csperberg
05-26-2010, 08:59 AM
I was digging around through articles in SI’s vault about horse racing. It started out by researching defunct race tracks online and typing in Shenandoah Downs and an article came up from the vault, which I have the link to that one since it was an interesting read. Then I thought you know what since I have only been in the game since 2004 and it’s one thing to read about the past great horses and races etc. I thought look up other things about the industry in the vault.
I am shocked to see that so many of the problems we talk about today have been going on for a very long time some upwards of 50+ years. Its amazing how little progress has been made and because of it all it has done is allowed new problems to keep developing.
Anyway lots of reads about problems in the industry. There are also just good reads from handicapping to other interesting articles.
Hope they shed new light for some and remind others old enough to remember.
September 27, 1954
New Deal For Raw Deal
After eyewitness survey, The Jockey Club blesses plan that would enlarge and modernize beautiful Belmont, scrap Jamaica, and place New York State racing on a new and strictly nonprofit basis
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1128955/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1128955/index.htmMarch) 28, 1955
New Look?
Could be, this year in New York
Albion Hughes
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129485/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129485/index.htmMay) 09, 1955
The Question: As A Rider, Which Do You Consider The Best Track For Horse Racing In The Country? The Worst? (asked Of Jockeys.)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129592/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129592/index.htmAugust) 08, 1955
The Detroit News
A WORD OF WARNING TO THOSE 'WHO WANT TO BUILD A MODERN RACE TRACK—IT TAKES MONEY
H. G. Salsinger
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1130036/1/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1130036/1/index.htmJune) 04, 1956
Beating The Races
More than $7 billion—5 of them off the track—are bet on horses in the ever-new, ever-baffling search: beating the races
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069755/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069755/index.htmNovember) 11, 1957
65 Men And The Horse
Born of necessity 63 years ago to safeguard the integrity of racing, The Jockey Club has lost much of its authority but none of its enthusiasm for the improvement of the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146503/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146503/index.htmJanuary) 20, 1958
I Got The Horse Right Here
Ken Kling, the most successful public handicapper, is someone who could have stepped right out of the cast of 'Guys and Dolls'
William Leggett
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001701/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001701/index.htmFebruary) 10, 1958
I Made My First Bet $25,000 Ago'
Among the many Americans who like to bet on the races there are a few who can't stop. Here is the authenticated story of one anonymous horseplayer whose compulsion nearly ruined his life. In his own phrase:
Sol Fox
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001805/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001805/index.htmDecember) 15, 1958
Sport First, Business Second
That's the way it must be if racing is to stay healthy, as the brilliant 1958 season has again convincingly proved
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003263/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003263/index.htmFebruary) 02, 1959
A British View Of U.s. Tracks
John Hislop
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070128/index.htm
March 02, 1959
Hanging On The Morning Line
A little-known but highly expert racing technician offers sound advice on the science and art of betting
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070262/index.htm
July (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070262/index.htmJuly) 13, 1959
The Big Business Of A Race Track
Hollywood Park and its general manager, James Stewart, have learned why it is that marketing Thoroughbred contests is a major industry
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070746/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070746/index.htmMay) 09, 1960
You Can Dope U.s. Horses, Too, But It Isn't Easy
M. R. Werner
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071250/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071250/index.htmFebruary) 13, 1961
The Troubles Of A Prosperous Sport
Sports Illustrated's Turf Editor, Whitney Tower (right), here begins a series of articles on what may be termed the hidden crisis in Thoroughbred racing in this country. The result of long observation and recently growing concern, this series will go beyond mere critical analysis to recommend constructive solutions—the first being true authority for a national racing body
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072266/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072266/index.htmMarch) 20, 1961
More Distance Racing, Please!
