting were "off" because they failed to fill. This year, during the period covered by the first book, only 11 races were declared "off," a substantial reduction by percentage.
