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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Ia John E. Maddens stable at Churchill Dowm, the same one that housed the mighty Plaudit last spring while he was training for the Kentucky Derby and Clark Stakes, is a good looking colt named Hapsburg, who is a half brother to that grand racer Hamburg. From this youngster Mr. Madden is expecting great things, not only on account of his pedigree, but because the colt has shown high class. Albert Simons, who trained Plaudit and others of the Madden string so well last season, will not be with that successful turfman again this season, Mr. Madden having determined to give greater personal attention than ever to the training of his horses. He makes periodical visits to the track here already, and as the time for active training begins to draw nearer and nearer his visits will become more and more frequent and his stays at the Downs longer. Mr. Madden has not yet secured the services of a jockey for the coming spring racing season, but as be is to have his lately purchased three-year-old, Mazo, in the Kentucky Derby and Clark Stakes, he is already looking over the list of boys of known ability. It is not at all unlikely that Simms or "Tiny" Williams will come in for consideration at the head of the list. Last season Simms rode Plaudit to an easy victory over Lieber Karl in the Derby, and Williams rode him to a still easier victory over the same colt in the Clark Stakes a week later. Brown Dick thinks mighty well of his good three-year-old filly Souchon, who is now at Churchill Downs waiting for her traning season to begin. She is entered in the Tennessee and Kentucky Oaks this spring. She was a rattling good two-year-old, and won some good races last summer. Since then she has grown and broadened oat wonderfully, and now she is as strong, healthy and as fine a looking bit of horse flesh as any stable in the land can show. Brown Dick will send her to the post at Memphis in the Tennessee Oaks good and fit. "Rapier," commenting upon the Arab as compared to the English thoroughbred in the Badminton Magazine, says: "I do not in the least want to disparage the Arab steed, belief in whom was an article of faith in childhood. Still, facts are facts, and I must give this letter, which comes to me frcm Calcutta: Dear Rapier: In the October number of the Badminton Magazine you point out a single method of testing the racing capabilities of Arabs, even with allowance of twenty-eight pounds, which they would get under the terms of the Goodwood Cup. Let me through jour pages point out that in India, with an allowance of forty-two pounds, admirers of the Arab decline to enter the lists against English aad Australian bores. ! As a matter of fact, 1856 was the last year in which an Arab won the Viceroys Cap. This year the Viceroys Cup will be worth nominally 21,000 rupees, or say 4,331. The distance for that race is a mile and three-quarters, and the weights for the different classes are: 6 yrs. Class. 3 yrs. 4 yrg. 5 yrs. and aged. English 8.11 9 4 9 7 9.7 Australian 7.12 9 2 9.6 9.7 Arabs 411 6 0 6 6 6.7 " In spite of such tempting odors I do not remember having seen an Arab oven entered for the Cup. Ask Lord W. Berobford, who has raced in India for twenty years and won flvo V. C.s, whether he has oven buou an Arab run in any of them. " The Arab in America has. been put to other ua-s, except in the case of Mr, Keene Richards experiments, which never produced anything of special merit. Meddler was bred to an Arab mare, if recollection served, as well as to several trotters, bat what the result was is not known. 1 Form in California is shocking the regulars and comments are vitriolic. Horse Fancier. Wrong. The California form is far from untrue. If it shocks the regulars, the regulars are out of line. If the comments are vitriolic, there is no reason for it. The biting acidity of comment should not be leveled at such racing as comes oat of the daily action at Ingleside and Oakland. As the comment drifts to Daily Racing Form, however, most of the acid of comment is sprinkled over small boys who ride and owners that do not know. The untruth of racing under elastic weather conditions turns up less often on the California courses than on those of the Jockey Club in the season when the weather and footing average well. There is no doubt that Gene Leigh has in charge some smashing good two-year-olds, so far as promise goes. When here recently Tally Coulter said they were a grand lot. An eastern writer who has inspected them recently says: "Most of Leighs horses had been clipped, and I saw them to better advantage than on my