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PROMISING RACING FIELD JACKSONVILLE MEETING PROFITABLE DESPITE ADVERSE CONDITIONS AT THE START. Plans to Hold Extensive Meetings Next Winter with Good Stakes and Increased Purses. Jacksonville. Fla.. April ]!. — The success of Jacksonville as a winter racing point was amply demonstrated by the meeting which came to a close Saturday. It was a success from tlie very opening day and the club made a protit where tliey expected a loss. The- State Fair Association of Florida, the name of the organization under which the race meet itiR was given, is certainly entitled to success, for they made every effort to conduct the sport on a high plane. Strong pressure was brought to hear before the meeting opened to have the ring syndicated. The association was cramped for ready cash and needed money badly. Flattering overtures in the way of a lug advance payment were offered as an inducement to turn the ring over to a combination of well known layers, but the association insisted that the ring be an open one and held out for this in the face of i probable loss. Their idea was to test Jacksonville and tind out just what the town would support before sinking any more money in the park. The course, which comprises some 12" acres, is situated just outside the city limits in a little place called Moucreif Springs. The track is a mile ellipse constructed on modern lines and the plan:- of the City Park course in New Orleans have been followed pretty much by the builder. The plant was con strutted under the suiwrvision of II. I. Ill own and the latter certainly accomplished a wonderful amount •if work in the short time that he had. The day before the meeting oiicned it seemed there would tie no chance of having the track ready for racing. yet this was done and by now the plant is in splendid order. Associated with Brown is a local man named !•. J. Pons, a gentleman who is well thought of by the business men in Jacksonville and one who has considerable weight with the politicians through out the state. Pons has tremendous turpentine in tcrcsts in Florida and employs a great number of men. The transportation facilities were very etude the tirst ten days, but a spur was built from the end ol the city line to the main entrance of the park. These tracks crossed those of the Florida Southern anil Georgia and the latter held up the trolley people for several days by. refusing to allow I hem to cross their tracks. Tins was finally overcome and the last few days of the iiii"i«" . ,, e r..... « were enabled to reach the course with some degree of comfort. In IhfKlh niitini a walk of about a half in lit" was necessary from the i ml of the car line to the course, but despite this great handicap, large crowds turned out. It was certainly a severe test and went to show that the local people are enthusi astic over the races. The grandstand, which is a wooden structure, is nil exact model of the City Park stand and in tact everything about the place reminds one of the New Orleans track. The stables are high, roomy strue tures and there is ample room in the part of the park where they are built to erect many more The m.ture of the soil is white sand, which makes an ideal winter track. The more it rains the faster the going becomes ami the chances are that there will never be such a thing as a heavy track at Moucreif Park. A number of wells were driven at different porta of the plant and from one of them, which was directly in front of the stable that II. Me Carrcn. Jr.. occupied, flowed line sulphur water. A majority of the stables that part icipated in the meeting made money and Mctarren probably bene filed mole by the lacing here than any other horseman, as all of his horses that won were at long prices. Frank Kessinger won a number of races ns diil also M. T. Pritchard. The horsemen were all well pleased with Jacksonville as a racing point and all are •rooting" that the legislature will not interfere with the apart in Florida. In the event of no adverse legislation, a strong circuit could be orated between Tampa and Jacksonville. Jackson villc. however, is much the largest ami best city in the state and will alwavs be the more important racing point of the two. The idea of the club is to Rape a big. high class meeting next winter and to cater to none but the best. Joseph A. Murphy has already been asked to compile conditions for a num-her of big stakes, one of which will be known as either the Florida Derby or the Dixie Derby. A delegation of Tampa gentlemen interested in the fair association there visited Moucreif Park several days ago to get sonic idea of how to improve their plant . The track at Tampa is a little half-mile affair, very narrow with sharp turns. It has been di elded to remodel this plant and enlarge it to either a five-furlongs or a six-furlongs track witli a chute for mile races. The trouble at Tampa is that they are crowded for room. The track is located on the grounds of the Tampa Hay Hotel and is the property of the city of