Evening star., 1945-05-06
Move Seen First
To Ease Sports
Monpower and TroveI
Restrictions Likely
To Be Indefinite
BY BUS HAM,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

@AoooSAoeSA ASSo SpoIte "IlLcT.
With the proclamation of We day,
expected any time, removal of the
ban on racing probably will be the
first Government action directly af-
fecting sports.
Some racing officials who hereto
fore have declined to comment on
when the billion-dollar sport might
be resumed said yesterday they had
learned that the ban will be lifted
We day or within hours there
after"
Otherwise, the immediate effect Of
We day on sports will be principally
psychological, with a feeling that
much of the wartime pressure is off.
Gradual relaxation, however, Of
some restrictions which have
pinched sports hard apparently is in
the cards, although such problems
as manpower and transportation
will remain indefnitely-probably
through the war with Japan.
Racing leaders admitted they had
hoped the list anniversary date,
yesterday, of the Kentucky Derby
could be celebrated by a formal an
nouncement of the end of the Gov
ernment's shutdown of the tracks.
which went into effect last jan
uary g.
White House Mum Officially.
| The Derby, established in 1875. Is
traditionally run the first Saturday
in May, but the White House still
had nothing to say officially.
/ President Truman in his first news
conference April II left the racing
question up in the air by saying he
did not intend to lift the ban before
We day, and that he did not then
have the answer as to what would
happen on or after We day.
But racing officials said they had
found out in the past few days that
the ban will be lifted by the White
House along with other We day de-
velopments.
If We day is declared soon, they
added that the Kentucky Derby may
be run June 2, with the other two
events in racing's triple CROWN the
Pimlico and Belmont Stakes, coming
June 9 and June %, respectively.
Early Effects on Colleges Seen.
AS the weeks roll by after We
day, returning discharged service
men slowly will increase the num-
Der of athletes available. College
athletics, which have been using
mainly teen-age competitors. may
be among the first to feel the
strengthening effects of this addi-
tional material
Transportation restrictions will
remain, however. The Office of De-
Tense Transportation says that its
burden will be even greater after
We day in moving men and equip
ment to the Pacific theater of war.
/ A 15-point program for cutting
travel by college teams has been SUBJ
mitted to the ODT which said today
that the principal points presumably
will be put into effect.
Baseball took the lead in volun-
tarily curtalling travel, other sports
have followed suit, and these re-
ductiors will stand through 1945 or
until Japan is crushed, the ODT
said.
Winn Hopes for AS Derby.
! LOUISVILLE, KY, May (P.-
The track was muddy and the
, weather cold and overcast at
Churchill Downs here today, so the
!, list running of the Kentucky Derby
was not held as scheduled-but it
was the war and the Government S
!, ban on horse racing that caused
the postponement
Col Matt Winn. president OF
Churchill Downs, still hopes to stage
1945 Derby for the usual 5000
added money, gold turf classic
for 3-year-olds.