Less Could Be More in Horse Racing

I strongly disagree with Frank Stronach that what California needs is more racing [April 22]. A case in point is the racing card for the same day the story appeared. There were four maiden races, four races with seven entries or fewer, a $100,000 handicap with only five entrants, and finally, a $400,000 Handicap with only six entries. Incredibly, this card was for a weekend day, Saturday. Certainly, those races do not offer value for the serious handicapper.

From the mid-1940s to the early ‘60s, there were fewer racing dates allotted to both Santa Anita and Hollywood Park, with a period of time between the meets to allow the horses to be turned out and freshened up. In those days, there were fewer sore-legged horses running, races with 12 horses, and rarely a maiden race run on a weekend. Thirty thousand to 50,000 weekend crowds were the norm. In my opinion, the real racing fans do not need mugs, caps, T-shirts, etc. What they need is a competitive racing card with full fields and sound horses.

JERRY BARUCH

Los Angeles