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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. 1 -, Thomas C. McDowell, owner of Allan-a- c Dale. The Rival and other good ones, "r stated several days ago that owing to the lateness of the season and the horses being "r hack in their training he would miss the Memphis meeting altogether. His first rac- ing dates will be at Louisville, from there , he will go to Latonia, "Washington Park, and then the eastern tracks. His two Derby-candidates, Bourbon and Woodlake, he says, 1 are in fine shape, and as they are nominated ! for all three of the Derbys, he fee.ls confi- 1 dent of landing one if not more. ! The stewards of The Jockey Club have notified jockey Louis Smith that his case will be reopened, and he will be given a chance to exonerate himself from all blame in the Merry Acrobat case. Those who have been . instrumental in getting Smiths case reopen- , ed, are H. K. Knapp, a steward of The , Jockey Club, and Walter Rollins, his trainer. , Mr. Knapp secured a license for Smith after the latter had undergone a long term of suspension onthe .western tracks.- He. thinks. Smith was not guilty of any wrongdoing when he was suspended, and on that account he intends to work hard to secure a reopening of his case. It is said that if the evidence of Smiths accusers is not too strong, the jockey will be granted a license to ride again. A number of lively moves were made at the Cumberland Park track last Monday. Several youngsters in J. A. Drakes stable were breezed for the first time this season. The two-year-old colt Ort Welles, full brother to Dick Welles, stepped through the stretch at a two minute clip. His actions are perfect and on looks he should prove a good bread winner. Turtle, the bay colt by Scorpion Hygeia, also moved a quarter, as did several others in Drakes barn. Savable.Von Rouse, High Chancellor and other old horses were out for light work. The son of Salvator is going along nicely and is in perfect shape, as is last years American Derby winner, defiant, the sensational filly of 1902 in the west, made her first appearance on the track, and, while she has not grown any, is looking -well and her trainer believes she is the best Oaks candidate in the west. William Dar-den showed a couple of shifty fillies in Miss Crawford, by Tenny Flo II., and the chestnut filly by Rossington, which moved a half in fifty-two seconds without much of an effort. There were a number of other horses out, including all the American Derby candidates, but they only galloped and walked. The Maryland Steeplechase Association Tvill hold a five days running meeting at Pimlico race track next month. Col. Robert Hough, secretary of the association, has applied to Judge Burke, of the Circuit Court of Baltimore County at Towson, for permission to hold the meeting on April 21, 22, 23, 24 and 25, and application to The Jockey Club will follow. The program will consist chiefly of overnight events. The Bennings meeting immediately precedes the proposed meeting, which will encourage owners of horses that have been racing at Washington to start at this meeting. A synopsis of the proposed Pimlico program shows three hunters steeplechases, two open steeplechases and three hurdle events. Purses of 00 will be hung up in all of the flat races, which is 0 more than, last year. The indications are that the meeting will be successful, as a number of horse owners now at Bennings 1 -, c "r "r , 1 ! 1 ! . , , , have signified their intention of stopping at Baltimore en route to Aqueduct, and hunting stables of "Virginia which have been paying attention to the steeplechase, will be represented by fast young cross-country stock. The racing committee is as follows: W. H. Riggs, chairman; Charles McLane, William Manley, Thomas Deford, F. H. M. Birckhead and Ral Parr. "Counsellor Bill" Brien, who is training the Sire Brothers horses up at Westchester, says the horses at Morris Park are moving briskly, and that the good weather has afforded the few trainers quartered there a fine opportunity to get their charges very near a race. Superintendent Gorman has done valiant work to get and keep the track in good condition. The going is now almost as fast as when racing is in operation. Two-year-olds are tearing off halves in fifty-four seconds or better. Mexican, from Tom Healeys stable, and Eugenia Burch, trained by James McLaughlin are getting advanced work, and both are in splendid form. These two cracks will be ready for- the -flretbig-Hhree- year-old stakes of the season if it is decided to send them after the money early. The track is being constantly harrowed, and is better than it has been for years at such an early period. James McLaughlin has eighteen horses in his charge. Eight of these will be sent to Bennings this week, where all are well engaged. McLaughlin has his horses more forward than any other trainer at Westchester, and all of them will reach Washington ready for the starter. With the California Derby and Oaks and the Burns Handicap disposed of, word comes from San Francisco that horsemen are beginning to look forward to the two-year-old stakes and the annual long-distance races for the Waterhouse Cup and the Thornton Stakes. These events will be the feature of March, after which the sport will decline, although the New California Jockey Club is credited with the intention of drawing out the Oakland meeting, which opened last Monday, until the end of April and even later if the receipts continue to run ahead of the disbursements. The wisdom of this policy is questioned by many well versed in the various angles of San Franciscos racing. They point out that the principal stables, best horses and most capable jockeys will have gone eastward, and they assert racing will make no permanent gain in popularity by dragging it out as long as there are a few dollars in it. Moreover, such a course will be welcome enough to those whose horses now have a hard time picking up a purse and are not good enough to take across the mountains. Most horsemen in San Francisco agree that Claude was the best horse in the derby at a distance, though Gold "Van is conceded to have run well under his heavy weight. The latters stable companoin, Durazzo, did not run his race. Those who have watched the Morris three-year-olds in their work feel sure of that, and Durazzo is likely to justify the contention by winning a good race before long. A fortnights racing intervenes before the first two-year-old stake comes up for decision.
