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~ » ■-- LOS ANGELES WILL HAVE RACING. "If Not at Ascot, We Will Race at Another Location," Says Manager Brooks. "That the management at the Los Angeles Jockey Club entertains no idea of going out of business beeaaee of hostile legislation by the city council was made plain recently by J. W Brooks," says the Los Angeles Fvening News. "The manager of Ascot said in a s| eech at the baseball banquet, last week that there- would lie racing under the auspices of the Jockey Club nixt season as usual. I want to say that we will have racing in or near Los An-gtdes next season. said Mr. Brooks, despite all reports to the contrary. If we elo not race at Ascot, we will race at another location, convenient to the City, and it wont lie at Arcadia, either. • Fliis. is the first intimation of the intentions of the Jockey Club, and as it comes from an official source ami was a brief anil unqualified statement, it may be taken as an indication that the Ascot management will proceed with its plans for building another track, which will be located across the line iu the county and iu a location that will be outside tin zone contemplated for annexation to Los Angeles. "It will le good new s to horsemen throughout the country. The sport of kings has been legislated out of existence in so many states and has been under tire in California for so long a time that horsemen had began to believe that within another year they would be legislated out of the United States and forced to race in Canada ami Mexico. That the hostile ordinance recently passed by the Los Angeles city council will not materially affect the prospects of winter racing al Los Angeles is the best news h or semes have heard in a long time. "Persistent rumors all last seasem credited the A*, ot management with the intention of building a track at Watts, and this begins to appear to have niui-h foundation iu truth. Watts is located on the Lang Beach line of the Pacific Flectric. which re moves Brack of the inconvenience of shipping horses from the railway station to the track. Soil conditions are favorable to track building, while, be-oaise of the small amount of grading that will e leepiireel. a track could be built in a remarkably short time. If the track is built at Watts, the buildings now at Ascot would be removed, including the stables and horsemens cottages, and thereby result in quite a saving to the Jockey Club. Other locations have been considered by the Jockey Club, but Watts seems to hold the edge on the other locations. Venice was prominently mentioned last winter as the probable location of the new track, but George Rose is of the opinion that the soil conditions are unfavorable. In addition to this objection, the expense entailed iu building a new grandstand, paddock, stables and other buildings would be so great that it is probable that a location near Ascot will be the sclction. "Itcgardless of location and the doubt which has prevailed since Ascot was brought into the city limits, it. is now assured that winter racing will not l e abandoned in or near Los Angeles, nor will it be interrupted. In tact, with the statements of Brooks ,i in indication of intentions of the Jockey Club, and the interpretation thereof, meaning that the A-.o, ,,r today will be the Ascot of another location next season, the future of raciug iu the southwest seems full.v assured. II is not bettered lhat the county supervisors will take any unfavorable action against, a county racetrack, ami shoald sack a contingency arise il will lie an easy matter, if the track is not located x it I ■ i it the corporate limits of any city, town or rlllage, for the Jockey Club to establish a village ol its oami and control its own destiny until adverse legislation is enacted al Sacramento. It is probable that if the track is located iu the Corporate limits of Watts, an agreement will bo reached whereby the Jockey Club will lie pre titled against hostile action, otherwise the track will not he built there. The definite sum of the whole situation is that there will be no interruption of racing iu or near Los Angeles, at least for two years."
