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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Turfmen who have just returned from England say that the great rivalry between W. C. Whitney and J. R. Keene will create no ond of interest over there next season. Both of these American millionaires have been strengthening their English stables during the last few months and will strive for, honors in some of the most important stakes to be run on the English tracks. Six weeks ago Mr. Keene sent from this country several two-year-olds and a dozen yearlings in the care of trainer Matt Allen, who will have entire charge of the Keene horses in England. With the engagement of jockey Lucien Lyne at a salary of 0,fC0 a year to ride on the other side, Mr. Keene completed arrangements for what he intends to be a most successful campaign. Mr. Whitney recently secured "Skeets" Martin to ride on tho British tracks for him noxt year and his trainer, John Huggins, already has a string of high-class racers under his wing, including H. B. Duryeas Acefull. Mr. Whitney has made several purchases of valuable Enulish broodmares recently and has spared no expense to make his stable there more formidable than ever before. Both the Whitney and Keene stables wi 1 be conducted on strictly American lines, which will make their performances all the more interesting to turfmen in this country. C. A. Draper, who purchased Major Daingerfield, winner of the Lawrence Realization Stakes, the Brooklyn Derby and other big events this year, when the McLewee stable was disposed of, says that the famous son of Handspring Mon Droit has entirely recovered from the cut on his knee received in the Brighton Derby, when, conceding weight to HyrJhen, the latter beat him in sensational style. Mr. Draper also doclaros that Major Daingerfield is now as sound as a dollar and that his trainer, who was with Matt Allen for a dozen years, believes that the colt will never show the effect of the injury. Mr. Draper will enter the colt in some of tho more important long-distance races next year, in-eluding the Woodlawn Vase. It is also probable Major Daingerfiald will be nominated for the Brooklyn, Suburban and Brighton Handicaps, in which event ho is likely to receive top weight along with Hermis in the official allotment. Her-mis and Major Daingerfield did not meet Iait season, but that they were tho two best three-year-olds, with Hyphen almost on tho same piano with them, was the prevailing opinion among conservative turfmen. Mr. Draper, who is an official of tho New York, Ontario fc Western Railroad, will probably have colors exactly the reverse of those usad by McLewee fc Co. Instead of "white, red star, collar, cuffs and cap," Mr. Drapers colors will be "red, white star, collar, cuffs and cap " Ho will also race Fair Rosalind, a sister to Gold Heels, and a yearling filly, Sonoma Belle, by Star Ruby Sonoma. According to a Cincinnati exchange, Sam Hil-dreth. who has the remnants of his powerful stable at Montgomery Park in winter retirement, expects to race in the east again next year. Hildreth has recaived assurances of a semi-official- character -that a license will be issued to him, and to this end he is looking over the racing field in order to muster together a formidable array of horses with which to battle with the millionaires of the metropolitan tracks. Not since 1900 havo Hildreths colors been seen on eastern race courses. His witl drawal in that section, while not forced by official action on the part of the Jockey Club, was generally understood to be the result of his fight with John E. Madden during that year, when Hildreth was training for W. C. Whitney. It has been stated that Hildreth was notified in a roundabout way that he had better not apply for a trainers license in the east for fear of being refused. A letter from W. S. Vosburg, official handicapper of the Jockey Club, however, gives Hildreth assurance that he will be welcomed back, and it is thought that the Jockey Club has deemed the punishment thus far inflicted on the well-known trainer as sufficient. Hildreth has recently visited New Orleans and looked over the racing material there. Since his return he hits intimated that McChesney may be seen running on eastern tracks in his colors in 1903, which leads turfmen who have followed the sale of some of Hildreths horses to Durnell and Herz j to believe that Hildreth has never sold a controlling interest in tho crack three-year champion of the west. Tho real facts in the Lester Reiff matter have been a long while leaking out, says an oastern exchange, but timo and tongues after long silence have at last unraveled the mystery. Few disinterested people have believed that the Do Lacy ride was the only incident in Reiffs career that prompted the action