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DERBY ATTRACTS ATTENTION FLORIDA RACE PATRONS DISCUSSING CHANCES OF VARIOUS ELIGIBLES. Layers Get Opportunity to Recoup Early Losses Two-Year-Old Fields to Be Limited As to Numbers Live Gossip from Moncrief Park. Jacksonville, Fla.. February -1. The lKokmakors have Iiiii having their innings :it Moucrief of lute. Ken- favorites have won and this has enabled the layers to even up tile big losses they sustained dur-iriif December and the early days of January, riio number of layers operating shows a falling off as compared with last season, butr there has been plenty of patronage for the twenty books that liave Ieen doing business. There are some good bettors here and more are arriving every day from the north and a few stragglers .are getting in from California. The meeting Just now is at its height and it will be a month or six weeks before it begins to -tail off. The management has announced that racing al Mon-crief will come to an end for this season with the running of the Derby April 1. The .Derby is already attracting much attention. It looks as if the field will come from the following: SiM-eial Brew. L-eah. Jack Denman, Mclvor, The .Nigger. Bad News II., Dr. Duenncr, Star Charter, Comity Tax, Antenor, Joe Kenyon. Lahore. Kdda aud Governor Gray. Mclvor, which arrived from Kentucky a few weeks ago, is being sent along and is showing a keen turn of speed. Mclvor has friends among the horsemen, but the general fancy inclines to The Nigger or Lahore. The latter was the popular favorite until bis poor showing in the Jacksonville Handicap.. There are some .who claim that the colt has not been training well. W. I. Burch. who is one of the stewards here. . has a shifty pair of ell-gibles in Joe Kenyon and Jr. Dueniior. Both are being pointed for the Derby, but it is doubtful If Mr. Burch -sends both of them to the-post. The Schorrs are freshening-. Star, Charter for tho Derby and the colt has had a let-up that will do him good. Star Charter is a game youngster and has sUowir-atUsiosltigjt o race -well -at considerable distances. The Bcverwyck Stable has one of the best-looking three-year-olds here in Special Brew. Trainer Woodford is not hurrying this fellow along. When he started recently he looked high in tiesh and was given an easy race. Leah is Jule -Carsons hope. She is a fair lilly, bnt looks to be outclassed. Jack Denman- will carry the colors of the Jacksonville turfman, Francis J. Pons. At times this colt runs a good race, and if there Is anything in him George Walker probably will get- it out of him. Trainer Walker is rounding the .Pons horses into condition, and Ihey should cut some ligurc from now on. Bad Xews II. probably can go the route, but is rather inconsistent. County Tax and Governor Gray are oth doing well now. the latter especially so. Trainer I-herman is going slowly with him and lie appears to have recovered the keen speed he displayed in bis early two-year-old form. J. W. Schorr has a second string to his bow in the shifty lilly Kdda. Tilts filly was a slow" beginner last season and was beaten a number of times through her inability to get going prickly. She is game and will like the route. Dave Woodford, trainer of the Beverwyck Stable, is rushing Sir John Johnson along and the public will have an opportunity of seeing this good racer perform in a week or so. Sir John Johnson was tired last fall and the operation proved successful. .Several of the others in this big string that .ire yet to make their appearance at Moncrief are lc-ing sent right along in their work in anticipation of a hard campaign up the line. George Ham. who is bundling the stable that William Gerst is racing here, is shaping Ilanbridge up and will have him ready shortly to send to the races. Ilanbridge acts like a two-year-old on the track. He is full of life and looks to be in fine fettle. Trainer Ham now regrets that Ilanbridge is not eligible for the Florida Special, for which ,000 race most of tlie good horses here are being pointed. If all goes well with Sir John Johnson, he will start in it. "Bub" May is training Countless for it. Donald Macdonald will also go to the IMist in this stake. S. A. Clopton is trying to dis-jKise of him, however, and recently offered him to J. W. Schorr for ,000. J. S. Hawkins started Wing Ting twice this week and the mare ran well. Wing Ting looks good and she will undoubtedly improve. Mr. Hawkins lias nominated her for some of the stakes and if she continues to train well she may pull down one of them. Jockey Charlie Korb is here in a visit. Korb has some reputation as a rider in Austria, where he rode last season. Korb left Memphis witli George Walker when the latter went to Germany to train for .Baron Oppenheiiner a few years ago and was , very successful in that country. The management bas decided to limit the fields in the two-year-old races to twelve. This is with the idea of eliminating some of the crowding which lias been occurring on the turns in most of the three-eighths dashes, some of the youngsters have been carried to the outer fence, owing to the big lields. Some of the horsemen complained and Manager Brown quickly decidfd to cut the lields down to twelve in order to reduce the chances of interference. After tho distance is extended to half a mile the limit will be taken- off. Of the two-year-olds shown so far Joe Knight looks like the. champion. The Clrinn stable has flayed an imiwrtant figure in tho two-year-old races here this winter and youngsters from thisstable have more than held ilieir own. Mr. Chinn has tho best two-year-old lilly in training here, in Rose of Jeddah.and the best colt in Joe Knight. During the closing days of winter meetings there are usually a number of sales, and already several horsemen have announced that they will dispose of the horses they are racing here. The sales here are hold in the paddock and Messrs. Pons and Brown liave come out with an announcement that by-bidding will not lie permitted at these sales.