The damaging effects of the American preoccupation with sprint racing are examined in Part II of the series (SI, Feb. 13), 'The Troubles of a Prosperous Sport'
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072369/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072369/index.htmApril) 03, 1961
The Neglected Horse
Part III of a series on racing problems reveals the appalling lack of Interest in animal care
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072424/index.htm
June 05, 1961
Shep Tangles With The Boys
A stubborn horseman is fighting Pennsylvania's politicians. At stake are millions of dollars—and perhaps the future of U.S. harness racing
Ray Cave
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072631/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072631/index.htmMay) 06, 1963
The Intolerable Squeeze
The complex subject of the relationship between our states and racing, rarely discussed openly, is analyzed authoritatively by Dr. Albert Hammond, professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hammond, horseplayer and scholar, concludes that in 1963 the $2-bettor is being taxed beyond all reason and mercy
Dr. Albert Hammond
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074748/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074748/index.htmAugust) 12, 1963
Vanderbilt Vs. Racing's Establishment
One of the great names in horse racing warns the reigning Pooh-Bahs of the turf that their emphasis on attendance and betting handle is endangering the sport
Alfred Wright
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075066/1/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075066/1/index.htmJune) 08, 1964
Here The Sport Is Going Sour
Prospering mightily, U.S. racing is also developing in ways that dismay many who have loved it best and longest. E. Barry Ryan, highly qualified and unusually frank, here tells our turf editor just why he is worried. A member of a distinguished American family, Ryan has devoted his life to racing, as breeder, owner and trainer. His Normandy Farm in Kentucky is one of the gems of the Bluegrass
E. Barry Ryan , Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075992/index.htm
I thought this was a really good read considering it was 46 years ago
April 25, 1966
It's Sport...it's Money...it's Tv
Is television a voracious monster that is taking over and ruining sport? Here the vice-president in charge of sports for the American Broadcasting Company, and a man of many monitors, trenchantly answers TV's critics
Roone Arledge , Gilbert Rogin
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1078465/6/index.htm
- We in television have not done enough to bring the real sport to the people. The danger, agility and skill involved are virtually never shown or talked about. I don't think this is a sport we do particularly well.
January 23, 1967
Building An Empire On Horses Ready To Run
Pete Axthelm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079485/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079485/index.htmFebruary) 06, 1967
One Tough Little Guy
Saul Silberman, owner of Tropical Park, has been battling with politicians, racing commissions and newspapermen all his life. Only the horses he bets on defeat him
John Underwood
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079521/1/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079521/1/index.htmMarch) 31, 1969
Politics In The Saddle At Utopia Downs
As state governors continue to select senior racetrack officials for the wrong reasons, inexperience among their appointees plagues the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082242/index.htm
September (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082242/index.htmSeptember) 15, 1969
Marje's Late, Late Show
By staging the sport's richest race at night, Marje Everett starts a civil war
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146644/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146644/index.htmJune) 28, 1971
Putting The Case To Howie The Horse
The chief of New York's new off-track betting system admits he knows little about racing, so a noted horseman explains the possible virtues and vices of OTB
E. Barry Ryan , Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085034/index.htm
October 18, 1971
Never Sell The Horses Short
At least that was the attitude of a bettor who set out to prove he could make (?) more money playing the ponies at Aqueduct than a stockbroker could gambling on Wall Street
Odd Lot
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085426/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085426/index.htmDecember) 20, 1971
EDGE OF DISASTER
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135558/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135558/index.htmFebruary) 07, 1972
Lord, What Have We Done?
That's what the fusty British racing Establishment wondered when the government appointed a mover and shaker to bring new life to the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085771/index.htm
about British racing I know but I love this from the article-“ In Tokyo the Japanese Jockey Club owns the major tracks, the stables, many of the horses, the tote and the off-course betting shops. It amounts to a state monopoly of the industry. I remember on a visit to that country asking my host one morning what he estimated the attendance would be in the afternoon at a Tokyo track. He replied, '86,000 exactly.'
" 'How do you know it will be exactly 86,000?' I inquired.
" 'Because at 86,000 we will close the gates. We don't want to use any more pari-mutuel clerks today.' On some days when the Japanese don't close the gates the attendance goes over 160,000."
July 24, 1972
Heads Up! Here's A Horse Race
Though little noticed elsewhere, Japan is holding the derby of all derbies, one that dwarfs the world's turf classics with its immense crowds and betting
Sungyung Chang
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086333/index.htm
- A racetrack filled to capacity—and turning away fans—is a thing unheard of, except in Japan
January 15, 1973
A Look At The Old Gray Mare
The sport isn't what it used to be. But can it be rejuvenated? The head of racing in California provides a prescription for a cure
Frank E. Kilroe
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086951/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086951/index.htmApril) 16, 1973
Once A Valley Of Vapors And Vice
Hot Springs used to be downright sinful, but it made a clean break with the past, and now the town and track are thriving
Frank Deford
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135576/index.htm
Charles Cella-He believes in pageantry and participation and that exotic wagering and extended racing dates dilute the best chance of the fan to have ongoing action.
