The morning call., 1890-11-17

wealthy Australian race-horse owner and
b00k-maker, who proposes to build a new
race-track near this city, arrived from the
East yesterday and registered at the Palace
MIR. Thompson has bean identified with
all branches of sport in Australia for many
years, and has gained the title of lie
viathan" through his heavy wagers on the
turf. His ventures have generally been
fortunate, and he is reputed to be one of the
wealthiest racing men in the Colonies. He
is well advanced in years. but he has the
energy and enthusiasm of two-year-old.
On all racing matters he is exceedingly well
informed and can talk most inStructively on
such topics.
HIS IDEAS OUTLINED.
Soon after his arrival Mr.. Thompson was
seen by n CALL reporter, to whom he gave
the following general outline of his plans
concerning the building aud operating of
his projected race-courSe. He said: II be-
lieve that in State so favored as this is in
climate, where the best horses in America
are yearly raised in such large numbers and
where the people are so fond of square
sports that there must be money to be made
if a frst-cass race-course, with strictly
honest, first-class racing is provided. 1 pro-
pose to offer these two attractions to the San
Francisco public. do not ask for dollar
to build the track. My partners and will
furnish the capital needed. All / ask is the
support of the public and the h0rSemen Of
this State.
LOOKING FOR LOCATION.
my first attention will be given to looking
over what sites, suitable for race-track,
can be had. There is some ground near the
old Ocean House, owned by the Spring Val
ley Water Works, that l am informed its
N,Ll
ing to lease for a racP-track for term Of
seventeen years. The terms of the conf
pany's charter prohibit the sale of the prop
erty or lease of longer duration. / am
told also that Mr.. A. Sutro has ground that
might be suitable out around the Park. and
while [ was III New York Mr.. ID. U. Mills
spoke to me about land he owned on the
San Bruno road that he considered would
answer. In company with local experts
shall look at these locations, and the one
best suited for the track l shall secure il
CALL.
THE NEW TRACK.
"Haying secured the land. shall at once
commence laying out the track. 1t will be
an oval dirt course and laid out in concentric
tracks. The inner track will be one mile in
circumference and devoted exclusively to
trotting The outer track will be one mile
and Il quarter, and used solely for the run
ners. BY the introduction Of chute l will
~ r,
may make it six furlongs), for two-year-old
and sprint races. AS to the stands, club
houses, paddocks, stabling, betting-ring and
so on, they will be the best that can be
built. Every convenience that the finest
tracks in America, Australia and England
have, l shall introduce. The architecture
will be ornamental and substantial | have
taken ample notes of every desirable i'm
provement that have seen, and they will be
found at the new course. l shall have a
large lawn for the ladies' promenade, and
will have the grounds laid out in flower beds.
l propose to make it generally as attractive
rs money can make it. To tell you, however,
in detail, all the arrangements of the new
track, would take too much Of your space
now.
"To furnish such a track my associates
and myself are ready to expend S25o0oo,
a stock company or ask for contributions
from any one. We will furnish all the
money.
A JOCKEY CLUB.
after securing the track the next thug
shall do is TO arrange for the strict honesty
of the racing, and to effect this | shall re-
quire that a jockey club be formed here,
composed of say from 200 to 500 of the lead
ing men of the State. They shall select
their own officers aud appoint a racing CON-
mittee to serve say for month at a time,
and all the racing shall be under their com
pI6te COutfUl. 1ucy muSt dpUUIut Juuhco,
starters, handcappers and other officials.
and these officers shall DO well paid. /,
however, reserve the right Of managing the
track finances and programme. The man
agement of the racing shall be solely with
the jockey club. In this way | think
strictly square sport can be insured.
GETTING TIE HORSES.
ut is all very well, Of course, to have a
track and jockey club, but without horses
they are useless. / fully understand that
the owner OF stable of horses is not going
to race in San Francisco to win 500
purse when lie can GO East and win ten
times that amount Nor can Eastern horses
be expected to come here and take part in
races when, if they swrp: the board. they
would hardly win their travelling expenses.
/ propose Offering such sums of money to be
raced for that local horsemen can do
better here than in the East. l propose to
offer such money to be raced for that it will
pay Eastern horses well to come here, eS-
pecially during the winter months.
ABOUT WINTER RACING.
"There is no reason on earth why the
horses that now have to run all winter over
the frozen snowbanks on the New Jersey
tracks at Clifton and Gutenberg, or that
wallow In the mud at New Orleans, should
not come here and race instead. l am in
formed on reliable authority that there is
not day of the year in San Francisco that
good racing, over track prepared and de-
voted only to running, cannot be had. AT
Clifton and Gutenberg the spectators sit in
Steam-heated, glass-inclosed stands, the
jockeys are all muffled up, and an army of
men keep fires lit all night over the track to
keep it from freezing and by day gather up
each snowflake as it falls aud remove it.
] am inclined TO believe that such state of
affairs never exists here.
WHY NOT INDEED?
"Why should this city not be one of the
greatest racing centers of the country?
You raise the best horses In immense num-
bers and you have the right climate. You
have all the conditions of success and all
You need is their development. This de-
yeOpment we are ready to make and all we
ask is the formation of a jockey club and
the patronage of the public, though we feel
assured of this latter when what we have
to offer is known. l have seen too many
years on the turf not to recognize that unless
the racing is perfectly honest. and first
class all around, the public will soon dis
cover the facts and turn their shoulders on
the affair. After investing the money
we propose to do we cannot afford to let it
be lost by nefarious practices, and absolute
squareness we shall insist on. Once an
owner. trainer or jockey is guilty of any dis
honesty they must be ruled off, and once off
they shall never come back.
WILL GIVE GOOD STAKES
1--WE are ready to give good money to be
run for and we shall not hesitate to add
$500 to a single stake or handicap. l shall
put State Derby on the programme to
which probably $4,000 will be added, and
we shall be as liberal all around as we
possibly can.
IF meet with no delay in getting the
grounds and forming the jockey club Shall
open the new track by next fall, perh o ps
earlier. or course il is too soon for me to
give any dates for the races, but think a
five months meeting, extending from the
fall to next spring, with summer and mid
summer meetings and racing on all holidays,
together with the regular trotting meetings,
would take up pretty nearly all the available
track dates.
II think the selection of the track location
will be made in about ten days"
Mr.. Thompson spoke in the kindest way
of the treatment he received in the Ea st,
especially mentioning the Dwyer Broth ers,
Starter Caldwell of New Y ork and Mes srs.
Pinkerton and OBrien of Chicago. He was
cordially welcomed here by host of friends.
HE MADE A BOOK.
While East he visited the Elizabeth track
on November 9th, and feeling desire to do
little betting there. he opened a book on