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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. While the stake events of the spring meeting of Latonia stand a good chance of having their value increased, it is as good as settled that the value of purses will be increased, and that there will be more handicaps at a value of 00 or more put on the program, says the Commercial Tribune of Wednesday. President Perkins said yesterday: "Our spring meetings are never a great success from a financial standpoint. We have to rely on our fall meetings to tide us over from year to year. I am in favor of increasing the value of purses and putting more handicaps and high-class purses on the program. I would also like to increase the value of the stakes, but I hardly think that we can see our way through it just yet. It may be done, however, but there will be nothing definitely decided on until I go over these matters with Secretary Hopper." At the meeting of the stewards of the Ontario Jockey Club, which was held last week, it was decided to hold the spring meeting between the same dates that have heretofore marked the running of races on the Toronto racetrack. There will be thirteen days of racing, from Saturday, May 21, to Saturday, June 4, inclusive. This will give the Toronto track three Saturdays and Victoria Day, which is a Canadian holiday. Considering the fact that the race for the Kings Plate, the most important stake for Canadian bred horses, of all the races run in Canada, 5s always set for Victoria Day, and that this race has been run for over forty years without interruption, it would be impossible for the Ontario Jockey Club to live up to its traditions and hold its meeting at any other time. News has reached Gravesend that Hermis and Lady Amelia, of the E. R. Thomas string, have reached their winter quarters at Alex Shields Bound Brook Farm safely. With the last shipment to Bound Brook everything racing in the Thomas colors, with the exception of those engaged at Bennings, have been retired for the winter. At the close of the meeting at Bennings the others will be sent on to the farm, and all the cold weather development will go on there. S. C. Hildreths division of runners that will race through the hundred-day meet at New Orleans left their quarters at Montgomery Park Wednesday morning, and were .shipped on the express to the Crescent City. Several members of the string have been benefited by a long rest, and all are in good racing condition to judge by their recent work over the Montgomery Park course. Eleven head were shipped, and Hildreth expects to capture his share of the stakes with the following: Witfull, Delagoa, Myron Dale, Potheen, Favonius, St. Marcos, Floyd IC, Topsoil and By Ways. E. E. Smathers will recall all of his western string before the end of the present week. He has ordered Grand Opera, Stevedore, Dick Bernard and Witchcraft to be shipped at once to Frank Taylor, Smathers eastern trainer, who also has charge of McChesney. The Smathers horses at Memphis will be sent to Brighton Beach Saturday. The fact that Mrs. W. S. Barnes intends to revive the Melbourne Stud, made famous by her husband, Col. W. S. Barnes, who on account of failing health was unable to attend to his breeding business, forcing him to make an assignment, was brought out at the close of the dispersal sale of the Melbourne Stud wlien she bought the stallions Prince of Monaco, Jim Gore and Rainbow. She also had a number of friends during the sale buy for her a number of yearlings and young broodmares that will remain at the farm. It is the intention of Colonel and Mrs. Barnes to travel in the west for some months, in the hope that he will regain his health, returning to Kentucky and resuming the famous breeding establishment in a few years. Trainer Fletcher Driver worked the yearling chestnut filly by Goodrich Volma, by Vol-ante, three-eighths of a mile over T. C. McDowells track at Ashland last Tuesday in 36i, the filly having the crusher of 127 pounds up. Volma, the dam of this yongster, is a half sister to Perry Belmonts great horse, Ethelbert. The filly is owned by bookmaker W. E. Applegate, and she has many valuable future engagements. Ben Falk was among the newcomers at Latonia last Tuesday. He arrived there from Savannah, where a ten-day race meeting closed on Saturday last. "We had some excellent racing on the Georgia circuit this year," said Falk. "In all we gave thirty days racing, and the meetings at Macon, Atlanta and Savannah were well attended. Fred Gerhardy, who acted as starter, did excellent work with the flag, while J. W. Russwurm made a fair and impartial judge. The racing was clean, and it was not so easy a matter to win as some people imagine. There was a three-year-old down there called Talley H., which was quite a sprinter. He could pack up 125 pounds and run six furlongs over a half mile track in 1:15. Talley H. can win at any track in the country. The track at Savannah is an ideal one for winter racing. The nature of the soil is sandy, and it is surprising how quick the track dries out after a rain. If there is to be another winter track in the south, Savannah is the place to build it." Secretary Sheridan Clark arrived at New Orleans from New York Monday morning with a considerable list of eastern entries to the stakes of the Crescent City Jockey Club. Mr. Clark states that the nominations when they are all in will exceed 2,000, which is the best possible guarantee that there will be an abundance of horses there for the winter meeting. When Mr. Clark left New York he was advised that the following strings would be shipped from there to New Orleans: A. Zimmer, 14 head; O. L. Richards, H. T. Griffin, M. L. Hayman, A. J. Plicque and A. Simons, one car each, and F. Kelly and W. Hueston, one car. About seventy horses will be included in this shipment. The following Mr. Clark states will ship from Washington at the close of the Bennings meeting: A. C. McCaff erty, 5 ; J. W. Pangle, 6; M. T. Danaher, 10; J. J. Mackessey, 5; P. M. Civill, 5; Lew Elmore, 6; A. Featherstone, 10; Mannix and Midgely, 23; Myers and Schafer, 20; A. Li Aste, 6; E. A. Steeds, 6; W. C. Daly, 8; J. E. Madden, 10; Jule Garson, 5; Ed Heffner, 5; C. Cochrane, 4. Garson will have charge of his own, Maddens lot, and a few belonging to Joe Ullman. Altogether Mr. Clark expects that 300 horses will be sent from eastern tracks. More than 400 are now quartered at the track. From 250 to 300 are expected from Latonia, so that there should be at least 1,000 horses on hand when the bugle calls to post on Thanksgiving Day. Ten or twelve books are expected from the east, and present calculations are that about twenty-five bookmakers will draw in on the opening day. The "get-rich-quick" element which provided at least half the books in the ring last winter will be missing at the coming meeting.
