Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-12
All Maryland Meets
Will Be Held, Ayers
Turf Commission
Inv the Assoclat.d Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Maryland race fans and horsemen
we're treasured officially today by
the State Racing Commission that
all tracks would operate on schedule
despite the Office of Defense Trans
portation ban on horse shipments
by common carrier, but an uncon-
WINGED wait and see" attitude per-
sisted in some quarters.
Commission Chairman George p
Mahoney said in Baltimore that, in
the commissions opinion, trans
portation by private van would per-
init holding of all Free State meet
ings, including the major fall ses-
sions at Pimlico and Laurel.
He conceded that the ODT prohi-
bition was "a little setback and we
will be curtailed but we will
operate"
Mahoney also expressed belief
that minor tracks would keep to
schedule.
President Clifton w. White of the
Cumberland Fair Association said
his group was considering accepting
an invitation to hold its Today
meet at Hagerstown. The Cumber-
land meeting is scheduled for
August 7.
Marylands longest scheduled
major race season includes the meet
at Laurel September 10 through
October 20 and at Pimlico from Oc-
tober % through November 80.
Will Ask Qualification.
Racing will ask for Qualification
of the shipment ban.
Harry A. Parr, Sd, of Baltimore,
president of the Thoroughbred Rae
ing Associations, said last night he
has an appointment today with Col.
j. Monroe johnson, director of de-
Tense transportation.
Transportation of racing and show
animals by railroad and common or
contract truck carriers was forbid
den, effective last night, until next
July /, unless modified or lifted in
the meantime.
Parr said that some of the tracks
still were in doubt as to what to do
and added. I'm going to go over the
situation with Col. johnson"
Racing Officials Optimistic.
This latest restriction-the second
applied to racing since the first of
the year-had the effect of combining
the billion-dollar sport to tracks
now operating.
But racing officials, in most in
stances, reacted with characteristic
optimism, expressing confidence in
their ability to carry out scheduled
meets by moving horses through
means not falling under the ban.
Privately owned trucks or vans
may be used for shipping horses
under the order. and there is no
prohibition on the use of trailers
attached to owners automobiles.
Of the major racing areas,
Florida and New Orleans apparent
ly again were in the worst plight.
They felt the full effects of the
four-month shutdown proclaimed
last January 3.
Most outspoken criticism was
voiced by spokesman for the grand
circuit harness meeting at North
Randall track near Cleveland
I'VE think it was unfair to issue
such an order without giving us
some advance notice" he said. The
season has just started for us and
now we just don't know what to do. =
Horsemen generally indicated that
the travel ban will localize the
sport around such cities as New
York. Boston, Baltimore and Phila-
delphia in the East, Chicago in the
Midwest and Los Angeles and San
Francisco on the Pacific Coast.
Can Use Vans, Trailers.
Sufficient horses now are quar-
tered in those areas to continue
racing indefinitely, and privately
owned vans and trailers can be
used to move horses between tracks
not too far apart.
Shipments of horses over lorg
distances are unlikely, however. and
the ban may result in cutting down
some of the bigger events in which
name" horses customarily are as
sembled.
Trotting and pacing officials ex-
pect to carry out their schedules.
including the historic Hambleton-
ian at Goshen, N. Y, August 6.
The ban also applies to dog
racing. But officials of that sport
said I'VE can haul them in the
back of our cars" and that their
events shouldn't be affected.