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STAKE TO AN ADDED STARTER. Torbellino Victorious in the Follansbee Handicap at Oakland Arasee Finally Beaten. San Francisco, Cal., February 4. Torbellino, an added starter, won the Follansbee Handicap, the feature of the card at Oakland today. The heavy going just suited hi in and he led all the way. Eddie Dale, Downpatrick and Southern Gold were withdrawn, while Torbellino and Azo were added, leaving a field of six to face starter Holtman. Arasee was favorite for the first time In six starts, but he failed to cut much of a figure. Markic M. closed fast, hut was unable to catch Torbellino. while Fort Johnson was third. Most of the winners were well supported. Cash on Delivery, closing with a rash, took the two-year-old race front SIdon. Good weather prevailed and tho attendance was- large. 1. McCarthy bought Pal, Orella and Eleanor Rob-son at auction today at prices ranging from 5 to . Baron Usher went to H. Frank and L. A. Blasingamp lwught Henry . and John E. McMillan. J. Levine secured K. I... Kripp. Commenting on the prospective end of racing in California as a consequence of the passage of the Walker-Young bill, Ben Benjamin writes in the San Francisco Chronicle as follows: "For practically twenty years the Pacific Coast Blood Horse Association, which was absorbed by the California Jockey Club in January, 1S91. bas had a monopoly of racing eontiguous to San Francisco, except for a row years when Ingleside and afterward Tanforan alternated every two weeks with the California Jockey Club. Racing grew from a moderate beginning at the Bay District track In 1892, until it became the biggest winter meeting in the country. Stables came here from nil over the United States and, at times, over 1,-500 iwrscs liave been in training at the track. To show the proportions that racing reached out here it is only necessary to state that the New California Jockey Club gave away 93,100 during the season of 1007. while the Santa Anita Association contributed SO,000 to horsemen the same season for ninety-eight days of racing. The New California Jockey Club bad 114 racing days. At that time t here was -a stroug feeling that the racing game was being- overdone, but the promoters were making so-much money that they did not pave the way for the future. If the season had been cut to ninety or 100 days three years ago there might have been a chance for a limited racing bill. People familiar with the situation knew that the establishment of a racing plant near Los Angeles would eventually-, engulf-- the New- California Jockey Club. There was A titFohg feeling against the continuous racing game in Southern California wlrieh was not altogether- the case in this part of the - state, although the long-drawn-out- seasons weaned away many ardent supporters of former years. "The management here naturally created antagonisms season after season; and at the legislature two years ago the Jockey Club- niade a weak showing, "and as a result- the Walker-Otis- bill was passed. This did not act sis a preventive, as the association introduced oral betting; It lias not been as popular as the old slate system, but it was sutli-cient of a substitute to. permit racing to continue at a profit to the association. The horsemen have suffered, as the cutting of the original purses made it almost impossible to make both ends meet. "The California Jockey Club has a lease of the Oakland track, which Continues for seven more years. It will doubtless be kept intact, in the hope that they may secure some relief from the legislature two years hence. The association also owns outright the TanfOran race track, which lias greatly enhanced in value since the purchase, which brought about the end of the race track1 war several years ago. Thomas II. Williams is the principal stockholder of the New California Jockey Club, and has dictated the policy of the association since 1S92. Col. Dan Burns, who was allied with Thomas H. Williams, retired before the introduction of oral betting. It was understood that he was not satis-tied with the fight made by the New California Jockey Club at the legislature two years ago. There was a race track war out here In 1901. Tanforan was run in opposition to Oakland. Both associations were losing money on account of the clash. As a last resort Thomas 11. Williams offered to buy out the opposition. Prince Poniafowslii, who was conducting the tight against Williams for the stockholders, named a price, and the result was tho sale of Tanforan and Ingleside to the president of the New California Jockey Club.