"This is a privileged business," Cella says, "and you can't be greedy and misuse the privilege.
May 12, 1975
Don't Be Taken In By Touts; You Pick The Horses And Ignore The Odds
Ernest Havemann
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089841/1/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089841/1/index.htmNovember) 14, 1977
Is This Horse That Horse?
Racing officials have been trying to answer that question and others—like where is the $150,000 corpse—since learning that a ringer ran at Belmont
William Leggett
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093009/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093009/index.htmMarch) 13, 1978
It's June In Midwinter
Charles Town and Shenandoah Downs are a far cry from Hialeah, but June Johnson, one of the nation's top trainers, thrives on these weather-beaten tracks
Demmie Stathoplos
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htm
I liked this part of the story -"But things are not going well for Charles Town and Shenandoah Downs. The trouble started last May when the U.S. Government decided to levy a 20% federal withholding tax on pari-mutuel wagering throughout the nation. It has adversely affected all American racetracks, but is especially burdensome to the smaller ovals that depend heavily on income from exotic wagers and therefore feel the bite proportionately more."
If in 78 20% was causing problems how could they figure 25% makes it better?
March 27, 1978
ELECTRIC CHARGES
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093482/2/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093482/2/index.htmMay) 22, 1978
New Uproar Over A Controversial Drug
After one death and several accidents, some jockeys are beginning to ask questions about the Butazolidin being given to their horses
Douglas S. Looney
I thought this was interesting -"Current figures compiled by the Pennsylvania branch of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association compare breakdowns in Pennsylvania, a Bute state, with non-Bute New York for 1977. Keystone had 5.0 breakdowns per thousand horses, Penn National 3.7 per thousand; New York 5.6 per thousand at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga. And in the first several months of this year, Keystone had 5.5 per thousand, Penn National only 2.6 and Aqueduct 6.2."
They sure seemed to have a lot of breakdowns then
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htmNovember) 06, 1978
Racing's Big Scandal
Tony Ciulla says he fixed hundreds of races—some by bribing top jockeys such as Angel Cordero Jr. and Jorge Velasquez. The Organized Crime Strike Force is investigating
Bill Surface
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094265/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094265/index.htmNovember) 20, 1978
SCANDAL
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094334/1/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094334/1/index.htmDecember) 03, 1979
BANNED
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126352/1/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126352/1/index.htmApril) 01, 1985
GIVING HORSEPLAYERS A WORKOUT
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119270/index.htm
Does stuff like this still take place?
September 08, 1986
A Computer In The Sports Palace At Laurel Put The Byte On Railbirds
Amy Lennard
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065183/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065183/index.htmJanuary) 11, 1988
Final Run For Glory
A dispute over racing dates has Florida's storied Hialeah fighting for its very life
Demmie Stathoplos
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066937/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066937/index.htmJanuary) 25, 1988
The Disgrace Of Lasix
Alysheba: Horse of the Year or Druggie of the Year?
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067021/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067021/index.htmApril) 22, 1991
Fading Fast
Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. is being run into the ground by offtrack betting and other legalized gambling
William F. Reed
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1139764/1/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1139764/1/index.htmDecember) 16, 1991
A Whopping Shopping Spree
In hopes of reviving his sport, R.D. Hubbard is buying tracks across the country
William F. Reed
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140130/1/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140130/1/index.htmMay) 03, 1993
A Discredit To Their Race
The weak field in the Kentucky Derby speaks for the state of the American racehorse
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138447/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138447/index.htmNovember) 01, 1993
The Breaking Point
A rising toll of racetrack breakdowns has shaken public confidence and put the thoroughbred industry at a crossroads
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137939/1/index.htm
July (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137939/1/index.htmJuly) 10, 1995
A House Divided
Gravely threatened by casino gambling, horse racing can't decide whether to run with its rival or stay on a different track
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006813/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006813/index.htmAugust) 21, 1995
Drug Running
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006956/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006956/index.htmJune) 07, 1999
Horse Power
Thoroughbred racing makes a late-century stretch run
Mark Beech
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016077/index.htm
here is what appears to be a handicapping book from the 50's, or at least it says published mid 50's on the site. I thought it was interesting to read the perspective from then.
