Old Days Are Gone at Narragansett, But Racing Fans Still Eat Very Well

The train no longer leaves for Narragansett Race Track. A few years ago the bar man in the club car would fill up the glasses of exam period refugees and talk of the day he tore his shirt on the liquor cabinet and bet on a 30-1 shot named Torn Shirt in the fifth. "She'll win it easy," he said. "I mean it's as good a way as any to pick a horse."

Today busses take horse players to Narragansett for winter racing. The quality of horses in Pawtucket has sagged gradually over the years, but the club-house still retains some of its old glamour. The rice pudding is excellent, and nothing can really match the clam chowder. A waiter in a white jacket with a towel over his arm shuffles over to your table, and from a shiny mug he pours the hot tangy broth into your bowl.

Sunshine

In the spring the sunshine, and the better horses come up from Florida. Suffolk Downs will open on April 4 this year. A few subway stops on the MBTA beyond Airport, the Downs offers the best in New England racing. Last year Bill Veeck of St. Louis Browns fame staged the longest and biggest ($200,000 added) turf race in America, Veeck also gave away prizes to the fans- a steer, a horse, champagne, and free dinners at MacDonalds.

To look knowledgeable and feel at case at the track, buy a copy of The Morning Telegraph at the Kiosk and cross out the names of a few horses in every race.