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LATONIA TO CLOSE JULY 5 AUTHORITATIVE ANNOUNCEMENT MADE FOLLOWING CONFERENCE HELD YESTERDAY. Return of Muddy Track Conditions Responsible for Riddling: of Card, but Winners Are Well Backed and Layers Keep on Losing-. Cincinnati, O.. June 2.",. — A return to muddy conditions at Latouia resulted from tin- heavy rain of last night and accounted for the riddling of an already light card. The sport was uninteresting and tile finishes tame, wit li the exception of the fourtli race, in which Alice Band and Jerrymander fought it out. A sharp rfhower fell after the liflh race and inicklv converted the course from a sticky bogginess into a slippery state that was mainly re spolisiliie for irenades success in the succeeding race. The weather was again blazing hot ami the attendance of small proportions. Sixteen layers quoted prices. If mow interest to horsemen than the racing was the othcial announcement made .luring tile afterniHiu. after a conference of Messrs. .Myers. Kliinock and other directors, that the l.atonia meeting would continue until July 5. The failure of the weekly program hook to make its appearance during the ■morning hours was res| onsible for tlie starting of a rumor that racing at l.atonia would close ti.morr..u night. This would have meant a shut clown licfore the originally scheduled period of thirty days cud ins on Monday next. The- extension is of six days duration. Thejc will, however, be a reduction of purses, a daily offering of *2. KI0 being the amount Iliat will be distributed for six races. There was considerable opposition to the extension. The Vila-. especially, did not think it advisable to continue under exist lug conditions. There is no gainsay ins; that Cincinnati has greatly fallen on* as a racing center in the last few years. The public, seemingly, will not turn out. except occasionally when a special feature is programmed. It was also positively es tablishcd this afternoon that there will be no extension at l.atonia lieyond July 5. Four tirst choices were successful during the afternoon, all at short prices and the cither races went to Whim and Orenade. All the winners were smartly supported and the layers were again a dejected lot at the dense of the racing. The biggest run-up of the meeting came when Bellevlcw landed the purse in the third race, for which he was a staunch favorite. Several owners started bidding on him simultaneously and lie- was quickly raised from *4K to .2t l. al which figure II. 1. Uedwedl secured him. The horse was entered for tomorrow under sidling conditions similar to those which prevailed today, hut his new owner iinnicdi-ntely announced his intention of scratching tic horse. In view of this the race was declared oil. only three others being carded to start. A new nee at a mile and a sixteenth was quickly announced and was tilled before race-goers departed from the track. Alice Baird was considered the best betting proposition of the afternoon, but she barely escaped defeat by Jerrymander, her margin at the finish being but a head. Sorrowful again disappointed by failing to withstand the challenge of Jrenade in the closing race. Al Muller, in the tiftli race, ftnallv found conditions exactly tec his liking and landed the purse from Orlundot. Bellevie-w had to be sharply shaken up to outstay the suddenly improved Stone Street, but ultimately won by a length. The lioor showing of Azo in this race was commented on. but was due to the |ioor handling jorkev Brannon subjected the horse to. coupled with the fact that Willie going promisingly he was jumpi-il ou ami one of his hind legs so numbed that he stopped as if broken clown. The judges were dissatisfied with the blundering hianner in which Jockey Thompson handled Water Lake, and instructed him not to accept further mounts here. They also gave liermissiou to N. B. Davis to waive the apprentice allowance, enabling him to secure- a stouter rider. "Owners iallaher. Dunne and Fixer will ship their strings to Fort F.rio on Wednesday next. Iinkola and Colonel Bob. which have liccn resting at Iiouisville nearly two months, will be at once put back into training and will rejoin the Ferriss string here for shipment on Monday next to Louisville. Matt J. Winn will arrive- here tomorrow from New York en route to Louisville, where lie will stay for a short period lieforc going back to New York. T. Hatfield has secured a contract on the apprentice rider. Kaiser, who had his tirst mount yesterday. Secretary Ed Maginn telegraphed here yesterday that all owners who made application for stalls at Fort Erie will be accommodated. There will be a big shipment from here to Empire-City track and later on from there to Saratoga. Among those now here who have signified their in tetitloiis of going to New York are James Blnte with the Gerst stable and II. J. Bedwell. Fred Cook, whose bankroll was seized yesterday on a writ of attachment, made affidavit today that tlie money attached was not his own. Frank Wheeler of Buffalo being the reputed owner of tlie book.