of the English Jockey Club in refusing him a license. Like the action of the Jockey Club in the Riley Grannan case, when the ostensible reason for action was a 00 present to jockey Taral, there has been more behind the English Jockey Clubs action with regard to Lester Reiff than appeared on the surface. A gentleman who has beon a close friend of the jockey, a man whose standing has never been questioned, has at last unenrthed the facts which prompted the official action against Reiff. In justice to the latter, there has been no fraud proved, but an anomalous state of affairs to the English Jockey Club looked unhealthy, hence its action. When Lester Reiff was summoned before the English Jockey Club in the coarse of the investigation as to his ride on the Whitney colt Da Lacy, a finanoial statement of his accounts was laid before him. It was shown, it is roported, that he had not collected a dollar of his alary from W. C. Whitney and his other employers. That in addition to these amouats outstanding, ho had ontside mounts yet uncollected, which swelled the totals of the outstandings into closo to 0,000. Yet, in spite of this money owing him, he had 5, C00 19,000 in bank. These figures were submitted to the jockey by the English Jockey Club stewards, and he was asked if they were correct. Then followed still another and most pertinent inquiry of all. Reiff was asked point blank how he got the 5,C0O in spite of the fact that he was not drawing a dollar of his earnings. The jockey, it is alleged, would give his tribunal no satisfaction whatever, but flatly sulked and vouchsafed no information. Then followed the Jockey Clubs action. . The race track situation inKansas City promises to be more strained than was first suspected. At present tho prospects are that in the near future the city will have two one-mile race tracks, which will be operated in opposition. At a meeting recently of the promoters of the rival tracks efforts toward a compromise proved unsuccessful and a merger seems less likely than formerly. Both sides assert that their respective sites have been purchased and that ground will be broken very soon. The company in which Ed Corrigan, C. 0. Christie, W. A. Rule, E. F. Swinney, Alexander Fraser and others are interested, will build its track southeast of the city, while the other company, which is is known as the Fairmount Jockey Club, will construct its track on a site adjoining Fairmount Park. Matt Byrnes is the latest of the old-time American trainers to leave this country for the other side. Pincus, Huggins, Wishard and others have won renown in England, and now Byrnes, the former trainer of the great Salvator and many other famous horses, will go to the continent in the early spring, according to a report from tl.e east, to train a string of horses on his own account. Byrnes has an establishment at Eatontown, N. J., and in the last few years his colors have been seen on several thoroughbreds of some quality. The "red, black stripes," flashed in front on numerous occasions, just as tho colors for which Byrnes trained years ago were continually successful. That Byrnes leaves for England is a matter of regret to American horsemen, but all will wish him good fortune in his attempt abroad. Strange as it may seem, the English steeplechase game is now deteriorating, according to advices from that country, while tho racing associations on this side have increased all their offerings for events through the field for the coming season. The London Mail takes occasion to say: "There seems to be a reason such as it is for the overcrowding of the jumping fixture list of 1903. A constant complaint is that the game is overdone. For years the supply of horses has been unequal to tho demand, and practical mon are agreed on the necessity for curtailing the number of meetings, urging that only by a liberal reduction in quantity can the sport be improved." T. H. Buckley, of the firm of Buckley and Bailey, passed through Chicago to his home at Walla Walla, Wash., yesterday. The firm shipped their stable, consisting of such good performers as Huntressa, Jim Clark, Toddy and five others to New Orleans for the winter campaign. Mr. Buckley goes to his home for the holidays, then to New Orleans for the early spring campaign. Senator J. S. OBrien, who has been for years a prominent figure on the western turf, expects to confine his operations entirely to the eastern turf in the future, following the example of his strong competitor of tho west, John W. Schorr. Senator OBriens entire stable in training is being wintered at Gravosend, about twelve in all. His trainer recently went to the homo farm in Minnesota to look over the young stock there, and will take along a number of those for training at Gravesend track early in the spring. mmm
