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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. In one of the recent morning sets of the P. J. Dwyer string, wintering at the Gravesend track, was the three-year-old Merry Acrobat, which has grown and spread into as good looking a three-year-old as one would wish to see. He has shown more improvement since he quit racing at Westchester last fall than any three-year-old around. He is heavily engaged in all the big three-year-old events, and also in the Brooklyn Handicap, and the way he looks and is wintering he will be a hard horse to beat in some of the three-year-old faces. Joe Cobb is another coming three-year-old who has grown into a grand looking horse. He is more on the order, of a sprinter, and has the largest quarters of any horse at the track. Joe Cobb promises to be a hard horse to beat at six or seven furlongs in the early spring. Africander, which is also wintering at the Gravesend track, was retired early last fall at the Brooklyn meeting. He is a genuine looking racehorse from his feet up and has more strong points for stake form than any three-year-old now wintering at the Long Island tracks. Africander is engaged in all the principal three-year-old stakes, in which he should hold his own, as he is a weight carrier, has plenty of speed and in all of his races wanted to go on. The broodmare, Golden Reel, by Rayon dOr Heel Dance, by War Dance, owned by 8. S.Brown, Christiansburg, Ky., is dead at McGrathiana. She ran into a fence at McGrathiana stud, where she had been sent to be bred to King of Coins, and died of her injuries. Golden Reel was a great producer, being the dam of the stake winner, Rastus; Roman Chief, winner in England: Mike Mullen, Hattie Yaughn and others of note. Before going on his vacation Frank Clarke, superintendent of the Coney Island Jockey Club racecourse, said that the new stable being built for John A. Drakes horses was nearly finished and, in his opinion, would be occupied in May, inasmuch as the stable would begin operations at the Morris Park spring meeting. The significant fact that Enoch Wishard, their trainer, preferred to winter the Drake stable at Nashville, instead of Chicago, as was done last year, is pointed out as ovidence that the principal string in charge of Wishard would be wanted for an early meeting. Dr. J. Grant Lyman, the New York turfman, has telegraphed G. D. Wilson, of Lexington, Ky., to ship at once to Morris Park nineteen head of two and three-year-olds which are now- quartered at Meadowthorpe Stud. They will be in charge of James McLaughlin, the famous ex-jockey. They represent a cost of 0,000 to Dr. Lyman. Among the two-year-olds in the collection are a number of Futurity candidates. The nine head of horses owned by Dr. Lyman which are quartered at Iroquois Stud, including the three-year-olds, Monte Carlo and Tantalus Cup, will remain for the present, in charge of trainer Walter N. House. It is believad that the trouble between Col. James E. Pepper and Dr. Lyman has been patched up, and that they have again formed a partnership. The horses going to New York are owned jointly by Pepper and Lyman. Oots Brothers are thinking well of the chances of their three-year-old half-brother to McChesney, the chestnut colt First Mason, a son of G. Eastins famous First Mate. They went slow all last season with this youngster, he being of the growthy order, and this winter he has developed into one of the grandest looking colts in Kentucky. In appearance no stable has a brighter prospect for a brilliant three-year-olu than this Derby candidate. First Mason will probably not race before the La-tonia Derby, and will be especially pointed for the American Derby. He is not engaged in the Kentucky Derby. W. F. McCormick, one of the best known horsemen in the United States, has been brought from Folsom Prison, en route to the State Hospital for the Insana at Napa, Cal. McCormick was sent to Folsom on May 16 for a term of ten years for the murder of Thomas Cullen, a Btablo boy employed on the Rancho del Paso. He was a horse trainer for the Rancho del Paso, G. B. Morris, T. H. Williams, Theodore Winters and several others. He achieved his greatest success while in the service of Winters, when he trained that voterans stable, including the famous El Rio Rey. Milton Youag has moved seven of his horses in training from McGrathiana Stud to tho old Kentucky Association course, whero they will be given their preparation by trainer John Rodegap. Among them are Rampooza, the three-year-old son of Wadsworth Mischief ; 8ecqnd Mate, three-year-old colt, by First Mate Vera ; Jean Gravier, three-year-old colt, by George Kinnoy Hilda III. ; First Chip, three-year-old colt, by First Mate-Chippie; a two-year-old filly, by Pirate of Penzance, and a half-sister to J. Sidney Walker and a pair of green youngsters. Jockey Rutter says he would prefer to ride in this country another season if he could make a satisfactory engagement. If not he will return to Russia in the sprine. Rutter can do 107 pounds and will bo seen in the saddle at New Orleans during the present week. He will ride for S. G. Morton during the remainder of the meeting. 3T
