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+ — — * n NEW YORK RACING SEASON TO OPEN TODAY UNDER MORE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS THAN THOSE OF LAST YEAR * ■ [ ■ ■ 1 ! ■ • - I . " 1 1 New York. May 25.— Racing, revived a year ago alter two years of inactivity, promises to develop this season" into the healthy, robust sport of other real! under the careful nursing of the Jockey Club and the support of many new enthusiasts who have come to the rescue of tried and true patrons of the sport. Belmont Park, the finest appointed race track in the country, will tomorrow be the scene of the opening of the season with nearly 1.000 horses to carry on the sport, day after day, until June 20, when the scene will shift to the Queens County Jockey Club track at Aqueduct. Ihe A.picduct meeting will last until July 10. alter which the Empire City meeting at Toakera will fill i:i the time until July 80, when the cx.mIus for Saratoga will take place, with the- prospect of a full month id high class sport at the Spa. In the quality of the young horses the Belmont Park meeting promises to be remarkable. Last year there were only a few three-year-olds of merit, hut the revival l the apart brought out a crop of good two year obis, several of which promise to develop into sterling no crs. The youngsters ot the piesent s.-ason are even more promising, and th" railbirds are already talking id the James Duller string, which has put in its appearance al ihe track. These are the coits and tilli.s which Mr. Butler in light from the James H. Kerne estate last year One Of the beat is Fair Count, by Voter --lei i to. a brother to Ballot. Tins colt will in 1 make his appearance until the Laureate Stakes on the last day of the meeting. Among the Sutler eligibies for the Juvenile on the second day of the meeting are Kilkenny Boy, a half-brother to Celt: High Noon, a brother to Meeting House, ami Pebbles, half-brother to Bnaaymede and Ultimo. According to good judges, the best of the Butler tw. veil olds will have their work cut out for tin in when they meet Bad Dans The Masquer; ader, which comes to Belmont Park from Piuiiico with an unbeaten record. line of the chief features of the mooting will be the steoplechasins. and it is doubtful if there ever were so many turfmen interested in this branch of the sport. August Belmont is a recruit to the "chasing ranks, and two of his jumpers. Mission and Merry Task, won races through tile field Jt Dinilieo. Mrs. Payne Whitney will have a number of good lumpers, including the 0,000 Mar •elliuus. recently imported from Kngltimi; Web Carter, Ballet ami Virile. These will raoe uu.Ui Hie colors of II. D. Whitney, owing to the death of Mrs. Whitneys mother. There will be a steeple chase on the aid ■early evcrv day. with Hi.- e option of the days mi which the Country Club races aie held at Drrokline. Tarfmea from tin- west ami south are expected in much larger numbers than last year, owing to llm tact that here will be sport every day ill the week. The only exceptions to this rale are on June :: and 0, when the Piping Bock meeting will draw the racing crowd, and on June .». the opening day of thi international polo matches. In the aecoad day of the polo the races will be brought for ward so that the raee-goera may leave iu time to s. e the game at Meadow Dick. Dig crowds an- expected for the opening and 0:1 Decoration Bay, when special trains will be run leaving the Pennaa Ivania Station, New York, and rTatbnah, at l2:.-:o. 12:13. 1:00. 1:13. 1:30, 1:40, 1:50 and 1:53. other trains will be run if aeeea nary, in the other race days trains will leave al 12:::u and at intervals up to 1:35. Private bettlag, m-called, will be permitted at Belmont Dark, under certain restrictions, base.! U|on court decisions on the anti bookmaking law-1 District Attorney L- w is Smith, of Nassau County. outlined the situation in a talk with the sheriff alio tii~~ deputies Saturday, while .the management ot the Westchester Racing Asaoclatiou also sent word to the Plakertou Agency to enforce new rules re garding apecalatiag, regardless of consequences. If one goes to the track and happeaa to meet aoaaehody who will lay odds on a certain horse, one cm make .111 oral wager, which may be on a card One can hand this memorandum to the layer ami a settlement in cash is permissible after the last race within the race track