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles05/horse-racing-1.shtml
contribute more from other sources if you know of any
I am shocked to see that so many of the problems we talk about today have been going on for a very long time some upwards of 50+ years. Its amazing how little progress has been made and because of it all it has done is allowed new problems to keep developing.
Anyway lots of reads about problems in the industry. There are also just good reads from handicapping to other interesting articles.
Hope they shed new light for some and remind others old enough to remember.
September 27, 1954
New Deal For Raw Deal
After eyewitness survey, The Jockey Club blesses plan that would enlarge and modernize beautiful Belmont, scrap Jamaica, and place New York State racing on a new and strictly nonprofit basis
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1128955/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1128955/index.htmMarch) 28, 1955
New Look?
Could be, this year in New York
Albion Hughes
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129485/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129485/index.htmMay) 09, 1955
The Question: As A Rider, Which Do You Consider The Best Track For Horse Racing In The Country? The Worst? (asked Of Jockeys.)
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129592/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1129592/index.htmAugust) 08, 1955
The Detroit News
A WORD OF WARNING TO THOSE 'WHO WANT TO BUILD A MODERN RACE TRACK—IT TAKES MONEY
H. G. Salsinger
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1130036/1/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1130036/1/index.htmJune) 04, 1956
Beating The Races
More than $7 billion—5 of them off the track—are bet on horses in the ever-new, ever-baffling search: beating the races
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069755/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1069755/index.htmNovember) 11, 1957
65 Men And The Horse
Born of necessity 63 years ago to safeguard the integrity of racing, The Jockey Club has lost much of its authority but none of its enthusiasm for the improvement of the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146503/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146503/index.htmJanuary) 20, 1958
I Got The Horse Right Here
Ken Kling, the most successful public handicapper, is someone who could have stepped right out of the cast of 'Guys and Dolls'
William Leggett
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001701/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001701/index.htmFebruary) 10, 1958
I Made My First Bet $25,000 Ago'
Among the many Americans who like to bet on the races there are a few who can't stop. Here is the authenticated story of one anonymous horseplayer whose compulsion nearly ruined his life. In his own phrase:
Sol Fox
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001805/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1001805/index.htmDecember) 15, 1958
Sport First, Business Second
That's the way it must be if racing is to stay healthy, as the brilliant 1958 season has again convincingly proved
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003263/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003263/index.htmFebruary) 02, 1959
A British View Of U.s. Tracks
John Hislop
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070128/index.htm
March 02, 1959
Hanging On The Morning Line
A little-known but highly expert racing technician offers sound advice on the science and art of betting
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070262/index.htm
July (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070262/index.htmJuly) 13, 1959
The Big Business Of A Race Track
Hollywood Park and its general manager, James Stewart, have learned why it is that marketing Thoroughbred contests is a major industry
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070746/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1070746/index.htmMay) 09, 1960
You Can Dope U.s. Horses, Too, But It Isn't Easy
M. R. Werner
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071250/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1071250/index.htmFebruary) 13, 1961
The Troubles Of A Prosperous Sport
Sports Illustrated's Turf Editor, Whitney Tower (right), here begins a series of articles on what may be termed the hidden crisis in Thoroughbred racing in this country. The result of long observation and recently growing concern, this series will go beyond mere critical analysis to recommend constructive solutions—the first being true authority for a national racing body
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072266/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072266/index.htmMarch) 20, 1961
More Distance Racing, Please!
