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,- DOWN EAST turf TALK. "Many turfmen who were at Bennings during the past week spent yesterday in town and congregated at the various meeting places along Broadway. Some of them will not go back to Washington, but will go from here direct to New Orleans, where the Crescent .City Jockey Clubs meeting opens on Thanksgiving day. Those who were in a critical mood yesterday declared that the sport seen so far at Bennings had been good in point of public form and cleanly run races, although class was altogether lacking. The fact that the value of the purses and the stakes is even less than what prevailed at Aqueduct has served to keep high class horses in the stable, while the so-called poor owners are at present enjoying a ileld day with the chance of winning a purse here and there to pay feed bills this winter. The bookmakers who have come back from the Washington track are anything but enthusiastic." says the New York Sun of Monday. " There was too much smart money there, said one of them yesterday, and not enough public coin to offset it. A few wise ones got their money down at liberal prices, while the rank and file wouldnt bet anything to speak of. As a consequence, we were literally burned up on several occasions last week. Sixty-five started to book on the first day, while there were only forty in line yesterday. If things keep on the way they have been going all of the boys will skip the town. "Bennings enters upon its second week today. There are only three stake events to be decided all through the week. The Vestal Stakes, for three-year-oid fillies, at a mile and a half, and the Bennings Special, for three-year-olds and upward, at the same distance, will be run on Wednesday. All of the best horses that have been running during the week just clossd are nominated for the Special. On Saturday the Third Hunters Champion Steeplechase, at about three miles, will be the chief attraction, the subscribers to which must all be members of the National Steeplechase and Hunt Association. "An agitation in favor of more long-distance racing in future has been started. Turfmen generally are backing it up with their moral support The argument is set forth that if the various racing associations next year will regularly put upon their programmes races of say a mile and a half and a mile and three-quarters, three or four times a week, the public will not only appreciate it, but the owners will also enter their horses liberally. Such events would provide excellent preparation for the cup events, which, in recent years, have dwindled to nothing in point of starters. One of the strongest advocates of long-distance racing is Alexander Shields, part owner of Advance Guard, the iron horse who has won among other prizes this year the Woodlawn Vase. Mr. Shields in talking of the matter said the other day : " I think long-distance events are more interesting to the public and also to owners, because there is a thorough test of the horses merits and few of them win on flukes. Sprinting nowadays is being overdone. Races down the chutes are unpopular with spectators, because they cannot see more than the last few strides, whereas in the race of over a mile there is plenty of action for the onlooker. I intend to win a whole lot of long-distance events next year, for the success of Advance Guard has made me intensely enthusiastic " The strongest argument in favor of such races is the publics desire for them. It is safe to say that there was more genuine interest displayed in the running of the long distance events this year than in the sprints. That is to say, the enthusiasm was prompted not by the betting, but more because of the spectacular effect and the test of the horses running qualities. The fizzles into which the cup events have gradually fallen, because of a lack of good long-distance horses, should also illustrate the need of recognizing the agitation which is just at present at its height. "A. Belmont has been quoted as saying that the Westchester Racing Association has not yet renewed its lease of Morris Park, and does not intend to do so. If Mr. Belmont has been quoted correctly it means that the Westchester association will relinquish its bold on the track at the conclusion of next season. Under such a method of procedure turfmen would naturally infer that the Westchester people intend to raca somewhere else, and for that reason the story of a new track built upon stupendous lines at Hempstead, L. L, will not down. An oilicial of the Long Island Railroad has virtually put the seal of truth upon the story, and from other sources come additional evidence that the much-talked-of scheme is to become a certainty. With the establishment of a plant at Hempstead, all of the racing in the metropolitan district will be confined to Long Island tracks, as the New York and Port Chester Railroad will cut through Morris Park, probably as soon as the Westchester Racing Association lets gOa Morris Park has been popular with New York society people, but among owners, who prepare thoir stables on Long Island tracks and roads, the big course has not keen an attraction. They have complained of the long trip from the Long Island homes to Westchester each day of the spring and full meetings and have often longed for a change. While Morris Park is the largest and best appointed raco track in the United States, it is said that the new track at Hempstead will be even larger and will accommonate even more people than have assembled at Westchester. There were several occasions during the season just closed when 50,000 persons gathered toseo a race. "Jockey Helgesen, a western boy of considerable j promise, whose services have been sought after by j J. A. Drake, H. M. Ziegler and others, has been engaged for next season by an agent of Capt. S. S. J Brown, the Pittsburg millionaire. "Acefull and Slipthrif t sailed for England on Saturday, according to program. "On the steamship La Touraine,in yesterday from Havre, was D. Sloan, an American trainer. Sloan says he trained for Cohen, Prevot and a number of owners on the French turf. Before he left France he sold a horse to Richard Croker for 85,000 francs. He expects to visit his home in Georgia and return shortly to France."
