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] .] i 1 , j l . FORT ERIE TRACK TO BE MODERNIZED, j -Much Money for Improvements — No Racing to Be Attempted at Hot Springs. Louis A. Cella -of St. Louis, Daniel A. Stuart of Hot Springs, Ark., and James II. Madigan of Buffalo. N. Y.. met with John Condon yesterday afternoon at the office of the Harlem Jockey Club in the Merchants Loan and Trust Building for a business discussion of matters pertaining to turf :. flairs in which they are interested. The race meetings to be conducted by the Niagara Jockey Club at the Fort Erie track was the principal matter calling for attention, although the Hot Sutfings situation wis talked over with Mr. Stuart, mBR is a large stockholder in the Oaklawn track. "The object of our meeting today." said Mr. Condon, "is to talk over and decide on improvements ai net Erie, where we expect to expend about if-MUMMi In repairing the old plant. We four hold equal interests in the Niagara Jockey Club, which was formerly the Fort Erie Jockey Club. We will have a forty day meeting there following Kenil-worth. We also have decided to make the ring ojien instead of a syndicate ring, as has been the case in former years. We propose to make the Fort Erie meeting one of the best this side of New York, ami with no one barred from liooking whose reputation is clean, there is no reason why the meeting should not lie a brilliant success. It is a good plant, but needs many repairs, which we will have completed by the time the meeting opens. We expect to put about BH carloads of sand on the track, which, mixed with loam, should make it one of the beat in the west. "As to Hot Springs. said Mr. Condon in conclusion, "we have decided not to attempt a meeting there this spring. The conditions for holding an uninterrupted meeting are not encouraging. We are not desirous of encountering the trouble we had last year, and will abandon all efforts to race at Oaklawn this year." "The meetings at New Orleans." said Mr. Cella, who was there in attendance at the meeting of the Western Jockey Club last week, "are as good as could be expected under the discouraging condi tlons which prevail there. The financial panic, of course, hurt considerably, and then the weather has been the worst known in years, all of which is detrimental to good racing. Despite this fact, however, patronage has been good. It is improving every week and I think It will be much better from now on until the close." Speaking of the good fortune which has attended his stable since the winter season opened Mr. Cella said: "I have been having good luck with my stable because I have good horses and a good trainer. I hope to win many .more purses before the season closes, especially with my two-year-olds, several of which have not been introduced. I still have several in the barn which cau beat Marse Abe or any of the others which have shown so well." While no definite conclusion had been reached at the meeting last eventng as to the dates of the Fort Erie meeting, it is probable that Monday, July 27, following the closing Saturday at Kenilworth Park will be the opening date decided upon by Mr. Madigan and his associates.
