view raw text
DEFER CHARLESTON RACING MEETING AT NEW TRACK WILL NOT BEGIN UNTIL WEDNESDAY OF NEXT WEEK. Weeks Delay Considered Advisable in View of Condition of the Course — Meeting Will Be Extended Beyond Original Closing Date. Chasjestoa, S. . January .«.— At a conference In li! yesterday at which all the racing officials were present, ii was decided to defer the opening ol r.i. in. here for one week. Making the inaugural ilay January 17 Instead of January 10, as originallj planned. The decision to postpone the opening followed a vi- it to the course in the morning and ■ mii.miiI i l the damage done t.. the track by the bard rains of the preceding night. The till, which baa in in- pas given the const met or* iauch trouble, Was found tn have sunk nearly a t."it and other weak -put- mi tin- track bad developed. The work • •:i the track wmilil have been tackled speedily and tin- damage repaired yesterday, Iwl the builders could n "t procure the necessary laborers ti tackle the job. The wel and cold weather was responsible for nut more than twenty nun reporting for work out of the 4ix» expected. Tin- necessity for postponing was annoying to General Manager Poms, who has been sanguine all along thai he srouhJ be abac to throw the coarse open !•: racing on the date announced. He -till feels that b i-ould bave the plant In preseutabhj shape lo begin on Wednesday next, bat it was pointed lilt to him the advantages of having the stanciure entirely completed for the opening and he 1 1 hiii.iiiti consented. He announced to the horsemen thai tin- track wooW be toned over to thess ■ ii Wednesday next for the galloping of their horses. With the additional week in which to fully eom-plete the plant, nothing will be lacking fur the opening, and the coarse should present a spick ami span sppearance when the bogie calls the horses hi tin- post in the initial dash. "Nothing short of nn earthquake can cause a further |n,-tpi,ii. in, in ■.•! the opening," -alii General Manager • j, .ii- i«hI:iv. ■•There i- littlo ti l e done on the track "Vr,; Pf, anil wiial little there is can Ik- accomplished ii less than two days, a- a matter af tact, I still kHuere to liie belief that we could bave been in inli shape to open on Wednesday nextj but I wanted in satisfy the horsemen thai the track was trm and -atr. There is little to be done on the grandstand and other appointments of the plant, and we will • •pen with a tally completed coarse on January 17." The Sumter Inaugural Handicap, scheduled for ili i-i-i the opening day, and the St. Johns Hotel Selling stake-, originally scheduled to be run mi januarj 13. will I"- decided mi .lannary 17 and 20, respectively. The postponement of one week will not affect the plana of the management to conduct racing for w vent j Ave days, as announcement was made that the racing season. Instead of tersainating on April ."i. would be prolonged !•• April 12. Ifaaager Peat af the Charleston Fair and Racing Association announced this afternoon thai A. B. n.ii I, had been engaged to do the starting during the meeting which will open at Palmetto Park Januarj 17. Mr. Dade enjoys a reputation second to none is ■ starter and lii- selection to till ■ vacancy created by the Inability of Jaasea Milton to serve as starter meets with general favor. P. A. Brady, who had in in selected as oi f the stewards, will also be an absentee it. m the ofBcial roster, it has not yet be n decided who will till Mr. Bradys place, hut several good nun are available and it is the purpose of the i lull not to select a man hurriedly. W. P. Burch is the presiding steward and his associate will be a horsema i ,•! imp i tance. The absence of Messrs. Milton and Brady from their prospective positions i* a result ol the court proceeding instituted against the Colombia Bacing Association during the meeting in that city. Messrs. Milton ainl Hra.lv acted a- official- at Columbia and ii was rtfeemed besl that thej should not be connected in i -unilar capacity with Charleston racing. The association has the mosl friendly feeling tor both Messrs. Milton and Brady and it wns with mucn regret thai the decision to dispense v itli their set x ices u;,s peat In I. General Manager Poos gave oat the following statement: "In order thai the public may understand fnllj oar disappointment in not having James Milton serve as starter for the Charleston Fair and Bacing Association, as well a- Judge Brady in aa other rapacity, 1 desire to make it clear that it was bii aii-e of the court proceedinga In Colombia, with which 1 found their names connected. Nut desiring in an.v way to antagonise the court, I felt called upon to request the resignatioa of these gentlemen ;is to their Intended connection with our meeting. Personally I bold these two gentlemen In high regard ami Mr. Milton is my personal friend, it i-with regret I deem it necessarj to take this action, ;i- i consider Mr. Milton s starter not only tn.i-vcrsaUy luted, bin perfectly competent, and believe with -in h an opportunity as would have been given Mm here, be would have lustined his appointment." The weather conditioos today prevented much progress in construction work on the coarse. Bain fell ia larrents nil morning and fairly Hooded the plane A large force of men have been engaged sad are awaiting favorable conditions to -tart working with extra team* to complete the till mi the far nun. rii, r were ■ number of arrivals from dlfl points during the past twentj !. ur hour-. Tin big racing establishment of Catesbj W Iford arrive.! from Kentucky last night In charge of Jack MrCnr u ii|. There wen twentj horses in the I "t and Included In the nuuilKT wort several star Shoot two yeai ■■bi-. also a brothel ,.• Boseben ami the - I three j ear-old Sonada. Every steamer and train i- adding big nun to the alreadj large concourse ..i horsemen and turf followers assembled here, and this staid and quaint city is undergoing a nan-! irmatlon in ii- personnel. It bow presents slmosl a metropolitan appearance. Bverj one ia enthusiastic over the prospects t..i a successful season of racing and there i- no doobl ihs i Charleston promises bettet for winter racing •ban has any poinl since the close al New Orleans. W.ll Informed politicians do* not Iih.u foe the passage sf snj antl racing leglslatl luring the approaching South Carolina Legislature. s, --.,n of the I h- preponderance of tocal sentiment appears lo be in favor of the sport. Man] who are no familiar fc win ili. -p,.rt are disposed to give II ., fair trial w before taking a stand for or against It. The man ngement will naturally make every effort to eliminate .-.ii objectionable features, with the idea of rs nine, racing on a permsueut bssia here.