previous visit there. Collectively, Leigh has the finest looking lot of two-year-olds that I ever saw anywhere, and it Eeems to me that nothing short of au epidemic of disease among them can prevent them from figuring in the big eastern stakes. "About eight of these youngsters are splendid individually, and at least fonr of them, so far as breeding, style and build go, would not be oat of place in any Futurity field. The Bramble Lady Wayward colt, and the Kingston Libby L. colt I still consider the pick of the lot. But the Kingston Servia colt, the Bramble Caledonia colt, the Bramble Queen Beluga colt and the Bramble Red Dress colt are but little if any behind them in point of excellence." No really first class youngster has shown as yet either in California or New Orleans. Fair to middling is the best that can be said, but the stake events are yet to come and the "good things" to be unbottled. Horse Fancier. This is not seasonable or in line with the facts. A "first class youngster" out of two or three February-races would be a marvel. There may be no such youngsters racing at Ingleside or Oakland. But it seems as if Ed Corrigans Golden Rule, Sardine and St. Anthony are more than fair "early birds" of the two-year-old brigade. Then there is Lomond and Yellow Tail who have above the average of performance in the winter season about them. There are more to follow, if report is as true as its doings outside actual racing. Wait until May 1 and then pass on the California two-year-olds of 1899. The New Orleans lot, so far shown, are not much. "Moose" Taylor has been ruled off the turf by the stewards of the California Jockey Club for acting as agent in negotiating unsavory jobs. Early in the ninties Taylor rode for Carlisle and Shields and was a very capable lightweight jockey, frequently winning good races at Washington Park, Garfield and Hawthorne. Subsequently he drifted to San Francisco and for a time rode for Tom Williams, who took quite a fancy to the boy. In his big hearted way he looked after "Mooses" finances and made him save his earnings until he amassed enough to branch out for himself as a horse owner. Bat ho was an incorrigible bettor and soon lost all he had gained. A broken leg incapacitated him for riding and for some time he has, like many others who hang on the shadowy edge of the turf, been "doing the best he can." His best seems to have been very bad. An incident of last Saturdays racing at Oakland is thus described in the Examiner: "A I Martin, a horseman, said to be the owner of Lost Girl, bid ,5C0 in one gulp for Roy del Tierra when the latter was offered for sale in the usual manner by Judge Murphy. Purser, the owner of the horse, made a gesture indicating his readiness to let the horse go, whereupon Martin started down in his inside vest pocket for a roll of great green paper. Either the color of the money or the warning of the selling judge startled Parser, who turned and in the nick of time offered the owners privi-lodged advance and retained the horse. Lost Girls owner pocketed 72 50 for running second. Purser figured up a loss of 05 for winning the race." Trainer F. W. Doss is in hot water at Oakland because Opponent, a hot favorite, ran as if the state of the odds was distasteful to him. Hugh Penny, in the same stable, had already been barred from starting because of similar queer running and in this case the judges notified Doss that all of the horses in his stable would be barred in the future unless they were more consistent. The horses all belong to Barney Weller, who is at Hot Springs, Ark. At the annual sale of the Wellington Park yearlings, held at Auckland, New Zealand, twenty-three yearlings sold for 7,000. The highest price of ,250 was paid for a St. Leger colt. Since the first annual sale, in 1887, fourteen youngsters have sold for 4,275. Eleven horses belonging to P. Dunne have arrived at Louisville from J. V. Shipps farm near Midway, Ky., where they have passed the winter. Joseph Tag is in charge and the list is as follows : Salvable, b. h, 6, by Salvator Lydia. Bannockburn, br. c, 4, by Hayden Edwards Bettie Blaise. Silver Tone, b. c, 3, by Falsetto Silver Thread. Approval, b. c, 3, by Pessara Ruparta. Token, ch. c, 2, by Hanover Keepsake. Brown colt, 2, by Kingston Mary M. Brown colt, 2, by Riley Hattie Harris. Bay colt. 2, by Riley Mis9 Howard. Chestnut colt, 2, by Wagner Vanity Fair. Chestnut colt, 2, by Wagner Hortense. Brown colt, 2, by Riley Emma. Two names claimed for two-year-olds in the big string of Eugene Leigh were rejected by the registrar. New names substituted and registered are: Vnlcain, ch. c, by Kingston Arrowgrass. Saxby, br, c, by Strathmore Kelp.
