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TAB WESTERN BACING AT HAND InterMountain Circuit of Increasing Importance to Open at Coeur dAlene Saturday Spokane Wash April 23 With the opening of I the Associationsllieetinsr Cofur dAIcne Fair and Racing Associations llieetinsr t tl 41 i i I wason on the InterMountain circuit will be in ¬ augurated and for more than six mouths horsemen it followcrs of racing in the far west will have all the opjtortunity that could be desired for enjoy ing the great outdoor sport sportDevotees Devotees of racing back cast may not credit this interMountain circuit with being much In fact nly ° c llto tuat lt llas ltecn taken seriously i i i alornia siiid even now the meetings at Salt iiiC uttc Anaconda and Sitokane are sometimes dubbed bush miclings out this way Tills x pression however is not as fashionable In coast sporting circles as it was a while back and the no ¬ tion that the racing at the places named which make up the InterMountain circuit proper is of the county fair variety has about been knocked out lucre may be followers of the sport in the east to whom the meetings of racing out among the y Mountains suggest halfmile tracks with iii dilapidated fences and overlooked by sheds which liave been designed by the appellation grandstand but no conception could be more erroneous The racing plants of the InterMountain circuit cities will compare favorablv with any other four In the country on which racing Is now regularly conducted Ahey are all full mile regulation courses wide well graded and as nearly perfectly drained as is possible and their appointments grandstands stables etc leave little to be desired The Alan track near t okane and the Lagoon plant between Salt Lake and Ogden both brand new last season are strictly modern and uptodate in every way and are uni ¬ formly liked by horsemen who have raced at old fashioned tracks There is no reason why it should be otherwise Spokane and Salt Lake arc not oidy two of the most attractive but as well two of the most thriving cities of their class in the country while Butte with something like 0000 population has a monthly pay roll of more than a million dol ¬ lars to liven things up and to compensate for its lack of millionaire residents and architectural beauty That racing has a strong hold in these cities is attested by the uniformily large crowds at the tracks Last season from the opening at La ¬ goon on Decoration Day until the windup at Spo ¬ kane in October the average daily attendance ex ¬ ceeded 2000 a noteworthy showing for a season of 120 racing days There were as many as twenty books In line at the meetings and the layers num ¬ bered some of the heaviest operators from the block In the country There countryThere is every reason to believe that the coming season will surpass that of 1911 in the quality of the racing in attendance and in the volume of ring business The reservations for stabling accommoda ¬ tions at the Alan track assure that there will be a greater number and a better average class of horses racing on Ihis circuit than in any previous season The indications are that close to 500 horses will be quartered in and about the Alau track on opening day and more arc coming soon after the opening Ten stakes ranging in value from 1000 to 5000 which is the guaranteed value of the Derby with daily purses of not less than 1800 have this year appealed to horsemen who have never raced in the Rocky Mountain country Henry Mc Danicl W H Fizer and others who have heretofore figured in racing in Kentucky aud eastern Canada arc already quartered at the Idaho track and fur ¬ ther accessions are expected from eastern points No race meetings are better conducted than are those of the InterMountain circuit aud in no sec ¬ tion is racing accorded in a greater degree the in ¬ dorsement and support of the best business and so ¬ cial elements of the communities There were many visiting followers of the sport on the circuit last year and the California delegation at least will be much greater this season the delightful climatic conditions of the region contributing in no small measure to tills end With only six racing days layoff required for shipping from Spokane to Salt Lake City and from the Utah city to Butte the rac ¬ ing will be practically continuous to the close of the Anaconda meeting September 21 Then after a break of two weeks on account of the Montana Washington and Utah State Fairs the second meet ¬ ing of the Lagoon track begins October 7 It will continue as long as favorable weather conditions obtain and the weather in that suction is usually pleasant until the middle of November so that all told there will be more than 150 days racing on the circuit circuitAll All the leading hotels and apartment houses In SjMkaue Coeur dAIcne and Post Falls arc rapidly filling up with racing enthusiasts It is expected that at least twenty books will be in line on opening duy The ring will be open to reputable bookmakers in good standing standingThe The racing plant at Alan is twentytwo miles distant from Six kane one and onehalf miles from Post Falls and six miles from Coeur dAlene dAleneThe The transportation will be ideal Electric and steam railroads will convey passengers from Spo ¬ kane to the track in thirtyfive minutes minutesThe The officials of the Coeur d Alone Fair and Racing Association are M D Wright president Frank W Smith secretary Robert Leighton presiding judge Phil Reilly associate judge and liandicappcr Rich ¬ ard Dwvcr starter Sam McGibben clerk of the scales J C Dinuc paddock judge and timer Rich ¬ ard Dwyer steward representing the Pacific Jockey Club ClubThe The chief racing feature for the first day of the meeting will be the Opening Handicap the cligibles for which include Arascc Meadow Pride of Lis more Irish Gentleman Prince Ahmed Rose Queen Jim Basev Ymlr Cluay Closer Uncle Ben Eu field Pawhuska Balronia Amorct Gelico Flying Footsteps Oxer Dr Dougherty and Ada Meade MeadeThe The 200 additional stalls the construction of which begun last week have been completed and are ready for occupancy mong occupancymong the prominent layers who arc expected to book ou the opening day are Joe Rose George Rose W R Engstrom Sam Bradley Horace Paul W Armstrong Edward Sonle Byron McNutt Frank Bain John Lewis and Roy Offutt OffuttEverything Everything is in readiness for Saturdays opening far as the plant is concerned The same thing applies to the horses Most of those quartered here arc ready to start startJack Jack McGovorns car containing his and the Harris and Knight horses arrived yesterday There were In nil thirteen horses In the car L W Hicks car of twelve arrived from El Paso PasoJockey Jockey Hill arrived from Juarez where he rode successfully He is still an apprentice apprenticeSocretarv Socretarv Frank W Smith of the racing associa ¬ tion announced yesterday that lie would give to the window trimmer who had the best decorated window on the opening day a season pass to the race meet ¬ ing The windows arc to be decorated in green and white whiteThe The association will also give a season pass to the lady having the best decorated automobile on the opening day The car must be decorated In green and white
