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i I t GEMMELL A FAST SPKINTER CARRIES TOP WEIGHT AND DEFEATS SPEEDY HORSES FROM START TO FINISH. Import Easily Wins the Feature Race of the Day— • Prestige Returns to His Best Form — Band of Tricksters Ruled Off. Oakland, Cal.. February 10.— The California Jockey Club furnished the local racegoers with a high class card today. It included two very attractive features in the Derby trial at a uiile and a sixteenth, and the Alviso Handicap, at six furlongs, in which some of the best horses in training were engaged. The Derby trial, however, was robbed of considerable interest by lhe enforced withdrawal of the crack Santa Anita eligibles. Early Tide and Stanley Fay. which were delayed in transit and unable to participate in the race. The lightly weighted and consistent Import, under the skillful guidance of jockey Gilbert, bad only an exercise gallop to dispose of what opposition was left, and admirers of the little three year old had to take comparatively short odds alnnit him. Import is not built on weight carrying lines and experts do not concede him even an outside chance in next Saturdays Derby against such formidable opposition as Uncle, Meelick, F.arly Tide. Stanley Fay and others, but the public will stiek to him loyally, as he has been one of the mosL consistent horses of the season and the- limit of his capaeity has not yet been called i:pon. Geinmell. a wondernil sprinter, with Kitapp up. captured the secondary feature iu convincing fashion. Knapp made the riders opposed to him look like the proverbial "thirty cents," both at the start and during the actual running and won out by a wide margin at the very lucrative odds of six to one. The speedy Rubicon gelding is probably the best sprinter in California. Glorious weather prevailed and the track was lightning fast. Half of the splendid program was won by favorites, and the approximately s.ihni race-goers present enjoyed both high-class and profitable sport. Clifford Gilbert and W. Knapp shared equally with two wins each to his credit. Presiding steward Hopper would not permit Merritt Buxton to ride May Amelia in the first, race and substituted Kirsch-baum. who finished second with the Sanford mare. Buxton, however, rode Prestige, with which a big coup was brought off. to victory in the fifth race. A. K. Johnstone, alias J. J. OKeefe. a local tipster, and the horse Potrero Grande, were ruled off today by tin- California Jockey Clubs stewards. Art associate, the real J. J. OKeefe, who passed himself off as W. H. Thompson, was also ruled off. Kirschbaum was given three days on the ground for overzealousness at the post with May Am- lia and Scoville ten days for misbehavior with Pontotoc.
