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NEW RACING FIELD TO BE EXPLOITED. Approaching Meetings at Victoria and Vancouver May Lead to Greater Thine? in British Columbia. The approaching summer meetings at Victoria and Vancouver. K. C. will open up for exploitation a racing field that may be expected to fill, at least partially, the void resulting from the passage of antl racing legislation in the state of Washington. Victoria, especially, is in close proximity to Seattle. the metropolis of the northwest coast, and the scene of several successful summer meetings in the last few years. Seattle and other nearby communities are counted upon to furnish a considerable amount : tli- patronage required to keep the Victoria meeting going for the sixty days that it is scheduled to run. beginning June ." . The people of Seattle are fond of racing and in making tin ir plans for the meeting, the management of the Victoria Driving Club, under whose auspices the racing is to lie conducted, look this into consd elation. Without support fiom Seattle and Vaneoit ver. it is improbable that a meeting could be piofit-ably conducted at Victoria for a longer period than two or three weeks. Victoria, a .-harming siK.t oa the .southern extremity of Vancouver Island, has a population of alK.ut 23.000. It has been aptly termed "a bit of merry England." and the same love for manly out door sport is to be found there as exists on tie- tight little isle, where racing is leaked upon as the greatest of all spoils. Hacking the Victoria racing enterprise are some of the most prominent and respected citiaeaa of the community. They have gone into the undertaking not because thev expect to reap :l profit, hut Est the sake of the sport itself. It miiv be expected, however, that Victoria will benefit financially from the enterprise. The races are bound to attract visitors in large numbers [rasa ::11 over tin- coast and besides the temporary gain that the tradespeople of the town will reap as a result of the tntlnx. it would not be surprising should sou f tie- visitors conclude to make Victoria their p.rmanciit home. Like other thriving places on the coast. Victoria lias been endeavoring by various methods to impress the outside world with hi r advantages and it probably will Im- found that racing will prove as effective an afteaej in attracting visitors as any to which tin-town lias resorted. Neither Victoria nor Vancouver has previously had any racing worthy of the name. Hush aaeetlnga of the crudest description and of brief duration have lieen spasmodically held at bath places on half mile tracks, with facilities of the most meager character, lice Victoria meeting of this summer will be over the same track that was previously used, but im proveineiits hare been made that will permit of sa! isfactoi v racing. At Vancouver a new mile track is to be |. inli by the jockey club organized not long ag... with pnaall III citizens of the |.roincc as the prime movers. The Vancouver meeting is to follow that at Victoria. Some :100 of the horses that raced in California last winter are quartered at Victoria, and if the meetings soon to be inaugurated prove successful. Biitish Columbia is likely to become an important factor in summer racing. Tin- manage nieiil of h.iiii meetings will lie closely allied and is in competent hands.
