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LAST LAP AT CHARLESTON PALMETTO PARK MEETING TO ENTER UPON ITS FINAL WEEK TODAY. Season Has Not Been a Financial Success, but Management Will Not Face a Deficit Exodus to Other Tracks Begins. Charleston, S. C, December 27. Tomorrow will bring the beginning of the final week of the Charleston Fair and Racing Associations twenty-eight day meeting. The meeting will come to a close next Saturday. The exodus of owners and their horses to Havana and New Orleans, where meetings are toon to begin, has already commenced. The indications are that the horses that have raced here will be divided quite equally between Havana and New Orleans. Tho Palmetto Park meeting has not been a financial success, although it is understood that there will not be a deficit. With better weather than lias prevailed the association might have booked a lirollt in spite of the depression from which this city, in common with the rest of the south, 1 suffering. Weather conditions have been any thing but favorable? throughout the greater part of the meeting, but on fair days the patronage has been highly encouraging. Ou the- whole, the meeting has leen conducted in a way that hu-j won golden opinions for the management among th; horsemen. The only cause for criticism has been the syndicating of the betting ring and that was something that could not be helped, under existing conditions. The sport itself has been well supervised by the officials. Th final week will be ushered in with a muddy track and wintry weather, and as rain is still falling here tonight, there is little liklehood of a fast track for any of the remaining six days. For the feature of the closing week the management has provided the New Year Handicap, one mile and an eighth, witii a guaranteed value of .5Jt. Tills is for all aged horses and closed with twenty-three nominating. A good field will go to the post in this event, but Harry Shaw, winner of the Christmas Handicap and other races at this meeting, will not be a. starter, because his former owner. It. .T. Allison, did not nominate him. Racing . Secretary Nathnnsuu has filled out the rest of the. New 1car gd Jkn keeping with the holiday oc:isiun. and the Bpu Uiit day promises to. jie the best of the Puig". pjhoro was a considerable exodus-Saturday night Find today- to New Orleans and Havana-and social trains will run to loth places at intervals during the coming week. Judging from the- list- of reservations made for stall room at Nen Orleans that track will have plenty of horses tor its forty-one day meeting hut Havana will also get a goodly number. The first delegation of turfmen to leave for Havana departed Saturday night, while a large contingent left for New Orleans this afternoon. Among those who went to the Crescent City were Harry Shaw, W. 13: Burke, jockey Gu Burns, and many others well-known in turf circles. A special train earrylng horses will leave for New Orleans tomorrow afternoon. Tho racing hist weel, while not esjiceially forin-f ill, was interesting, and close finishes were the rule. The choices have Itcen having hard sledding all through the local meeting, but most of the winners have lieen well backed. Many of tho owners who contemplate racing in Havana will remain here until after the close of the local meeting next Saturday. A few are planning to whiter their horses here. Practically all of those who will race at New Orleans will have left before i In local meeting Is over. Steward .lack Campbell, who will be clerk of the scales tit New Orleans, will leave Tuesday night for that city. P.y his excellent riding last week jockey LI Hey jumped well up in the list of winning riders here, Ml, jockey B. Pool is still on top.