Tampa. In order to enlarge the track into a mile course, it would be nee essarv to demolish all of the large fair buildings and this, of course. Is out of the nuestion. as the lair feature is a strong prop for the racing. Then-is a tine site on the outskirts of Tampa at a place called Sulphur Springs for a race course and some of the local people there are talking of transferring the fair grounds to that point. This probably will eventually be done, as there will not be near room enough at the present track to accommodate the crowds in the event of a meeting being held there next winter. A breeding bureau has been started in Florida by the two racing associations and already several MaiUuaa have been secured which will tie turned over to a commissioner who will be selected by the govi rnor. The horses were obtained by the association giving what were known as Breeders* purses, the conditions of which were framed on the lines of the old "Scully purses so common in the west some years ago. Among the stallions in the bureau ■ re Expect to-See. a well-bred son of Inspector B.: Clifton Forge, by the Hanover stallion. Handsome, and Jack MeKeon, by G. W. Johnson. Fortunately ill three of these are horses of excellent conformation and possess great bone and substance. They are well fitted for the purpose of crossing with the native mates and should produce an excellent type of carriage horse. It might be well for the government to keep a line on the produce of these horses. n* they should make ideal cavalry mounts. Several of Hiese breeders purses have beef] won by mares and it is the purpose of the association to sell them and take the proceeds and purchase stallions. In the meantime if any horseman wishes to help the cause along by donating stallions for the bureau. they can address the State Fair Association of Florida. Clark Building. Jacksonville. Judge Mai phi has had his hands fill keeping some of the wiongiioers in line. The racing at Tampa was conducted in a very loose manner and horsemen fell into the habit of taking more liberty than they were entitled to. Several of them were taken up with a sharp turn and most of them are now walk tng a straight line. Four stables were suspended, two for inconsistent running and two tor irregular practices. Cloisteress got L. C. Shobe into trouble. She would win in a canter one day and the next time out run last. She repeated these form somersaults a couple of times hefore Shobe was ordered not to enter anv more of bio horses. Momentum Mi .1. I.. Adams into trouble for the same cause. When asked for an explanation Sholie said he had wagered oo on Cloisteress. The ticket showed that he had obtained only :; to 1 for his money when there was tl to 1 in the ring. Another peculiar angle was that the bet had beep made with a party named G. H. Bryan, in whose name the winner of the race. Chief Hayes, runs. Shobe brought a lot of influence to btar on Judge Murphy, but the latter refused to recede from the position lie first took in the matter. P. S. Smith and M. Michaels were the oUier pair that got the gale so far as racing their horses at tin-track was concerned. Smith and Michaels have been mixed up in the ownership of* the horses Font and Kustacian all winter. During the meeting at Al-inendares the horses tirst ran in Michaels name and then in Smiths. It seems that Michaels borrowed some money from Smith and gave as security Font and F.ustaeian. Michaels claimed that the transfer was only temporary and that he was to regain possession of the horses provided he paid a certain sum before a certain date. Michaels then left for New York and after both Font and Enstacian had won several times, he returned to Cuba, sought out Smith and demanded his horses. Smith refused to give them up and the pair almost created a riot at the entrance of the track after the races one evening. The Rural Guard had to be called to quell the disturbance and if Smith and Michaels were guilty of what they accused one another, both should have been ruled off then and there. Finally Michaels got his horses after a lot of red tape in which the Ann riean consul was appealed to. The horses were shipped over to Tampa and about the middle of that meeting Smith and Michaels again entered into another deal. Smith was racing Select II. in his own name and Michaels was running Font and F.ustneiau in the name of his wife. Finally, in a race at Moucreif Park. Select II. and Kustacian both started. Smith was carded as the owner of Select II.. and as the trainer of Kustacian and when the matter was called to the attention of the fudges, betting was declared off and the horses coupled. In the investigation which developed, much evidence was brought to light which warranted the action taken. In the meantime Michaels, who was a peanut peddler around the New York tracks, threatened to close racing in Florida, eveii if he was forced to go as far as to get some of the colored ministers to preach against the spurt. It look- as if men of his type could Ik- well spared from the turf.
