News on Screen

Series

Series Name

The March of Time 2nd Year

Issue

Issue No.

4

Date Released

Mar 1936

Stories in this Issue:

• 1. England’s Tithe War
• 2. United States horse racing
• 3. American Fisheries

Story

Story No. within this Issue

2 / 3

Summary

The March of Time synopsis: Every afternoon, somewhere in the U.S. is revived the pompous ceremonial of horse racing, the sport of kings. To-day its pomp is but needless formality to many who follow the races. For to the U.S. public, racing is betting. This year a billion dollars has been wagered on horses, half of it illegally - a sum so vast it overshadows racing’s $100,000,000 investment in race courses, farms, thousands of employees and blooded horses. Few people realise that betting is but an unofficial sideline to racing’s real purpose - the breeding of fine horses. Head of racing is The Jockey Club of America, of which no jockey is a member, where no orders are taken but plenty given. Only fifty men are members, their sole purpose being to protect the horse. For those who violate this code, the penalties are harsh. Jockeys who break betting rules may never ride again; trainers and owners who attempt chicanery are barred for life from racing. March of Time shows a famous case of track cookery and how the criminals were caught. Yearly the club spends thousands to police race-courses and stables. Its racing rules are written into the laws of twenty-one states. No horse can race unless registered with the Jockey Club; no course, no stable is ever far from this strange club’s influence. To-ay with racing ranking as one of America’s most popular sporting spectacles, no man knows who gave the Jockey Club its right to rule U.S. racing, but no man can give a good reason why it should not.

Researcher Comments

This story was included in Vol.2 No.7 of the US edition.

Keywords

Horse racing; Gambling

Written sources

The March of Time Promotional Material   Lobby Card, Used for synopsis

Credits:

Production Co.

Time Inc.