Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-04-02
COULD Be A SUCCESS
Pc. Leinhauser Thinks Race Meet
Gould be Conducted Here.
MILE TRACK IN GOOD CONDITION
Old Race Horse Man Thinks That a
Meet Properly Conducted, Would
Pay Handsomely in ottumWa This
Summer.

81 nave not the slightest doubt that
a race meet, properly conducted, would
result profitably to the people behind
it in this city | want to see a meet
here this summer but 1t is useless to-
to bring one about without the
cooperation of the business men. mol
one who has the time to take the mat
ter up and push it seems to want to do
SO, but | feel confident that if it were
done we could have a splendid meet
and money could be made by it, in
stead of lost"
Thus p. e. Leinhauser of this city,
who has spent much time in the racing
game, both as an owner of horses and
as a starter, judge, ETC., expressed
his views upon the possibilities in
store for anyone who wishes to work
up the necessary enthusiasm, put up
the necessary cash and conduct horse
racing event of two or three days
duration in Ottumwa
81 have been on almost every i'm
portant track in the country, and have
been interested in the meetings at
many places" continued Mr. Lem
hauser, land l have no reason to doubt
that a meeting in Ottumwa, if taken
hold of in the right way and by the
right people, could be good success.
Towns much smaller than Ottumwa
are conducting meets every year and
are making money. l have officiated
at meet after meet for ten or twelve
years at little places of comparatively
small population, and each year when
the books were balanced they showed
It.,;l fop H. Il
backed the affair.
"At Monticello, where | have started
horses for eight years, and at Kahoka,
! Mo-, where l have hone the work for
twelve years, money has been realized
every time as result of the meets.
Sometimes the amount is not large,
but the hackers come out whole, with
a little to spare. At Creston last year
when there had not been a meeting
since the time of the blue grass palace
there, and when the town was appar.
emily dead the Elks' lodge took hole
of the matter and conducted a race
meet, from which the order realized
several hundred dollars.
Track in Good Condition.
"The mile track on the south side
which l have now leased, is in splendid
condition. An expenditure of $50
would put it in first class shape, so fal
as the track itself is concerned. AL
though l now hold the lease for it,
would gladly turn it over to anyone
who will conduct race meeting here
I am anxious to see some of the citi
zens take the scheme up and go aheat
with it.
Could Get Crowds.
There is no reason, according to tn
Judgment of another who has given tn
question considerable thought, VIII
Ottumwa should not have good at
tendance at race meet lasting two 0
three days. The city has no baseba
team this year and has not for sever
al years conducted a race meet of an
kind. There are any number of er
thusiastic horsemen and others VIII
are interested in the racing game
give their support to movemer
, toward conducting a meeting.
Another Ottumwan who is intereste
: in racing and has been substantial
! behind several meetings held here i
the past, stated today, that in orde
! to have really successful meeting
r this city the merchants would have
: be prevailed upon to close their store
:. in the afternoons during the meet,
. order that their clerks could atten,
r Ottumwa is made up almost entirel
e of working people. people whose sc
e vices it is hard to do without unles
: business is suspended entirely in o
; der to allow them holiday.
About Prizes.
Mr.. Leinhauser. in speaking abol
the prizes, stated that he would II,
It advise offering a smaller prize thu
$780, ct costs as much for transpc
tation for a horse to meet where ii
% purses are 500 and $3.50, as it do
8 to go where they are $500, $500 al
y $780," he said. / find that the mo
10 successful meetings either in small
~ or larger places, are those where Il
y purses range from $500 up. This
- y sures good horses and good races.
y twenty entry race with purse OF So,
pays for itself.
~ OFF FOR THE WEST.