The Washington times., 1934-01-27
; The NeU York Tracks
Must Become Public
To Get Public Support

Some of my friends tell me
that it is the only sane, fair way
to bet on horse racing. Others
whisper that it will be no more
than an effort to revive a Gus
tom and system that is long
since outmoded. My personal
guess is that one day all good
race tracks will have Totoes.
say that because I believe,
possibly wrongly, that the day
of the big professional bettor
on horse racing is past, and
that the tracks will have to de-
pend more and more on new
faces and new, or as the say
ing goes, fresh money.
That, of course, is what
makes resort tracks such as
Hialeah and Tropical Park
ideal. There are new "vaca-
ton bank rolls" pouring off
every train and out of every
automobile arriving from the
North and Middle-West.
But they must do more than
improve betting conditions if
New York racing is to stage a
comeback. They must make
their tracks the public's tracks
John O., the guy who always
pays the freight in the long
run.
In the past in this State they
have confused tradition with so
ciety. Obviously the two things
are not the same. England has
traditional racing with social
and even royal support, but
horse racing in England belongs
to the people.
Belmont Park Lovely
Belmont Park is as lovely a
spot as I know, a bit too spa
cious in the way the tracks are
laid out perhaps, but certainly
pleasant and a joy forever when
the trees and grass are green in
the spring. But there are twice
too many fences and barriers
and reserved spaces in it, and
three or four times too many
scarcely civil attendants, barring
this gate and that and ordering
people about and casting criti-
cal eyes on their credentials.
I have been in both and I'll
tell you that it's easier to get
into President Roosevelt's office
in the Capitol than it is to get
into the press box at Belmont
Park.
Surely one inclosure is enough
for any race track in the world,
and one that had only the pri-
vate boxes reserved, with an eX-
ira charge for clubhouse privi-
leges, would be better still.
Now don't believe this atti-
tude of ultra -exclusiveness is
intentional among what might
be called for want of a better
name, the Jockey Club set.
They feel at home. They think
others feel the same way. But
they don't. During the racing
season here 1 get on an aver
age of three or four letters a
week to attest that they don't.
Make John Q. at Home
And the point is that if the
big-wigs of the turf want pub
lie support, they should make
a sincere effort to make the
public feel that it is welcome.
Whether they realize it or not
doesn't matter. There is a
distinct feeling around the
major New York tracks that
this is our sport. but we'll let
you peep in if you'll be a nice
boy.
That is not true in Chicago or
Miami, or Baltimore, and yet
it seems to me that, let us say
the clubhouse at Pimlico, should
be. exclusive enough and re-
stricted enough and pleasant
enough for any American.
After all, we have been out of
kings around here for quite
some time now.
This is only a bare begin
ming of a new programme, a
New Deal, for New York rae
ing. There are enough other
ways in which it might be i'm
proved and popularized to fill
another dozen columns. But
it can be boiled down to this:
if New York doesn't get modern
racing for the general public
soon. it will have no major rae
ing at all.