Palestine daily herald. [volume] (Palestine, Tex.) 1902-1949, 1909-05-13
RACING SEASON BEGINS
At Belmont Park Today With Open
ing of the Meeting of the West
chester Racing Association.
(Herald Specially


New York, May 13.-Under condi
tons even less promising than those
of year ago, the metropolitan racing
season begins at Belmont Park today
with the opening of the annual meet
ing of the Westchester Racing Asso-
citation. If the plans of the Jockey
Club are carried out the season will
extend over ninety-four days, closing
at Saratoga the last of August.
The five meetings and the dates al
lotted them for the season are as
follows: Belmont Park, May 13 to
June 2; Gravesend, June 8 to %;
Sheepshead Bay, June "a to July 10;
Yonkers, July IA to July 81; Saratoga,
August 2 to August %.
Though the season extends over
ninety-four days, there probably will
not be racing during more than half
that period. The Belmont Park meet
ing opening today, for instance, has
dates covering eighteen days, but only
ten of these will be utilized unless
the public shows by its attendance
that it wants extra days, in which
case they will be given.
The meeting opens with the Metro
politan Handicap. one of the foremost
classics of the American turf. But in
s-ead of being race with $4,000
added as heretofore the added value
of the Metropolitan this year is but
$4,000 The $4,000 Belmont, the old
est stake in America; the Withers,
with $4,000 added; the Ladies, with
$4,000 added, and the National Stall
lion. with $4,000 added, are to be run
without any reduction in value.
The outlook for the future of rae
ing in the metropolitan district GER
tainly is discouraging to the track
owners. horsemen and others inter
ested in 1.-The sport of kings" The
Queens County Jockey Club and the
Metropolitan Jockey Club abandoned
their spring meetings. Neither will
they give their fall meetings unless
the conditions change.
The biggest race of year, from a
money value point of view, will be
the historic Futurity, to be decided at
Sheepshead Bay probably in Septem-
Der. The Brookly and Suburban hand |
leaps may be run again, if only to per-
petuate their names, but the added |
money will be nothing compared to |
that of former years.
The slump that the racing game
has undergone is best evidenced by
the fact that the salaries of officials, |
Jockeys, trainers and other employees
have been cut in half, while the ordi-
nary running expenses of the tracks |
will also be greatly reduced.
AS far as betting goes, the track |
owners have instructed the Pinker-
tons to enforce the law strictly, so
that spectators who may take
chances by recording wagers will do
so on their own responsibility. In ac-
cordance with court decisions render
ed so far it is legal for individuals to
make oral bets. 1t is also legal to
sell advance information, while it is
question whether the display of
odds can result in a conviction for a
violation of the statute.
Many cases for violation of the Ag-
new-Hart anti-betting law are now
pending in the courts. In due time
some of these cases may be passed |
upon, and if there are favorable YER
diets the racing situation may be
cleared up. The fact that at least
half the season has been left unap-
portioned by the Jockey Club would