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Maumee Downs 1 By Dick Kumble = Experiment in Racing Strip Content Pays Off Innovated on Matkin Lucas Recommendations Future Plans Include Numerous Improvements ImprovementsMAUMEE MAUMEE DOWNS Maumee Ohio May 12 An experiment in racing strips and their actual content which has proven a boon to everyone involved has been innovated here through the recommendation of president Ralph Matkin and his aide Har ¬ old S Lucas One year ago Fort Miami consisted of a mile track that 22 straight days of rain made too dangerous for racing a halfmile oval built hurriedly on the inside of the former and a quartermile strip even farther inside used primarily for the rac ¬ ing of hotrod autos All three of these adjacent paths were oblit ¬ erated from the racegoers view by numerous and ugly lightpoles and the actual running surface had enough bumpy areas to prove hazardous to horses and riders alike Today Maumee has a brand new onemile course with a fine infield that has been replanted and should produce a coat of Kelly green by the fall meet ¬ ing The lightpcles have been removed and tlie Amer Jcan Totalisators newest infield odds board is on dis ¬ play in contrast to the tiny replica that preceded when the line actually changed during the running of races similar to the days of the handbook handbookLucas Lucas close friend Fred Pohl of Bell River Canada owns a halfmile exercise track and had experimented for years with his soil His advice to the Maumee men was to plant a new base of clay and cover it with a topsoil of washed or equarium sand They discov ¬ ered a wealth of clay which lay under the present in ¬ field and had it transplanted to the new racing strip Tons of washed sand were shipped in from Adrian Mich and carefully set in place prior to the April 23 opening Of the many different sands in use equarium has proven the best for drainage Last week end was a vivid example It rained heavily Friday night muddy for the first race at 230 p m Saturday and was re classified frequently all afternoon reaching fast pro ¬ portions amazingly by the sixth race It poured again that night and Sunday but dried hurriedly no hand sponging necessary to be fast once again for Mondays program programNo No Breakdowns Reported Thus Far FarThere There is absolutely no dirt or clay in the cushion This track is porous arid will not unite with anything whereas yellow sand contains 40 per cent clay and therefore remains muddy for lengthier periods Now the remarkable fact about this track is that nary a horse hag broken down at this meeting which features very few of the sturdy stakes runners of the majors Also despite numerous fast tracks the closest any com petitor has come to a track record is two full seconds The strip is spongy but has provided equal footing no paths and a better racing picture The percent ¬ age of winning favorites at this spot is 36 with 71 of same finishing no worse than third For a period here earlier there were 43 per cent winning choices choicesMaumee Maumee is 90 minutes from Detroit and negotiable by chartered buses leaving downtown Motor City each afternoon The grandstand and clubhouse have been completely repainted Ditto the barns including many improvements to the woodwork The Ohio Turn ¬ pike is easily accessible increasing the traffic from nearby raceless communities Hot water is located in the stable area lor the first time In 1954 Ralph Parachek successfully outbid members of the current group and secured a lease from the owners of this property the Lucas County Agricultural Society Parachek was unable to get dates for 1958 and con ¬ tacted Robert Ragan attorney for the latter group who were able to obtain the track on a 10yearlease for their exact bid of four years previous The new man ¬ agement is committed to invest 287000 in physical improvements by 1960 and has already spent more than 200000 with expectations of surpassing the pledge by next season Future plans include a glassedin grandstand additional barns new jockeys quarters an addition to the racing secretarys office already under way permanent refreshment stands complete tiling of the clubhouse floor and an odds board underneath the grandstand ToledoMaumee Raceways motto We will compensate for all the years of neglect in a fraction of the time timeBetty Betty Monti to Perform in Horse Show ShowHad Had the pleasure of running into Betty Monti former blond bombshell who attracted many camera notices last winter in Florida when she ponied horses for trainer Walter H Bradley Betty married the well liked Lou Monti not the singer the personable out ¬ rider who works at Maumee Detroit and Gulf stream Park causing the young couple to desert their pretty new home in Hallandale Fla Betty a skilled horse ¬ woman will perform in the Horsecapades of 1958 which is slated for the Chicago Naval Armory on May 16 and 17 One of the keynotes of this management is their policy of allowing the stewards and secretarys office to operate without interference The infield tote board here outshines the one at Gulfstream Park where the amount of money wagered straight is not on display President Matkin was recently elected to the same post by the Hazel Park Mich Exchange Club The local public relations firm of Jim Ricli ard and Charles Baker former Toledo sportswriters is isContinued Continued on Page FortyEight MAUMEE DOWNS DOWNSBy By DICK HUMBLE Continued from Page Seven Sevendoing doing a splendid job here Baseball suf ¬ fered two deaths in this sector The late St Louis Browns moved the Toledo Mud hen franchise to Charleston W Va and the Toledo Sox replacement for the for ¬ mer organization was evacuated to Wich ¬ ita by Milwaukee MilwaukeeHoward Howard Craig a popular figure in this area accepted his engagements at Sports ¬ mans Park Saturday and immediately left by auto for Matimee where he rode Mon ¬ day Also on the list of arrivals is trainer Claude Bourland with six head and B D Matkin son of Wheeling Downs stew ¬ ard Dayton Matkin with a string of nine John Elias the eligible bachelor member of the board of directois oper ¬ ates nine drivein restaurants in the De ¬ troit area with brothers Fred and Louis The latter is mayor of the City of Hazel Park The Elias Bros string of 12 horses will leave Churchill Downs for Detroit un ¬ der the care of trainer R S McFarlane
