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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Frederick Gebhard expects next season to take his old-time prominent place among the big operators of steepelchase stables on the metropolitan circuit, and he has laid his plans to campaign an entirely new string of jumpers. To that end he has retired his old cross-country champion, Olindo, and sold Perion, the gelding by The Sailor Prince, -which bore his colors creditably in 1901, but -was a failure last season. Mr. Gebhard did not mind parting with Perion, but it cost him a pang to send old Olindo into retirement The Oneko gelding had served him so faithfully and well he hated to give him up. Olindo was in such excellent condition at this time last year Mr. Gebhard thought he might race successfully again. He had him trained last spring, and the horse schooled beautifully. When it came to actual racing, however, the Oneko gelding could not deliver the goods. His younger and more vigorous rivals took up their weight and ran away from him. Olindo is now enjoying the rest good horses earn. He will revel in pastures to the end of his time, and never again feel the weight of a saddle nor the sting of a spur. Mr. Gebhard does not expect to accomplish anything extraordinary in the early months of the coming season. His scheme is to look about him all spring and pick out such horses as he thinks may develop into flrst-class steeplechasers, and buy them. No man is better qualified than Mr. Gebhard to pick out a horse suitable for the cross-country game. He has had a deal of experience on eastern tracks, and has met with better than an average success. . Mr.. Gebhard-s stable just , now consists of two horses, His Eminence, the Kentucky Derby winner of 1901, and Nuit Blanche, a Ally by his .famous old runner St Saviour-Scotch Mist Nuit Blanche is closely related to William C. Whitneys ill-starred Ally Endurance by Right. She was a promising Ally last spring, and Mr. Gebhard expected her to win one or two stakes, but sickness and accident prevented her from making good. She is in excellent condition just now, however, and bids fair to become a first-rate three-year-old. Tod Sloan will not return to this country this winter. W. H. Cheppeau, the bookmaker, who recently returned from Paris, has received word to the effect that Sloan had also abandoned his proposed trip to India and would remain in Paris for several months. "I left Tod about ten days ago," said Mr. Cheppeau. "He seemed happy aFd -prosperous. A couple of days before I left Paris he bought an Astrakhan overcoat for which he paid . He is a long ways from being broke. Sloan was subjected to a thirty-six hour inquisition in connection with the recent turf scandal which really wasnt a scandal at all and came out with flying colors, as cablegrams from the other side have indicated. "There has been a great deal of rot published in connection with the little unpleasantness over in France. There "was no occasion for the rumpus that was raised. I was one of the few Americans who escaped being called upon to tell the story of -their past lives to the French police." - Friends of the turf everywhere will learn with pleasure that Mike Dwyer is improving in health. That the aforetime king of plungers is much better is evidenced by the statement that he will start next week for his winter resort at Rock Ledge, Fla., and there endeavor to get into condition for the racing season of 1903. For some years now Mr. Dwyer has been a great sufferer from locomotor ataxia, so much so that at times his life has been despaired of. Recently, however, he has thrived immensely, and so great has been his improvement tlxat he looks froward to next season with all the hope and enthusiasm of a liewcomer on the turf. His horses at Gravesend in the care of trainer Dick Miller, are in excellent condition.
