The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-22
GOSSIP or TIE RACETUACK
EMPIRE CITY'S TANGLE WITH
JOCKEY CLUE DISCUSSED.
western Owners and Poor Horsemen In Gem
eraI In sympathy with tho fonkers
People. Who Intend 10 F1ght to q Finish
Partisan Views From Each Camp.

and the Empire City truck. which viii come
before the StHtc Racing Commission TO-
morrow and may be taken 10 Albany In due
time to be passed upon by Gov. Hughes Is
causing 10 end OF discussion among turfmen.
That James Butler. the principal owner OF the
Yonkers track. has decided TO ight the Jockey
Club 10 a finish by holding a race meeting st
the Empire track on August o, no matter
what may be the attitude" Of the Jockey Club.
has not Oocasioned much surprise MI
Buffers friends predicted some time ago
that he intended to secure what he believed
were his rights from the state Racing COM
mission and the Jockey Club, even " no went
30 far as TO ask the Governor OF New iork
state 70 institute an official investigation OF
racing a. it is at present conducted UNDER the
rule of the all powerful turf maenates.
Mr., Buffers friends. who still insist that he
will carry the day. declare that the situation.
boiled down, ~ just this The owners OF the
Saratoga track. which holds Its meeting In
August with the sanction Of the Jockey cub
are nearly all members or stewards OF the
Jockey Club. which for that matter. ss q
whole. controls or ownsn nearly oil OF tho otncr
tracks in this state. II the Empire CITY
track - allowed TO hold q race meeting In
August the dividends Of tho Saratoga stock
holders will he materially decreased. Hence,
il is deemed lnadvisable ny the Jockey Club
and incidentally the Saratoga members OF IL 70
allow MIR Butler's track 10 cut in with q meet
ing that IL sure 10 cause a loss at the Spa"
Tomorrow the state Racing Commission.
composed Of members Of the Jockey CLUB.
will decide whether Mr.. Buffers track. which
has already received a state license from the
commission. as the result Of a mandsmns
hy the Supreme Court. shall be boycotted
or not by the Jockey Club. embracing all
Of the other New York tracks. Mr.. Butler
contends that 1t lies within the power OF the
Racing Commission to make II impossible
for the Jockey club to boycott his pro-
posed meeting by disqualifyinR all owners.
trainers or Jockeys who might decide TO
race there. Mr.. Butler has tried to put the
Jockey Club on record In black and white
as TO this boycott business. but he has been
unable 10 secure a satisfactory reply, so that
now he has put the case up 10 the state Facing
Commission with the idea that the tanGle
can he put before the public IN a way that
everybody can understand It.
Nobody believes for II moment that the
Racing Commission will accede to Mr. Buffers
demands. 40 that a hot. bitter fight VIII prob
ably lie the result. Friends Of Mr.. Butler
eaId Yesterday that while he did not want to
iniufc racing in this State. he Intended to find
ont whether the so-called Racing Trust"
conld prevent him from holding a meeting
~ his track after the courts had secured a
license for him by mandanus. Mr.. Rutler's
rglloWeTs also asserted yesterday that there
would he a meeting nj Youkers next month,
no matter what the Jockey Club might do.
They declared thar the Western owners, who
have been thrown upon their own resources
because of the closing down Of Latonia and
other big tracks in that part Of the country.
would come TO Yonkers in n body. that them
would be plenty OF jockey material and all
the hooknlakers necessary. while the sport
would hc n the hands Of competent officials.
II was admitted that there would be a lack OF
class TO the racing. hut time alone could
provide n remedy. There are many poor
owners who have won practically nothing on
the metropolitan tracks this year who are
said to be willing to take "a chance ut the
1900 a day which the Yonkers track intends
TO hang ny in stakes and purses. The fact
that work on the field stand at Empire City
will begin to-day. while the stables will all
ne vacated by the owners OF trotting horses.
IL taken to mean that MIR. Butler intends to
PVT up "A desperate battle.
Meanwhile friends of the Jockey Club
insist that the Empire track will not be able TO
live without the official sanction Of the gov
erning body and that If "A meeting IL held
there IL will be in the nature Of . huge frost.
A. the Racing Commission VIII take the
matter of granting a license to the Empire
track TO the Court of Appeals in the fall.
friends of the Jockey club say that it's but
natural to place all sorts of obstacles In Mr..
Buffers way in order to kill time. The
Jockey club has never yet lost a case before
the Court of Appeals. said q leading turfman
yesterday. and when the real merits in this
case have been disclosed you will find the
Empire track is defeated. The Jockey Club
might grant dates. about fifteen days to Mr..
Butler for next year, If he would agree to hold
on until the Court of Appeals has decided the
case. but If he goes ahead in August he will
simply burn the bridges behind him.. In
getting a decision In this case the Jockey
Club wishes TO find out. once and for all time.
whether newly constructed racetracks can
Jump in and get licenses. THERE'S no personal
animus attached TO the Jockey Clubs oppo-
sition 10 the Empire track. II is only u matter
of principle. The Yonkers track was never
a suit able place for running races. and is still
so inaccessible that the public would be puC
to a great inconvenience to reach the place"
IF there is any more Inconvenience than
we have experienced getting to and from all
of the big tracks this year" said another
huffman who stood near. then Yonkers
must bc Of the map entirely. In putting up
this fight against Yonkers the Jockey Club
forgcts all about the poor owners who must
remain here all through the month Of August
without a chance to yet a dollar to pay feed
bills. The Jockey Club also forgets all about
the patrons Of the sport who never go to
Saratoga. but must 60 TO the poolrooms and
the handbooks in order to play the races as
a means of livelihood. Why not let Empire
CITY race in good standing if only to give the
poor fellows a chance. while the rich fellows
are getting all the coin NJ the Spa"
Active preparations for making the i'm
provempnts necessary TO the holding OF a
rnCc meeting are under way N the Empire
CITY track. James Butler visited the course
Yesterday In company with an architect. and
before he left arrangements were completed
for the building Of a field stand to seat 900
persons. Behind this will he a betting she'd
The facilities in the main betting pavilion
will be Increased by extending 1t behind the
stand and the roadway leading from YOnkers
avenue to the lawn, Ihis roadway will be
used in future for automobiles and carriages
only,
\ ucw general entrance will he made NJ
the Jerome avenue end Of the track, where
the trolley line ends, 10 the northwest OF the
grand stand.
Arrangements have already been made for
inn rowing the transportation facilities. The
club WIl tu-n over 10 tho trolley company n
lArge ploC" at property behind the clubhouse.
III, viii br utilized for n trolley loop. In
going from this city tllrfmen will use the
New urt and Harlem Railroad from the
Grand Central station 10 Woodlawn. Then
fb,D u.k.tar uypu,,n trnllpy uft ,Nnvay Than,