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PENSAC0LA MEETING IS ANNOUNCED. Racing to Begin March 31 and Will Continue Fifteen Days or More Tampa Management Big Loser. Tampa. Fin., March 22. Some balm was afforded horsemen this afternoon for the abrupt termination of Tampa racing by the announcement that lensacola would begin a fifteen or more days meeting Friday, March :!1. This official statement revived the lagging spirits of some of the owners, who immediately began preparations for the transfer of their horses to the gulf city track. While only fifteen days is tho announced term for the racing at Icnsacola, it is thought that there will be an extension of at least ten days to this. The lensacola management feels that many owners will ship there at the close of Jacksonville racing, including those with poorer horses that are bound, for Kentucky. The abrupt closing of the meeting here caught many of the owners unprepared and occasional a good bit of adverse comment. The least the management could have done was to have given the horsemen three days notice of the contemplated close is the general view. The ring .operators had been severely punished and as the racing was also becoming mighty ragged in spots. It was deemed best to shut down at once, however. Nearly all the horsemen, with the exception of a few. will ship to lensacola during the next week. Announcement as to purses and other matters pertaining to the meeting will be made tomorrow or the day following after a conference of the persons having the project in charge. According to authoritative information the ring here has booked a heavy deficit during the term of operation. The losses of Smith, Colby and Jones will aggregate close to .5,000, while Sam Stephens and his associates dropped about ifS.OOO during the three days that they were In charge of the ring. The track managements losses are extremely heavy, with small prospects of getting back even a small part, unless the incoming legislature affords the racing interests in this state some measure of relief, an extremely doubtful proceeding, according to the well informed. Getaway day brought to the track one of the biggest attendances of the present meeting, but the racing was only ordinary and in spots unsatisfactory; The victory of Vanen was attended by a good deal of discontent, due chlelly to her sudden improvement. It was foreshadowed in the betting and after the finish owner Hammond hrid a session with Judge Burke, but no official action was taken, though the judges gave the owner to understand that, the mares running .tbU. aftexiioiuvvas-ji.istiici-inipro.yciiiejit. over recent essays. " Favorites fared well this afternoon, the exception being Dandy Dancer. The hitters defeat was diie to. incompetent handling by. tho diminutive Pcnd-a-ell. Close- finishes .Clonic in a number of the contests. Judge Burke left tonight for New York, where he goes to attend to urgent private business. Light Knight will be shipped tonight to Jacksonville. Where he will lie a starter hi some of the races. loiter he will join the Fitzgerald string at lensacola. Edward Corrlgan is contemplating retirement from the turf and probably will again take up the contracting business.