- Their scheme its to have an owner selling out. who lias a reserve bid on a horse, to write it out, place it in a sealed envelope and baud It to the auctioneer before the sale commences. Then when a horse is put up aud the last bid is taken, the envelope will he torn open and the reserve bid disclosed. For Instance, should an owner have a reserve bid of ,000 on a horse and onlv $.S00 be offered, the owner will have the right cither to accept the bid or withdraw the horse. In speaking of the matter Mr. Pons said that lie did not believe in having outsiders bidding for owners, and any one that was found guilty of it Mould be suspended by tho Florida Live Stock and Agrciultural State. Fair Association, and the further entry of the horse or horses would bo refused on all tracks racing under the jurisdiction of the. Southern Jockey Club. Bob Lew, promoter of the proposed meeting at Norfolk, departed Tor the Virginia city on Wednesday last. He spent a week in Jacksonville doing nils-Kiouary work among the horsemen and bookmakers, and from the numler of applications received for stabling, it is safe to predict that the Jamestown Jockey Club will liave an exceedingly successful meeting this spring. Many of the bookmakers operating hero liave promised to be on hand to help the sport along. Mortimer Mahoney, who lias charge of the rings at Norfolk, Pitnlico and various Canadian courses, was here with Mr. Levy. He reports that Tom Shaw, Gene Austin, Eddie Austin, Charlie Walters, "Blue" Walters and several other well-known layers will book at Norfolk this season. Word has been received that charters have been refused by the Canadian government to several applicants for tracks which it was proposed to build in the Dominion. Among those turned down were two applications from Ottawa, one from Loudon and another from Toronto. It. A.. Davies contemplated building a new track on his farm a short distance from Toronto, it is said, and those behind the London track are said to be interested in one of the tracks now included in the Canadian Racing Associations. The Oldtown Handicap, at a mile aud a quarter, carrying a guaranteed, value of ,500, was offered as a feature at Moncrief Park this afternon and divided public interest with the third race, a seven-eighths dasli in which some, of the ltest three-year-olds here went to the iost. There were six starters in the stake race and the winner turned up in Console, which galloped home an easy winner by -three lengths. Console carried IK! pounds, was ridden by Goose and ran the mile and a quarter in 2:032, which equaled the track record for the distance. Mestcr Robert, favorite of the race, was beaten a nose for second place by Bob It. He broke down during the running and pulled up lame. It is doubtful if lie goes to the post again Hits winter. Via Octavia proved an easy yyinner in the seven-eighths race, leading all the way and beating Aldrian a length in handy fashion. At one stage of the trip Via Octavia had a live-lengths lead, and at the finish was well in hand. Royal Onyx. Via Octavia, Mankeimer and Spes Nostra scored as favorites. After Royal Onyx Avon, lie was boosted 00 over his entered price bv It. I. Williams, but was protected and bought in by his owner for . Ul Oro was ineligible to start in the second race, the conditions of which called for non-winners at tho meeting. Ul Oro won yesterday, hence his withdrawal today. Jockey Sweeney was suspended by tho judges for two weeks for cutting off Hopkins on Anioret in the fifth race, and Gould, who rode in the same race, was suspended for a week tw striking Sweeney with Ids whip. McTaggart was given four days by tho starter for lealing the barrier with Sureget in the opening event. Jockey T. Koerner returned -om Tampa todav and will bo looked after here by ITarry Stoddard, while W. O. Joplin is at the southern tfaek. Starter A. B. Dade has asked Mauager Levy to release him from Iris engagement at Norfolk "this spring. Mr. Dade saysfhe will need a rest before starting in on Iris stimmeis campaign and has asked the Norfolk management to ask Mars Cassidy to send away the fields. Recent work-outs at Moncrief. Weather clear: track fast. Altadena Half mile in 49. Anioret Five-eighths in 1:03-. Antenor Three-quarters in 1:1 CJ. Austin Sturtevant Half mile in 50. Bad News II. MUe in 1:45. Bairives Half mile in 49j. Ben Lomond Three-quarters in 1:19. Bertis--Seven-eighths. in .1:31. Oatroke Three-quarters in 1:19 L Choptank Three-quarters in Countless-Five-eighths in 1:031. , Darling Three-quarters in 1:17. Delena Three-quarters in 1:17s. Dixie Knight Mile in 1:4G. Donald Macdonald Five-eighths in 1:04. Duke of Bridgewater Three-quarters in 1:1S. Eastern Star Half mile in 50. Uvia Five-eighths in 1:03. First Peep Half mile in 51. Foreguard Five-eighths in 1:03. Gold Cap Three-quarters in 1:1S. Goldwick Seven-eighths in 1:30. High Range -Half mile in 51 J. Ida May Three-quarters in 1:17 J. Imprint Half mile in 51. Inflection- Three-quarters in 1:21. Judge Walton Half mile in 52. Kingship Five-eighths in 1 :03. La V Mexican Three-quarters in 1:17s. Merman Half mile in 51. Miss Nett Half mile in 495. 0 Eu Three-quarters in 1:22. Olieron Hair mile in 51 1. Orbicular Mile in 1:45. Peep Over Five-eighths in 1 :05. Rash Five-eighths in 1:04. Star Charter Three-quarters in 1:17. Startler Half mile in 51. The Squire Mile in IMS. Whin Seven-eighths in 1:321. Wise Mason Half mile in 53. Woolspun Half mile in 40. Wrap Half mile in 49.
