The San Francisco call., 1908-09-05
Many Changes Made at
EmeryVille Track

Race goers who journey TO the track
of the New California jockey club on
November z, the opening day of the
fall and winter meeting, will find that
numerous alterations have been made
in the superb racing plant during the
summer months. Efforts haYe been
made to relieve the congestion in the
betting ring and to provide more space
for patrons in the grandstand The
ring has been widened S5 feet-the
width of the road that ran behind the
graRdstand heretofore-and heightened
almost to the paddock entrance This
viii insure an abundance of room for
the operations of the bookmakers and
the speculative public. Bleachers have
been added to the grandstand, extend
Ing out from the end nearest the pad
DOCK Back of the stand Office build
ings have been erected.
In the paddock an innovation has
been introduced in the arrangement of
the stalls. Instead of having them in
the center, in rows facing front and
rear, they have been moved back
against the wall, while the space in
front will serve for the walking of
horses From the rail that was con-
structed last year the paddock crowds
without an intervening row of stalls
TO obstruct the view.
MORE STABLE ROOM
Other improvements at the track in
clude the building of additional sta BILE
accommodations, including % stalls
near the Burns and Waterhouse stable.
Every available bit of ground is being
utilized for stables, but at that the
omeials of the jockey club realize that
the plant will be oVercroWded despite
the wedding out of cheap horses that
has been planned for the coming meet
ing.
superintendent Grant has been work
ing upon the track during the sum-
mer months, and it will be in condition
10 Withstand long spell OF wet
weather 1t is expected that the course
viii be faster than ever before. during
the intervals between rainy periods.
stake blanks are now in the hands
or the printer and will be issued
within a few days. They will show
10 attract the highest class horses
from the east. As noted previously in
The Call, next years Burns handicap
prize willtbe $4,000 added, instead OF
$4,000 guaranteed, which will mean
that the net value to the first horse
viii be about $4,000, instead of 81 900
Both the Thornton stake and the
Waterhouse cup have been given in
creased value, in that the stakes en-
brace $4,000 added money instead of
the former $4,000 guarantee. This is
true OF the derby also. The value of
the Oaks has been increased from
$4,000 TO $4,000. There will be no more
guaranteed value stakes hereafter
each fixture TO be given a specified
value in added money.
OVERNIGHT HANDICAPs
One attractive feature of the pro-
gram as planned for the coming meet
ing VIII be that there will be larger
number of overnight handicaps, OF
$1,000 TO $4,000, and frequent high
class selling events.
Officials of the jockey club were at a
loss for a time to account for the pub
lication in a local paper of yarn to
the effect that they had ordered and
received from the east a pari mutuel
machine, which would be given q try
out on the opening day of the meet
ing. with the object of banishing the
book makers if the innovation proved
TO be popular. The mystery has been
dispelled. There is a large adding
machine in the office of the club, and
it was this which was mistaken by an
irresponsible turf writer for a parj
mutuel apparatus.