Los Angeles herald., 1910-08-04
MARYLAND FACES
BITTER TURF WAR
New Club Breaking Into Prince
George County Worries
Track Managers
REFORM ACTION IS FEARED
Jamestown Will Hold Fall Meet
ing Subject to Florida
Race Program
REFORM ACTION IS FEARED

BALTIMORE, Md, Aug. Unless a
truce is patched up, Maryland may be
the scene of a bitter turf war be
tween Pimlico and new race track
ncw unuder construction in Prince
George county, to be called New Mari
boro park. The promoters of this new
venture have organized under the
name of the Southern Maryland Rae
ing association with Arthur N. Elrod
general manager. With the sanction
of the Southern Jockey club a twenty
day meeting will be inaugurated on
September 26 New Marlboro park is
40 minutes from Baltimore. 1t is a
mile in circumference, with up-to-date
appointments and conveniences.
In breaking into the state of Mary
land, where bookmaking is legal and
racing at a single track is limited to
forty days year, the New Marlboro
promoters have not consulted PIN
lico. Neither have they shown n de-
sire to receive a sanction from the
Jockey club of New York, which has
always controlled the Pimlico meet
ing, But the promoters have turned
to the Southern Jockey club for an
o K and have shown much indepen-
dence in applying for a state license,
which will be forthcoming. The South
ern Jockey club, so-called, was formed
Last winter and is composed of the
Jacksonville and Tampa tracks. 1t is
inferred, therefore, that some of the
men who promoted winter racing in
Florida are interested in the Mary
land venture, which will not receive
the official approval of the Jockey
club. That means the proposed meet
ing at New Marlboro park will be an
outlaw affair and will cause much
friction with the Pimlico managers,
who realize that their monopoly of rae
ing in Maryland is about to be chal-
lenged.
REFORMERS BLOCK GAME
Last year reformers tried to have
anti-race track legislation passed in
this state, but the project was defeated
because it was shown that there We're
only thirty days of racing at Pimlico
each year. But with the springing up
of this new track, built and controlled
by professionals, will come serious
trouble, it is predicted. Open book
making has been prohibited in every
state in the Union except Maryland,
where the old form of race track gam
bling has gone on unmolested. Pim-
lico will have the usual meeting this
fall, with the Jockey clubs approval,
but the dates have not been decided
upon. If the Jockey club frowns upon
New Marlboro it remains to be seen
what action horsemen will take. PIN
lico will surely ask the Jockey club
to declare the new track an outlaw,
although there was a time not long ago
that Pimlico was inclined to regard
the Jockey clubs authority as obso-
lete.
Meanwhile it is said that James
town, Va, will hold fall meeting, but
the promoters may fall in line with the
Southern Jockey club this time as a
matter of policy. fer the meeting will
depend upon horsemen who will race
III Florida during the winter. Jack
sonville will open on November Is or
perhaps earlier, it is said, because of
the expected curtailment of the east
ern racing season, while Juarez, Mex
leo, will open its gates about the same
time for 100 days. All of which means
that there will be plenty of racing for
horsemen after tire New York tracks
wind up the present season.