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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. In all his years on the turf J. W. Schorr has never been so impressed with the yearlings in his collection as he is at the present time. He has twenty-seven youngsters, twenty-five of which are quartered at Montgomery Park, and he says that, taken collectively, they are the grandest looking lot he has ever owned. Before going to New Orleans for the opening of the present meeting he gave George Walker, his trainer, instructions to weed out the bunch which had been left in hie charge. On his return to Memphis he found that his orders had not bean complied with. Mr. Walker said he simply could not make up his mind where to begin the weeding-ont process. It was finally decided to turn out five of them for a time two colts by Handsome, one by Dr. Bice, one by Onondaga and a filly. One of the Handsome colts had shown a quarter of a mile, over the Louisville track before going to Memphis, in 25 seconds with ISO pounds up. Speaking of Kinloch, a report was current recently that J. D. Lucas, present presiding officer of the corporation which controls the track, was dissatisfied with the dates assigned the course by the Western Jockey Club. This Mr. Lucas denies. "I asked for thirty days straight," said Mr. Lucas, "and was willing to accept any dates between the first of May and the first of October. Instead tkey gave me fifteen days in the spring and a like num-bor in the fall. While I did not think I was asking too much, and would have been pleased had my request been granted, I am not what you could call dissatisfied. I will expend 0,000 in improving my track the coming season, and before I get through Kinloch is bound to command more recognition from the Jockey Club than it has heretofore boen given." Jockey Buchanan has taken exception to .the Btatements-said to have been made by Durnell and Herz about his apathy in the saddle. He has made out a statement which he has presented to the stewards. It is as follows : "To the Stewards of the Crescent City Jockeyv Club Gentlemen: By inference and insinuation Mr. E. Herz, of the firm of Durnell and Herz, has cast a reflection upon me as a race rider. His charges have boon published in the New Orleans newspapers and telegraphed to other papers throughout the country. Without making a direct statement he has loft an opening for the inference that I was riding the horses owned by himself and his partner purposely to lose. The specific chases mentioned were those of Potheen, The Lady and Rolling Boer. In the cases of Potheen and The Lady I wish to solemnly declare that I obeyed instructions litorally. In the case of Rolling Boer I felt constrained to use my own judgment, always thinking that the purpose of the stable was to win. "I rode Rolling Boer several times before he became the property of Durnell and Herz, and had acquired a knowledge of what he needed. Had I dropped him in behind the leaders on the path as per instructions, I would not have had a chance. Instead, I cut the corners and tried to get to tho front, where Rolling Boer wants to run. I was not successful in heading off tho leader, and Rolling Boer sulked nndnrma f "From the five-furlong pole to under tho judges stand I had him under punishment. "On the night of December 13 Mr. Herz came to me and told me that if I wished to avoid embarrassing questions I had better leave at once for my home in San Francisco. I told him that no question that the stewards might ask could posBibly embarrass me, and that I intended to remain in New Orleans. "I respectfully request you to ask Mr. Herz to substantiate his charges against me. If ho can do so, I am willing to accept any penalty your honorable body may be pleased to inflict. If he cannot, I think he should be given the punishment that would otherwise be given to me." The career of W. Hicks as a jockey probably came to an end Tuesday. Suspicious looking rides on War Cry, Kiss Quick and Moabina led to his suspension pending investigation. Hatfield and Ownbey, who own Moabina and manage .Hicks, were also suspended. The case is still under investigation and before the stewards finish several parties are likely to be implicated. Hicks had a brilliant career beforo him. His work in the saddle at the beginning of the meeting attracted considerable attention. Outeide of Gannon he ranked as the best apprentice riding there. He had a large following among the horsemen, and this enabled him to gat many good mounts. All went well for a time and the boy rode many winners. Then came a change in Hicks riding. He was not as alert as usual and his handling of several heavily backed horses looked suspicious. Those rides caused considerable talk, but Hicks was given the benefit of the doubt owing ito the condition of the track. But last Tuesday Hicks finish camo. He had the mounts on War Cry, Mathilde, Kiss Quick and