The damaging effects of the American preoccupation with sprint racing are examined in Part II of the series (SI, Feb. 13), 'The Troubles of a Prosperous Sport'
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072369/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072369/index.htmApril) 03, 1961
The Neglected Horse
Part III of a series on racing problems reveals the appalling lack of Interest in animal care
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072424/index.htm
June 05, 1961
Shep Tangles With The Boys
A stubborn horseman is fighting Pennsylvania's politicians. At stake are millions of dollars—and perhaps the future of U.S. harness racing
Ray Cave
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072631/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1072631/index.htmMay) 06, 1963
The Intolerable Squeeze
The complex subject of the relationship between our states and racing, rarely discussed openly, is analyzed authoritatively by Dr. Albert Hammond, professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hammond, horseplayer and scholar, concludes that in 1963 the $2-bettor is being taxed beyond all reason and mercy
Dr. Albert Hammond
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074748/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1074748/index.htmAugust) 12, 1963
Vanderbilt Vs. Racing's Establishment
One of the great names in horse racing warns the reigning Pooh-Bahs of the turf that their emphasis on attendance and betting handle is endangering the sport
Alfred Wright
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075066/1/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075066/1/index.htmJune) 08, 1964
Here The Sport Is Going Sour
Prospering mightily, U.S. racing is also developing in ways that dismay many who have loved it best and longest. E. Barry Ryan, highly qualified and unusually frank, here tells our turf editor just why he is worried. A member of a distinguished American family, Ryan has devoted his life to racing, as breeder, owner and trainer. His Normandy Farm in Kentucky is one of the gems of the Bluegrass
E. Barry Ryan , Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1075992/index.htm
I thought this was a really good read considering it was 46 years ago
April 25, 1966
It's Sport...it's Money...it's Tv
Is television a voracious monster that is taking over and ruining sport? Here the vice-president in charge of sports for the American Broadcasting Company, and a man of many monitors, trenchantly answers TV's critics
Roone Arledge , Gilbert Rogin
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1078465/6/index.htm
- We in television have not done enough to bring the real sport to the people. The danger, agility and skill involved are virtually never shown or talked about. I don't think this is a sport we do particularly well.
January 23, 1967
Building An Empire On Horses Ready To Run
Pete Axthelm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079485/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079485/index.htmFebruary) 06, 1967
One Tough Little Guy
Saul Silberman, owner of Tropical Park, has been battling with politicians, racing commissions and newspapermen all his life. Only the horses he bets on defeat him
John Underwood
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079521/1/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079521/1/index.htmMarch) 31, 1969
Politics In The Saddle At Utopia Downs
As state governors continue to select senior racetrack officials for the wrong reasons, inexperience among their appointees plagues the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082242/index.htm
September (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1082242/index.htmSeptember) 15, 1969
Marje's Late, Late Show
By staging the sport's richest race at night, Marje Everett starts a civil war
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146644/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1146644/index.htmJune) 28, 1971
Putting The Case To Howie The Horse
The chief of New York's new off-track betting system admits he knows little about racing, so a noted horseman explains the possible virtues and vices of OTB
E. Barry Ryan , Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085034/index.htm
October 18, 1971
Never Sell The Horses Short
At least that was the attitude of a bettor who set out to prove he could make (?) more money playing the ponies at Aqueduct than a stockbroker could gambling on Wall Street
Odd Lot
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085426/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085426/index.htmDecember) 20, 1971
EDGE OF DISASTER
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135558/index.htm
February (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135558/index.htmFebruary) 07, 1972
Lord, What Have We Done?
That's what the fusty British racing Establishment wondered when the government appointed a mover and shaker to bring new life to the sport
Whitney Tower
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1085771/index.htm
about British racing I know but I love this from the article-“ In Tokyo the Japanese Jockey Club owns the major tracks, the stables, many of the horses, the tote and the off-course betting shops. It amounts to a state monopoly of the industry. I remember on a visit to that country asking my host one morning what he estimated the attendance would be in the afternoon at a Tokyo track. He replied, '86,000 exactly.'
" 'How do you know it will be exactly 86,000?' I inquired.
" 'Because at 86,000 we will close the gates. We don't want to use any more pari-mutuel clerks today.' On some days when the Japanese don't close the gates the attendance goes over 160,000."
July 24, 1972
Heads Up! Here's A Horse Race
Though little noticed elsewhere, Japan is holding the derby of all derbies, one that dwarfs the world's turf classics with its immense crowds and betting
Sungyung Chang
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086333/index.htm
- A racetrack filled to capacity—and turning away fans—is a thing unheard of, except in Japan
January 15, 1973
A Look At The Old Gray Mare
The sport isn't what it used to be. But can it be rejuvenated? The head of racing in California provides a prescription for a cure
Frank E. Kilroe
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086951/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086951/index.htmApril) 16, 1973
Once A Valley Of Vapors And Vice
Hot Springs used to be downright sinful, but it made a clean break with the past, and now the town and track are thriving
Frank Deford
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1135576/index.htm
Charles Cella-He believes in pageantry and participation and that exotic wagering and extended racing dates dilute the best chance of the fan to have ongoing action.
"This is a privileged business," Cella says, "and you can't be greedy and misuse the privilege.
