South Bend news-times., 1915-09-27
MAY ESTABLISH
RACING CENTER
ACROSS BORDER
Plans Call for Stands at Tia
iuana, Mex, to Seat from
$4,000 to 10000
People.
BY Frank 6. Menke.

NEW YORK, Sept. IA winter
racing center that will rival New Or
leans and Juarez-thats the hope OF
those who are back OF the project 10
build a 100000 track in TlaJuana,
In Mexico. just across the border from
san Diego. and within an hours ride
Of Los Angeles.
A b Spreckels. the coast million
aire. Is the chief hacker OF the new
track. but associated with him are g.
g Tucker. Charles ". Clark. Fl. A.
Houser. Charles Jackson. r. G. White
and several other wealthy California
sportsmen.
The stands In the proposed track
will accommodate from $4,000 TO 90
600 There will be stable space for
900 horses and the track is expected
10 be lightning fast 1t will have a
top dressing that Will absorb moisture
and a special drainage system under
meath that will draw off the rains, as
sUring an always dry track.
CalifOrniLns yearn for the return
of the sport Of kings and have been
disconsolate since the ponies were
ruled away The promoters Of the
new track. therefore. feel confident
that a track at Tiajuana would be a
huge success.
Turf Champions of 1915.
The turf champions Of 1915?
Well. among the twO-year-olds,
Thunderer. the great Whitney runner,
seems to be I'm a class by himself. He
won the big futurity from a field of
wonderful horses and was an easy
winner in his other two starts. Whit
ney also has BrOmO. Dominant, ChiCle
and Slipshod, and James Madden has
a fine colt in Gillies but Thunderer
seems king of them all.
Regret. another Whitney horse, is
the champion three-year-Ol The little
flly smashed tradition when she won
and won easily-the great Kentucky
derby. II was the first time a flly
ever won that classic. Regret also
won the Saranac handicap, carrying
top weight, breaking ahead of the
field and finishing far ahead.
Roamer that sterling fOur-year-O
owned by Andrew Miller, easily won
the honors IN his class. He brought
home many thousands of dollars for
MS owner Beaten by nose in the
Brooklyn hapdicap. ne did come
back" by winning practically all OF his
other races one of his biggest VIC
tories was in the Saratoga cup race.
when he galloped home. although pit
ted against a crack field.
"Wclchcrs" Hit Layers"
Inc l3lEIn WHO ODtldltU OH Ant
New York tracks during the season
just closed. claim that they lost at
least 100000 during the season
through 'welchings" on the part. OF
the track patrons.
one layer claims he lost nearly
$1,000 one day because the men who
laid bets with him before the races
failed TO show up afterward and settle
their obligations
Layers Did Big Business.
Those who followed the racing game
this summer from one New York track
20 another claim that the ageTing
through the oval betting systeTo was
at least 80 per cent OF what used to
be done in the old racing days in New
York state. when boOlNes were per-
mitted 10 operate openly.
The only real difference was that
the layers operated without paying
any tax or assessment of any kind -
said one race trach follower. In the
old days there used to be as many as
90 books in the big parks. Those
books were assessed from 500 to
nearly 5000 a day for the privilege of
operating That meant a total daily
assessment of from $4,000 TO S2O,-
O0O
I'm the old days the books used to
quote some fair odds But in these
days the odds the layers offered were
nothing short OF robbery They quoted
odds that always made il certain that
they would win. no matter how the
racs resulted. II il hadn't been tnat
some 'welchers' gave the layers an
occasional walloping. those layers
would have cleaned up more than any