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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Judge Jackson Smith, who presided at the » Nashville meeting, is enthusiastic about racing f and racing prospects at that city. In an interview - after his return to Nashville, he said: "I i want to go on record as saying that Nashville 3 never had a better meeting than the one just t closed. There was a regular old-fashioned revival - of the turf at Nashville, and it was 3 demonstrated beyond a doubt that successful 1 meetings can be given at this point. The sport t clean and wholesome, and there was a riut iceable absence of any sharp practices. Best t hwas Lf all was the support accorded the track by f Ihe citizens of Nashville, who regarded the i . . . i • • . , . I , 1 , » f - i 3 t - 3 1 t a t f meeting as a home institution and turned out accordingly. The best element of Nashville I supported the meeting, and it was a pleasure I to note that the riff-raff was conspicuous by its i absence. The turf right now is on an excellent I footing in Nashville, and fut»re meetings will be even more successful than the recent one. Personally I was treated royally by the people of Nashville, and I never met a more hospitable set of citizens in my life. Before I left Nashville I was assured that future race meetings would be given, and it will be well for western turfmen to keep their eyes on the Cumberland Park track, which, in my opinion, will before long rank with Memphis and Louisville in the importance of its race meetings." A San Francisco correspondent of the Spirit of the Times has been comparing the performances of Golden Rule last year and of Sofala this year, and makes it out that as two-year-olds Sofala was the better of the pair. He says : "The time and weights carried by the filly this year show her to be more speedy than the colt. Of course the race decided over Ingleside and Tanforan Park can not be justly used as a comparison; but, to give Golden Rule his due, both his three furlongs in 36 seconds and his three and a half furlongs in 42i seconds are the Ingleside records, whereas Sofalas three furlongs in 354 seconds and her half mile in 48 seconds are Tanforan records, and incidentally her three furlong record is a worlds record for two-year-olds. "But, taking the Oakland records of the two youngsters, the fillys performances are decidedly ! the better. Golden Rules four and a half furlongs April 12, carrying 123, in 554 seconds, is i not equal to Sofalas four and a half furlongs in 554 seconds, with 120 pounds up, as the track-was faster the day Golden Rule ran, as shown by Headwater running six furlongs in 1 :13i, while he took, 1 :14i the day that Sofala ran the race. "In the Gebhard Stakes Sofala was carrying . three pounds more than Golden Rule did, and j she ran the distance in one and a quarter seconds less time than the colt did. "A table showing the races run by each of c these grand specimens of the thoroughbred follows: GOLDEN KULE. Wt. Time. Track Ingleside, February 6, 3 fur. .107 0 :36 Good j Oakland, March 4, 4 fur 115 0:49 Good 1 Ingleside, M a rch 7, 34 fur 115 0 :424 Fast • Oakland, April 12, 4f fur 123 0:554 Fast Oakland, April 15, 5 fur 123 1 :025 Fast t Oakland, April 20, Futurity . . .122 1 :13i Fast t SOFALA. Wt. Time. Track. • Tanforan, Jan. 6, 3 fur 105 0:3tU Fast Tanforan, Jan. 13, 3 fur 108 0:35t Fast j Tanforan, Jan. 15. 3 fur 115 0:35$ Fast Tanforan. Jan. 19, 3 fur 110 0:354 Fast t Oakland. Jan. 30, 31 fur 115 0:42i Fast t Tanforan, Feb. 24. 4 fur 105 0:48 Fast j Oakland, Feb. 27, 4 fur 115 0:48 J Fast Oakland, March 1. 44 fur 115 0:554 Fast t Oakland, March 10, 4 fur 118 0:504 Slow v Oakland, March 31. 44 fur 120 0:554 Fast • Oakland, April 7, Futurity 125 1 :12 Fast Tanforan, April 14, 5 fur 120 1:014 Fast Secretary E. C. Hopper of the Latonia Jockey 1 Club will arrive in this city from California next Thursday. Mr. Hopper left Frisco on Sunday and is now on his way home after a long season in the judges stand at Oakland. Upon his arrival here he will at once start in to get affairs in shape for the spring meeting at the Latonia track, which opens on May 28, fol- I . lowing that of Newport, the first of the local tracks to open. Newports first meeting will last six days, beginning May 21. On May 28 the e Derby will be run at Latonia. Secretary Hop-i h per is going to make the opening day at the e Kenton county track a gala occasion, and will II spare no expense to bring out one of the great-9 ,- est crowds in the history of local racing. I I i I ! i . j c j 1 • t t • j t t j t v • 1 I . e h e II ,- The Derby itself should prove a great contest, as all the crack three-year-olds in the west are entered, including Lieutenant Gibson, winner of the Kentucky Derby, and Florizar, winner of the Tennessee Derby. The distance will be a mile and a half. The outlook is most promising at both tracks, and there will be plenty of high-class racers when the season opens. Assistant Secretary John Dillon, of Latonia, has received applications for stable room from the following well-known owners during the last few days: Tom McDowell, J. D. Smith, C. H. Smith, C. F. McLean, C. F. Buschmeyer. Woodford Clay, John Rodegap, Woodford and Buck-ner, Talbott Bros., Baker and Gentry and several others. There are nearly 200 horses at the track at present, with new arrivals from different parts of the country daily. — Cincinnati Enquirer. W. Overton, the handsome chestnut son of Belvidere — Peninali. will carry the Schorr colors in the St. Louis Inaugural next Saturday, providing it doesnt rain too much between now and the date of the race. W. Overton is a horse of phenomenal speed, and he can run to beat the band over a hard, fast track, but when it comer to mud or any sort of heavy going, he cant outrun a snail. W. Overton never liked the Memphis track, and his trainer could do nothing with him there this spring. This accounts for the fact that he has not started up to date. If W. Overton is fit to run his race Saturday and the track is fast, the Schorr horse will surely give a good account of himself. — St Louis Republic. Challenger, a stake horse on the flat when the property of Messrs. Arthur White and William Laimbeer, and more recently a crack hurdler running in the colors of the Milltown Stable, broke down in exercise at Morris Park last Saturday. His performances over the stake last season in the St. Nicholas hurdle race and Knickerbocker hurdle selling race, his only two 1 starts, and both easy victories, were such as to stamp him as a hurdler of the first rank. — Spirit of the Times. Of the ten jumpers in the stable of "Mr. ■ Chamblet" five have already shown themselves I unable to stand training, the last to break down 1 being Moslem, who was a speedy and clever hurdler and a special favorite of his owner. The others that are certain not to face the ! starter are Catapult, Lynnbrook, Stamford and 1 Armament, the former champion winner of 1898. • This can scarcely be called an encouraging state 1 of affairs thus early in the season. The new extension of the chute at Sheepshead I Bay is about completed and Superintendent t Clarke states that he will begin fencing it at t once. He will have it ready for the spring , meeting, but there is little chance of its being used until fall, as the new ground would j probably be too soft. The new roof for the , grandstand is on ; in fact, all that is needed now is a general "house cleaning for the open- . ing of the gates. As a result of their investigation of the alleged drugging of Sly the stewards of the Western Turf Association have ruled off W. C. Harding, alias "Red; George P. Moore, Lee Merritt, alias "Blue Bells" and Richard Rose, alias "The Kid." Pending further investigation Thomas Leeper was kept under suspension. Owner and bookmaker Caesar Young was exonerated of complicity in the affair. F. M. Ware, of New York, will do the starting ? at the meeting of the Hamilton, Ontario i Jockey Club, from June 5 to 9, and also at the b Toronto meeting. J. J. Burke will be presiding S judge.
