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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. John Yerkes was cut down by a horse from the rear in his last race at the Latonia track and W. H. Robinson, his owner, says that a tendon has been damaged to such an extent that John Yerkes will spend the remaining days in rest at a Kentucky farm near Louisville. Enoch Wishard, trainer for John A. Drake, arrived in Nashville Monday from New York to assemble a number of thoroughbreds he has located in farms in that vicinity. The lot includes several two-year-olds, besides a number of broodmares and an imported stallion, son of St. Simon. The latter will remain at Nashville and will be bred to the mares. Wishard says that Drakes horses will be wintered at Sheepshead Bay and will race almost entirely on the metropolitan tracks in 1904. In the American Derby he will probably be represented by Ort Wells and Jocund. He will have a starter in the Worlds Fair Handicap at St. Louis. This will be the extent of his operations in the west. Mr. Wishard says he will continue to handle the Drake horses. A. J. Joyner says: "I have forty-seven yearlings in my stable that will race as two-year-olds next season. Hardly any of them have been named yet. Waterboy will start in three races next year, one of them for a stake of 50,000. Waterboy will also run in the Suburban." Bert Knapp, looking big enough to do nothing but steeplechase weights, has arrived at New York from Southampton on the steamship Philadelphia. With him came jockey George Thompson, who stood second on the list of winning jockeys in France at the end of the season. Knapp has only come home for a visit, having signed for another season in Russia, while Thompson has about decided to put in the season of 1904 on American tracks. Charles Thorpe and Henry Shields, two others of the American riding colony in Franca, were expected on La Tou-raine, from Havre, but they have delayed sailing for a few days. In speaking of the prospects for the Russian season of 1904, Knapp expressed the opinion that Frank Frisbie would have all the two-year-old stakes at his mercy. Frisbie has been signed to train the horses of Count Stenbock Fei-mora, and in preparation for the coming season the young sportsman has purchased all the best yearlings in Russia. As Knapp put it: "He will have to race against himself when it comes to two-year-old stakes, for he will own all the two-year-olds." J. C. Milam has purchased Thane from Steve LHommedieu and will ship him to Lexington to go into winter quarters with Commodore, Judge Denton. Firing Line, and the rest of his string. The racing stables of George Hendrie, S. E. Parmer andCo., J. C. Ferris, Jr., Gorman and Bauer and one or two others have arrived at Nashville from Latonia, and have gone into winter quarters at Cumberland Park. The arrival of these horses increases the number at the track to 300. The probabilities are that none of the Ziegler horses now racing at Bennings will be taken to winter quarters at Highland Farm, near Lexington, Ky., by trainer Hughes. Mr. Ziegler is now in the east, and it is understood to be his intention to dispose of Totness, Miss Melton, Don John and the other half dozen or so. The Ziegler yearlings now at Highland Farm are considered a rare band. They were broken by Dan OBrien at the old Kentucky Association course, and will be taken up for training by Charles Hughes at the conclusion of the Bennings meeting. The noted racehorse Blues will be sent to the stud in Kentucky. J. V. Shipp, of Sun-nyslope Stud, has purchased Blues from Fred Burlew, of New York, for ,000. Blues won many stakes, his total earnings footing up over 1,000. His sister, Blue Girl, is in the stud of William C. Whitney. "The agitation for the appointment of a board of handicappers to allot the official weights to be carried by horses on the eastern tracks is still under way, and yesterday a report was in circulation that the stewards of the Jockey Club had not only taken cognizance of the proposition, but had also practically decided to appoint the board, to consist of three members," says the New York Sun of Dec. 1. "It was stated that during the winter the stewards would announce the appointment of three handicappers, including W. S. Vosburgh, and that they would allot the weights for the Brooklyn, Suburban, Brighton, Metropolitan and other big events of this kind to be run next year. According to another unconfirmed statement, the stewards are also considering the advisability of having at least two starters to take turns in handling the gate on the metropolitan tracks. Until Starter Cassidy . began starting the horses at Aqueduct with his new system of walking them up to the barrier, no fault was found with the- work of Mr. Fitzgerald, who enjoys the confidence of the racing public to a marked degree. Mr. Fitzgerald voluntarily tried the Cassidy method at Jamaica and will continue to experiment ,with it at New Orleans this, winter, so that when he comes east next spring he will be well equipped to satisfy the demand for a change in methods if necessary." King Edward ATI. has decided that he is unable to accept the invitation to send some of his horses to the St. Louis Exposition. The declination is accompanied by an expression of much regret, but it is explained that the King has made it an invariable rule not to enter horses in handicap races. Sheridan Clark has received word from Bennings that nine carloads of horses would leave Washington this week for the. Crescent City. The New York delegation is especially strong at New Orleans this winter. In all there Avill be about 250 horses which raced on the metropolitan circuit last summer.
