Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 94, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 April 1911 — QUIT RACIN6 IN NEW YORK [ARTICLE]

QUIT RACIN6 IN NEW YORK

Jockey Club's Action Will Cause Lose of *2QJXXM>Qfr Yearly—Eight Tracks Affected. The announcement of the jockey club that there will be no racing in New York state this year is the chief topic of discussion in sporting circles. Just what effect the action of the jockey club will have on thoroughbred racing throughout :the country is difficult for followers of the sport here to estimate. Racing will now be confined to three states only—Kentucky, Virginia and Maryland. Both Louisiana and California have recently barred racing and Florida will follow suit April 1. J. B. Haggin, the most extensive breeder of race horses.in the country, is finding a market for his horses in the Argentine Republic and Europe and several other important breeder# will be compelled to do the same or retire from the breeding industry. England will benefit largely from present conditions. H. P. Whitney, James R. Keene, John E. Madden, August Belmont and other owners will probably send their Btables to race for the big English stakes. The action of the jockey club affects eight running tracks in .this state. The aggregate value of the plants thus made Idle is about 12% million dollars, divided as follows: Belmont Park, $2,500,000; Sheepshead Bay, $2,600,000; Brooklyn, $1,500,000; Jamaica, $1,000,000; Brighton Beach, *$2,000,000; Empire City, $1,000,000; Aqueduct, $1,000,000; Saratoga, sl,OdO.OOO. Fully a. thousand thoroughbreds will be thrown out of training and about forty thousand persons employed directly or Indirectly in connection with the racing game will be compelled to seek work elsewhere. The financial loss from the closing of the tracks, as estimated by racing men here, will be in the neighborhood of $20,000,000 a'year. This includes the loss of Interest on the real estate and other investments. Then it is figured that patrons of racing have been accustomed to spend about $lO,000,000 annually in New York city and large sums also in Saratoga and Buffalo. The annual expenditures of the racing associations have generally exceeded $6,000,000 and the railroads’ share in the disbursements has included about $1,500,000 spent for fares and freights.