inclosuro or outside tin gates. Deposita arc to be allowed to be made prior to the running of the first race only. The Nassau Countv nut horities will not interfere with these legal rights of the individual, according to instructions received by the sheriff. But tiny will strictly enforce the law against booktnaking. F which has been defined by the courts as the busy ness of laying odds, soliciting and recording beta in a fixed place. If ttie sheriffs men find persons taking oral wagers from all comers day after day. arrests will follow and the evidence will be sub milted to flic Nassau County grand jury, which will be kept iu session during the entire meeting. In order to prevent violations of the law the v, track management has instructed the Pfakertoaa to notify the professional element which usually | lays odds that these things will not he tolerated: Standing in a fixed place to accept oral wagers. . ,, Displaying odds and soliciting bets from all ,. coiners. in M Recording wagers in pockets. | Cash payments liefore the last race is run. District Attorney Smith feels sure that the ,, county authorities will be able to enforce the laws as they have Ihhmi interpreted by the courts. to 1 "So long as the law, as it now stands upon the | subject of bookaaaksag remaiaa on the statute books. ;, irrespective of whether it may be in accord with ;. your or my jiersnnal views as to what it should be. it is our duty to see to it that the law is upheld and enforced," he said to the sheriff and his deputies. | "If you observe any violations of the law it will become your duty to stop them and to arrest the t offender, take him before the nearest magistrate and t enter a complaint against him. "You must also remember that among the pet sos who will congregate at the track will be many highly respected and good citizens. Ton will not | Interfere with or trespass on the rights of any y such people, who may come to the track for a days | pleasure or entertainment, so long as they are j orderly and do not violate the law. If you should , arrest a person without proper cause you would t then be invading the rights of such persons and do- j ing an injustice and wrong." bung into the matter of private wagers, the . district attorney said: . "An ordinary l et made between two individuals J is not a crime, whether that bet be made with or without a memorandum or writing, as I understand aad Interpret the law on this subject, in fact, if vou should observe two men making more than one bet in a given day at the race track, that of itself does not constitute a crime, providing neither one ! the parlies is acting in the capacity of a liook- J maker. The district attorney, to illustrate the meaning of the term "bookinaking." quoted the Court of 1 Appeals decision in the Licliteustoin and I.angan I cases, to th.- effect that the practice consists of 1 "soliciting and inducing the public to take chances in the carefaUy ffgared plan and scheme of the I bookmaker." The Lambda case, also decided by the Court of I tppeals. was cited to show that a bettor who records I his wager is not amenable to the law. The Sham . ase. which was passeil en by Supreme Court Justice Scudder and unanimously a Aimed hi the Appellate Division, also was quoted by the district attorney. I together with an opinion handed down last summer j by Justice Niemann of Nassau County. 1m |1i of ] .vlii.-h were based upon the rulings of the Court of I Appeals. i file sheriff and his deputies were instructed to ] keep a sharp watch for professional gamblers who 1 1 might not be willing to obey the rubs of the . track or the interpretations of the law as laid down by the prosecuting officer. Turfmen, in view of t tile facts, believe that there will be mole freedom 1 it Belmont Dark this year than at anv time sin..- . lie passage ot the Hart Agnew laws. Tile Belmont Dark course is at its best and miles : in better than 1 : 10 base bean don,, by hemes m rorking. K. .1. Mackenzies stable, which includes Luck i horn, its candidate for the Metropolitan Handicap. lias arrived at the course. The II. D. Whitney horses, an exceedingly fine looking lot. have arrived at Belmont Dark from Brookdale, N. J. Ti" stable of H. C. Halleiibeck will he shipped ibortly to Montreal from New Jersey. Jockey l.onl leaves in a lew days for Kentucky, where he will attempt to obtain a license from la- racing commission.
