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. 1 p t li i. t y r to s it s d l- READY AT SANTA ANITA PARK. Los Angeles, Oal., December v5. Things are fast shaping into good condition for the opening of the Santa Anita Park Saturday, December 7, and all will be in readiness to accommodate the big crowd that is expected. The large force of workmen has finished a tremendous undertaking in much less time than was prophesied. Horsemen are loud in their pruise of the track proper -and predict one of ithe fastest courses in America when the soil is .thoroughly packed and settled. Stables are being built as fast as lumber can be gotten to the track, but enough good horses have already been quar- tered to give a high class meeting. In fact, it can already be safely said that the thoroughbreds now on hand are of much better class than have ever before raced here. The jockey club guarantees a thirty-live minutes service to the track over several different roads and this, with a round-trip fare of twenty-live cents, will insure conveniences little inferior to those heretofore enjoyed by Ascot Park patrons. Horsemen, bookmakers and clerks are fast coining in, noticeably from Xew Orleans, and indications already noint to the best meeting ever given in south-3 ern California. Private timers have sent in work-; outs in less .than 1:14 for six furlongs and around the 1:40 mark for a mile. The- draw-in will probably see eighteen books doing business. The weights for ithe Pomona Han-o dicap, the feature of the opening day, have been equitably adjusted by secretary E. -C. Smith, and will bring a field of about eleven to the post, Among ithe number will probably be Botanist, Col-o oncl Jack, Fleming, Acrobat, Orilene, Summer Cloud and Marster. R. P. Carman will get here with twenty-three of his string tomorrow. The only drawback at present is a lack of good jockeys, ; : : . . . - , I . f 3 t
