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HAVE FEELING OF ELATIOxN SUCCESS OF LEXINGTON MEETINC REVIVES SPIRITS OF KENTUCKY BREEDERS. Kentucky Association Realizes Profit Sufficient to Wipe Out Its Indebtedness — Conditions That Led to Record-Breakins Performances. Lexington. Ky.. May 1o. — The Blue Crass region, the sameey «if the tbsrouwhhred bane in America. wsa today vi rt null y depopulated of iis racing folk. Miry were nil :tt l.onisvi H - to aee 1 1 1* - thirty-seventh running of the fcTi alaaltj Itt-iby :ir historic Churchill Downs, anil they juinncvcil thither with keener Interest in the sport lhaa at any t i 1 1 1 • ■ since no-called reformers and politicians in other states inaugurated a vicious, blighting warfare thai cabnia at d in tin enactment of r pi i-ssionai -j laws and the •losing of many tracks. The spirit of the people of the Blue liraaa netioa «:i revived by tin- Kentucky Aworl-at tons spring meeting of ih -vi-n dayi ending last Thursday. In every respect it was a success beyond I lie i ■xpi-i -lilt ion of tin- most optimistic of its promoters, li was an nfan of even more successful meetings at Louisville ami I.atonia Uiis sprit .r and here ami there afterward, li has removed doubt and established a purpoee upon which its promoters ina. proceed with the satisfaction bora Of certainty. Throughout the meeting the racJac was of a nigh order, the participants in the greatest number of the contests being horses that are characterised as Ike best of their area in training. Suspicion was a tblng apart from the sport and no rice was tainted wilh a breath of scandal. It was clean from firs to last. Not an owner, trainer or jockey was called into the judges gtaaid during the entire period and there was an occasion for qaeatJonlng oa the sari of the judges. At the course in the afternoons and on the streets and in public places in tin evening there was no talk of trickery such as in the days c,; bookmsking which brought discredit to racing and the followers of the turf. The profits accruing to the Kentucky Association from gate receipts and commissions from the bot-r tin?, the chief sources of revenue, were sufficiently handsome Is enable the organisation to lilt the debt which was contracted in the purchase ol the racing •..round from the estate of the lite Oapt. S. S. Browa and possibly to make some seeded Improvements in the plant. This, however, cannot he tally determined until the directors meet next week to receive the reports of the secretary and treasurer. At this meeting plans for she September racing will be i .inied and the conditions for the Camileii Handicap for l.tll. the I.ln ■ Grass Stakes for V.IV2 and the Breeders Polarity for iiti:; will he announced. Johnson X. Camden, member of the Kentucky State Raciag Commission ami master of the Ilartland Stnd of thoroughbreds, last year and this year added Xl.tKlO to the Camden Handicap, and it is understood that he will contribute the same amount for the race next Bpriag. feeling that tiie Kentucky Association is not as yet on a sufficient !v firm financial basis to take up that obligation; The fl.600 which was added to the Blue Crass .Stakes and to the Breeders Futurity this year was ma.de up in contributions from the breeder* of thoroughbred horses, and it is likely thai they will create a similar fund for those two stakes next spring, foe the same reason that applies in the Camden Handicap. After thai the Kentucky Association will in all probability be self -supportive in the matter of its stakes and parses. Not a breeder who has eon-ti ibuted to these stakes but who bsi exsn ised gratification tliat he did so. The besefita have been greater than any of them ever expected. One of the most surprising features of the uneet-ing this spring was the wholesale mashing of track records. Seven of iliem. some of loan standing. Were broken, ant nig them being two seconds off the mile mark, which is now held at l:37i. within a tilth of a second of the American record, by the ttaxagaa man-. Osaaa, and two seconds off the record for one mile and a quarter, now held bv the Waterboy gelding. Bonnie Kelso, at 2:0*. Taking into consideration the hill which must lie ascended before the homestretch is reached there is no eilp- lleal mile coarse in America that was ever faster than was tiiis track daring the last seven days, and particularly the last two days, of the meeting. Wednesday and Thursday it was s,, hard that it is Hill pi lalag that a number of the horses racing over it were not made lame. It was not so by the choice of Superintendent .lames P. Ross, and it probably will never lie as fast .-main. During lie- summer it will be cut deeply with disc harrows and for the racing next fall will lie kept soft. The asphalt like Condition of the track on the last two days of the meeting was the outgrowth of an • pressed desire from "apt. Jim Williams, the nominal owner of Governor Gray, to have an absolutely dry track for the running of the Blue Grass Stakes on Wednesday and the willingness of the officials of the coarse to. give him no cause for complaint. Captain Williams was at Hie clubhouse Tuesday sight when the sprinkling carls were moving over the trai k is usual. He took up Hie idea that if they continued through the night as Superintendent Ross intended Hip track would be too wet tie following afternoon for his son of Carry Heir iii.i mi and Salania. which has no liking for soft going. Cantata Williams explained this to Secretary C. 1. Wilson and Other officials of the track with the H quest thai no mere water he put on ii. Ruper itiiendetit Koss was Instructed to tale the sprinklers off. Wednesday wai a really hot day and under the iiotig rays of the sun the Hack, without water, reached a state of firmness that lust suited Governor Gray, bet was beyond the point of successful softening for Tharsdsj The stables mi He- track today presented a deserted anpeaiance. only a leu borsrs n maining. Practically all of these will be shipped to Louisville during the coming week. The strings of Woodford flay. Walter crater. Hugh MeCarren and Will Mc-Daniel were shipped this morning, but John T. Ireland decided to remain over until Monday. During the meeting many owners and trainers Visited the various breeding farms and inspected the yearlings that will be pnl en the market dming the September meeting here, and main made notations with a view to purchasing at that time.
