El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-11
Some History and Inside
Views of Juarez Racing
(By Man Who Is Onto Their Game.)

In 1903 it was announced by col"
Matt VIM. manager Of the Churchill
| Downs track, at Louisville, KY, the
Empire City track, OF New York, and
, later Of the Louisville Jockey club, that
a track would be built in Ciudad Jua-
( rez as the first unit of a string Of
racing plants throughout the Mexican
republic, including one at Mexico city.
F. The Juarez track, it was announced,
/ would be run upon legitimate racing
lines and it was declared that it would
! be a great benefit to Fl Paso by bring
I ing millionaire business men here to
play the races, who. would spend large
/ sums Of money for construction and
! operation. Mr. Vim came to FL Paso
( en- route to Mexico City in 1908 and,
I during the summer of that year, began
acIiXe operations IN "a an Alfalfa Ileld
/ southeast OF Juarez. His associates in
/ the racing scheme were given as be-
I ing James Butler, the millionaire gro
I Gerry store owner Of New York; Al
! bertO Terrazas son Of Gen. Luis Ter
razas, of Chihuahua, and afterwards
] governor for a brief period preceding
I the revolution; Price Mckinney, Of
! Cleveland, o., and W. H Kraft, both
! mining men interested in Mexico and
/ New Mexico.
Outsiders Land All Contracts.
The architects who designed the con-
I crete grand stand and buildings for
I the racing plant were employed in
/ Louisville in spite of the announcement
I that Fl Paso and Juarez men would be
tract for the construction was let to
/ Il. i. Stevens & Co, a foreign corpora
tions without the formality Of allow
Ing Fl Paso or Mexican contractors to
compete. The site for the plant was
purchased from Mrs. SamaniegO, moth
er OF DR.. Manuel Samaniego, OF Juarezs
and Dr.. J. A. Samaniego, of FL Paso.
Dr. j. A. SamaneigO served as track
physician during the first year Of the
races. The price paid for the site was
said to have been SIS an acre.
While the construction of the grand
stand and other buildings was in pro-
gress Alberto Terrazas, who was q
financial banker of the plant, is said
to have sent his own auditors to check
up the construction accounts. 1t is also
reported that the Louisville men who
were interested in the Jockey club,
Juarez, as 1t was called, were also IN
terested IN the construction company.
Plan the First Year.
The track was formally opened with
much blaring of trumpets on Thanks
giving day, 1905: It was announced al
the opening Of the track that the bet
ting ring would be "open," which
means that anyone could have an indie
pendent book in the ring by the pay
ment of 1920 per day, the amount fixed
the first year as the associations rake
off from each book. col" VIM, Of
Louisville. oYvas general manager Of the
association, judge w H. Shelly also
Of Louisville was the presiding judge;
Lyman c. Davis. another Louisville man,
was racing secretary; Harry BreifOgle, /
who came to FL PasO from Louisville,
was assistant TO general manager
VIM. All of these men. as well as
Gene Elrod, the superintendent of the
betting ring. Judge Hall, the paddock
Judge, and Mars Cassidy, starter. from
Louisville also, were high salaried men,
their daily stipend graduating from
$50 to $40 per day.
The boOlmakers' clerks each re-
ceived SO per day for their hard Ia
Dor from two o'clock until five. There
are four of these clerks In each book,
a sheet writer. cashier, a ticket
writer and the assistant bOOkmaker. I
who assists the bookmaker in his work
Practically all Of these men. includ-
IN Capt Jacobs, the chief detective I
and his two assistants. all three OF I
whom came from Louisville were for [
eign to Fl PasO and the southwest.
How the Books" Were Made.
The messengers" who solicited bets
in the grand stand among the women
patrons OF the track and among the
men who did not care to be seen in
the betting ring. paid the association
$50 per day for this privilege and were 7
under the direct supervision of super
intendent of betting Elrod who also
managed two association books cut in (
at the opening Of the first year by the
Jockey CLUB Juarez itself. The odds |
for the messengers and association l
books we're fixed by the superintendent /
of betting.
During the first wear the books were
In charge Of independent boOkmakers,
including George Rose, former assO-
ciate OF Lucky" Baldwin in the own
ership of the Santa Anita track near
Los Angeles and Billy DuBoys. another /
well known bOOkmaker, and the odds /
were fixed by these men independent I
Of the association books or the bet /
ting superintendent, the odds being 4
laid according to the form. weights, I
handicap and the other things which I
enter into the consideration Of a horse ]
of modern racing.
The first year Of Juarez track history I
was not a brilliant one. The weather I
was unusually cold and the races were |
because Of the condition of the track. ]
The association is said to have lost at I
least $1,000 the first season.
Purses Only Nominal Now.
Large purses were offered for the 1
special handicaps and the average /
purse was $500 for each race. divided /
horse 500 and the show sprinter $50. 4
Special purses were offered as high as ,
$500.
This is now changed and the pres
ent purses are $500, divided, $225, $50 4
and SIS. It is a race track truism that {
no owner can exist upon the earnings
Of his stable. no matter how good the
horses may be, unless he plays his
choices on the books. The average sta
BILE maintains a force of five men
trainer, jockey. exercise boy, one at
tendant for each two horses and often
one man for each horse making the I.
employed force even larger. The feed
bills and board Of these horses and /
men is a large item in addition to the !
salaries of the Jockeys and trainers
which are always upon a sliding scale, !
depending upon their ability to get
results.
This army of employees is made up
Of migratory birds of passage.
Income From Privileges.
There are a number of privileges in
connection with the track which bring
revenue to the association. The bar is
one of the best paying Of these privi-
eges. FL Paso men were passed over
in favor of the Stevens Catering com
oany Of New York, which has the bar
and restaurant privilege in Madison
Square Garden and other resorts in the
EAST The bar also operates a small bar
n the betting ring. All Of these are
money making propositions. although
he first year was a discoura ging one