Moabina. All were heavily backed, and on form they looked to hold their fields safe. All were favorites in the opening betting, all wero woll played by the public, and with each there was a disposition, according to reports, to take liberties by certain layers. One book especially took liberties with the horses which Hicks rode. The book in question generally deals on a small scale. On Latson, which Hicks rode a few days before, and on Moabina, Tuesday, they made the bigggest book in the ring. They could not get in enough money on these two. They let nothing escape them, and the stronger the play the bigger price they quoted. On War Cry Hick3 oxhibition would have been discreditable to an amateur. The horse had an outside position at the post, and on form he looked the best thing of the day. The ownors instruction to Hicks as the horse left the paddock was "get to the path as quick as you can and come along about your business." When the start camo Hicks,, instead of getting the path, pulled up. The horse trailed along in seventh place, and remained there until well in the final furlong. When Hicks shook him up ho closed fast, and finally landed in fifth place. The New Orleans Picayune of laot Monday has this to say of the bad condition of the track there: "Ware it not for the wretched condition of the track at the Fair Grounds, tho Crescent City Jockey Club could well bo congratulated upon the success of the present meeting. With twenty-five books drawing in on Saturday the high-water mark was reached. The crowds, too, are larger than ever bo-fore. Tho many improvements at tho course have been appreciated by tho patrons of racing. Tho grandstand gives satisfaction, tho paddock is a decided improvement over the old one, and the betting inclosure even exceeded expectations. Ono feature has proved a disappointment, however, and that is the track. Reports were sent out from here a month or two before the meeting opened that great improvements hacLbaen made to the track proper.- It was said that a couple of pita of 2T5?lftPti -, ,hrl - hiwn, AlennvKrati lnan ... hy the courso, and that a top dressing of this sand had been put on tho track. These stories lad one to believe that a remody had at last been found to keep the track in some kind of respectable shape during wet weather. Last winter there was but little complaint. Tho track was in better shape than it had been in years, and, with the reported improvement, one was led to believe that it at last ranked with any in the country: It looked all right the first few days. When the rains came up, however, there was another tale to tell. The track got deep and holdr ing, and it has never been in good shape since. There has been a lot of complaint, doth from tho horsemen and tho public. Tho horsemen have to face the difficult problem of keeping their horses fit without working them, while the public find form about as misleading as it is likely to prove at John Ryans outlaw game at Newport. " While the track remains in its present shape it means bad racing. This is a pity, too, as there are any number of good horses here, standing in their stalls, waiting a chance to run. Owners do not care to tear a good horse to pieces racing him over a track that is slippery and sticky one day, deep and holding another and finally lumpy and heavy. The management has meant well and there is no intention of knocking when one says that a botch was made of things in fixing up the track last summer. What is needed is a practical engineer, one who understands the business of overcoming just such difficulties as "face Mr. Bush and his confreres in this case. It is too late now to remedy matters and the horsemen will have to make the. best of it for this winter. There is another year, however, and it is to be hoped that beforo tho oponing of tho next meeting rolls around something will be done to give a better track." Peter Duryea, of the eastern racing firm of Whitney and Duryea; T. Hitchcock, Jr., one of the easts most prominent polo players ; John E. Madden, the Lexington turfman, and soveral other men interested in horses visitod Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky., last Monday. Mr. Duryea is on the lookout for good youngsters to add to his racing stable, and isjat Louisville to inspect Maddens fino string of two-yoar-olds which are quartered at Churchill Downs. Of the string of forty which he looked over he liked bestlthe get of Mr. Maddens fine-young sire, Mirthful. Ho also liked several fillies by Candlemas, probably because he owns the great colt, Irish Lad, and IrishLad is by Candlemes. Whether Mr. Duryea Imade any purchases from the Madden string is not known, as neither he nor Mr. Madden would admit this rumor. Mr. Duryea loft for Memphis Tuesday. He will inspect tho youngsters at Cumberland Park, Nashville, and also at Belle Moado. He says that he will probably go to New Orleans before, ho returns east. J
