The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-02-21

gold, showing an increase over any of the years preceding. Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars are often handled at single meeting, and no race is run for less than 5000, while some of the races bring as nigh as from 5000 to $20,000. In one year the chief winning stable came out ahead in 27 races, taking purses 10 tho amount of $200,000. During that same year the total value Of the stakes dis tributed was more than $1,0O0,0o0
 l wish l could take you out to the Hippodrome near Palermo Park and show you the races. They are held on Sun days and Thursdays, and also on all of the holidays Everyone goes and in the grandstand you may see the president and his cabinet and chief officers of the army and navy, and all the world and his wife besides. The race track is a wonder. It is two miles in length and has an inner track for training purposes The main track is of sand and earth The grand stand will seat many thou sands. l was told there were about 10000 there the last day I attended and these people paid all the way from $1 to $7 entrance fees. The races are under the Jockey club, which owns the track and manages it. It gets 10 per cent of the receipts, and this amounts to several million dollars a year. A large part of this sum is given to charity. but enousjl it left to make the Jockey club the richest association of its kind in the world. The Jockey club has it's special compartment in the grand stand and this is supplied with elevators, and fur nished with cafes and eating arrange ments.
 The betting at the Palermo races is .ta .t ,1 costing about $1 in gold. They can be bought in lots of from one to 10o or more, and there is straight betting and place betting on every race. At the last meet ing SI horses were entered and there were r'rrrs of men and women going to and from the windows of the betting estab- lishments Buildings covering a half acre are devoted to pool selling, and it seemed to me that all were putting up some money on every race. All were wildly ex- cited. AS the horses neared the winning post, 20,G)0 people rose with q yell The same emotions were displayed as those we see at one of our baseball games The crowd was well dressed. but there were more poor than rich. There were many Italians and Spanards and thou sands of native Argentines.
 1t is now a third of century since the Jockey club was founded It was started with the idea of improving the horses of the Argentine and at the same time of promoting good fellowship. The government became interested in it and the club received some of It's property on the condition that it could be held only as long as it was used for races and that If the races were stopped. it should be returned. Today there is no probability that that property will ever go back to the government
 The club has grown and it is now per- haps the most wonderful of it's kind in the world. It has steadily increased in popularity and it has now more than 2090 members, although it's initiation fee Is Sl5O0 The annual dues are S90. The club is not money nal1ing institution as far as the members are concerned Its enormous receipts go back into the club furnishings and charities and to the building up of horse spirit and race spirit. It has spent vast amounts OH it's club arrangements The grandstand at Palermo cost $S00,000 and the special ac- commodations there for the members of the club s1500o0. The stand for the jockeys and trainers cost s75000, and the