May 12, 1975
Don't Be Taken In By Touts; You Pick The Horses And Ignore The Odds
Ernest Havemann
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089841/1/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1089841/1/index.htmNovember) 14, 1977
Is This Horse That Horse?
Racing officials have been trying to answer that question and others—like where is the $150,000 corpse—since learning that a ringer ran at Belmont
William Leggett
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093009/index.htm
March (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093009/index.htmMarch) 13, 1978
It's June In Midwinter
Charles Town and Shenandoah Downs are a far cry from Hialeah, but June Johnson, one of the nation's top trainers, thrives on these weather-beaten tracks
Demmie Stathoplos
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htm
I liked this part of the story -"But things are not going well for Charles Town and Shenandoah Downs. The trouble started last May when the U.S. Government decided to levy a 20% federal withholding tax on pari-mutuel wagering throughout the nation. It has adversely affected all American racetracks, but is especially burdensome to the smaller ovals that depend heavily on income from exotic wagers and therefore feel the bite proportionately more."
If in 78 20% was causing problems how could they figure 25% makes it better?
March 27, 1978
ELECTRIC CHARGES
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093482/2/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093482/2/index.htmMay) 22, 1978
New Uproar Over A Controversial Drug
After one death and several accidents, some jockeys are beginning to ask questions about the Butazolidin being given to their horses
Douglas S. Looney
I thought this was interesting -"Current figures compiled by the Pennsylvania branch of the Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association compare breakdowns in Pennsylvania, a Bute state, with non-Bute New York for 1977. Keystone had 5.0 breakdowns per thousand horses, Penn National 3.7 per thousand; New York 5.6 per thousand at Belmont, Aqueduct and Saratoga. And in the first several months of this year, Keystone had 5.5 per thousand, Penn National only 2.6 and Aqueduct 6.2."
They sure seemed to have a lot of breakdowns then
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1093667/1/index.htmNovember) 06, 1978
Racing's Big Scandal
Tony Ciulla says he fixed hundreds of races—some by bribing top jockeys such as Angel Cordero Jr. and Jorge Velasquez. The Organized Crime Strike Force is investigating
Bill Surface
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094265/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094265/index.htmNovember) 20, 1978
SCANDAL
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094334/1/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1094334/1/index.htmDecember) 03, 1979
BANNED
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126352/1/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1126352/1/index.htmApril) 01, 1985
GIVING HORSEPLAYERS A WORKOUT
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1119270/index.htm
Does stuff like this still take place?
September 08, 1986
A Computer In The Sports Palace At Laurel Put The Byte On Railbirds
Amy Lennard
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065183/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1065183/index.htmJanuary) 11, 1988
Final Run For Glory
A dispute over racing dates has Florida's storied Hialeah fighting for its very life
Demmie Stathoplos
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066937/index.htm
January (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066937/index.htmJanuary) 25, 1988
The Disgrace Of Lasix
Alysheba: Horse of the Year or Druggie of the Year?
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067021/index.htm
April (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1067021/index.htmApril) 22, 1991
Fading Fast
Thoroughbred racing in the U.S. is being run into the ground by offtrack betting and other legalized gambling
William F. Reed
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1139764/1/index.htm
December (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1139764/1/index.htmDecember) 16, 1991
A Whopping Shopping Spree
In hopes of reviving his sport, R.D. Hubbard is buying tracks across the country
William F. Reed
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140130/1/index.htm
May (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140130/1/index.htmMay) 03, 1993
A Discredit To Their Race
The weak field in the Kentucky Derby speaks for the state of the American racehorse
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138447/index.htm
November (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138447/index.htmNovember) 01, 1993
The Breaking Point
A rising toll of racetrack breakdowns has shaken public confidence and put the thoroughbred industry at a crossroads
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137939/1/index.htm
July (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1137939/1/index.htmJuly) 10, 1995
A House Divided
Gravely threatened by casino gambling, horse racing can't decide whether to run with its rival or stay on a different track
William Nack
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006813/index.htm
August (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006813/index.htmAugust) 21, 1995
Drug Running
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006956/index.htm
June (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1006956/index.htmJune) 07, 1999
Horse Power
Thoroughbred racing makes a late-century stretch run
Mark Beech
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1016077/index.htm
here is what appears to be a handicapping book from the 50's, or at least it says published mid 50's on the site. I thought it was interesting to read the perspective from then.
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles05/horse-racing-1.shtml
contribute more from other sources if you know of any