Evening star., 1952-02-13
Assigning Maryland Turf Dates
Big Headache for Frank Small
BY Lewis +. Atchison

Take 100 days Of horse racing
on Maryland's major tracks, SO on
the half-mile merry-go-rounds
and 30 nights of harness racing.
Try to fit them into the period be-
tween April ! and November so
and you have an idea of the State
Racing Commissions problem of
trying to satisfy everybody in as
signing dates.
You can't revise the calendar, .
said Frank Small, jr., Washington
auto dealer and commission chair
man. I'VE have to begin racing
too early, around March 90, and
go to December, which is too late,
to get them all in. We have to
risk some bad weather, but I
think it's easier to buck the
weather than Jersey tracks"
Small, a husky, gray-haired
man, just shade under six feet
with judicial ring to his voice,
said he does not blame Larry Mac
Phail for squawking about the dates
given Bowie, which syndicate
headed by MacPhail wants to buy.
But. Mr.. Small said, the commits
sion can't think of any other solu-
ton to the puzzle. Personally, he
doesn't think Bowie was treated
too badly.
Two Days of Competition.
Bowie is in direct competition
with Garden State only two days
IN 49," the chairman said, "andI
Garden State put Havre de Grace
out of business.
Small, a member of the COM
mission since 1887, doesn't think
there's anything wrong with
Maryland racing that less compe-
tition from New jersey and Della
ware wouldn't cure.
we used to get tremendous
number of people from Philadel-
phia before they built Garden
State. but you can't expect them
to come all the way to Maryland
when they have racing in their
own back yard" Small pointedE
out.
The commission likes to duck
the World Series for the same rea-
gon.
People figure they can 90 to
the races any time, but the seriesl
VIII be over in a few days and
they don't want to miss it."
Inc commission can't say which
horses shall be permitted to rum
IN Maryland and which shall be
barred, Small said, answering a /
question about the caliber of
norSes on Maryland tracks.
System of Stars.
Track secretaries write condi-
lions for race that should keep
OUT the most undesirable horses. /
but they've got a system now that
Q horse that enters a race and
doesn't get in gets star beside /
his name. The next time he en-
ters and doesn't run he gets an
other star. After getting three
stars he's got to get in and an
other horSe-probably a better
horse-must be withdrawn to
make room for him"
Horsemen prevailed on Mary
land tracks to agree to this last
year, just when there was a hue
and cry over "half-mile" horses
fiocking to the major tracks.
Small thinks this is matter
for the tracks to handle. He feels
the same about it as he did about
the dates.
Il don't think there should be
any more Government supervision
than is absolutely necessary" he
said. I believe in letting business
people run their business, and that
applies to racetracks." |
Small, a high school and semi
pro football, basketball and base
ball player in his younger days
he'll be Sc in July--is not identi-
fed with Maryland's social-minded
"horsey" set. The only nags he
saw as a boy were on his fathers
farm in Southern Maryland and
his ann0infYnent tn tho coroyaic