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MAKY HAVANA DIVERSIONS RACING ONLY ONE OF THE MANY PLEASING ATTRACTIONS OF THE CUBAN CAPITAL. __ — i Splendid Bathing Beaches Lead to the Formation of Water Polo Teams — Track Grounds Brilliant with Tropical Flowers and Plants. Havana. Cuba, IKtemlior 21.— The winter mooting of 1915-HJ in Cuba was ushered in on Thursday last liefore one of the largest gatherings that ever turned out at Oriental Park. The attendance almost equalled that which was present to witness the Johnson-Willard tight here last March. The races were run over a last track and before a brilliant assemblage, which included besides President Men oca 1 and his family, the American Minister. William Gonzales, the British Minister and many other notables. Society was out in force, the lwixcs lieing filled with the first families on the island. The occasion was a gala one and between the running of the different races the Municipal band rendered a classic program. The horsemen are enthusiastic over the outlook and every indication points to a great meeting here this winter. The weather is as it should 1m- during the winter season. It is dry and balmy and the first-time visitors to the island are simply crazy over the climate. The hotels are well filled and the crowd here is much larger than last winter. The railroad, steamship offices and the hotel men claim that the list of reservations made this season is a record one for Cuba. There were fourteen liooks and fourteen pari-mutuel machines iu operation on Thursday and business was good, especially for the opening day of a winter meeting. Included in the list of hoiks was a combination liook and a foreign book which quoted odds on the Juarez races. Tue foreign I took is liciug operated by "Kid" McDonald of New Y rk. He will also liook on the New Orleans races when tluit meeting begins. Fred Cook is expected here next week and Torn Costigan is looked for after the h.didays. Johnny Walters and J. din Cav-auaugh may take a run down dining the winter to look the sport over. Iu fact, a great many New-workers have signified their intention of visiting Havana this winter. Christopher J. Fitzgerald, win Is acting as presiding steward, is enthusiastic over oriental lark. He was agreeably surprised at the splendid plant that manager Brown constructed here and has written many of his friends up iu the States about the meeting. ."•uk the summer a tremendous amount of work I a- •.one at the park, which is now one of the show i aces on the island. The rough spots that were re lest winter are now covered with a thick arpet of grass and over LOOO rose beds, palms : n ! other tropical plants have been set out by the • l.-iidscape gardener, who is employed by the club to i l.t;aif the place. The grand lioulevard leading from Havana direct 1o Mariauao has been continued I through the park directly to the grandstand and I there is now no liotter driveway iu the world than i this famous boulevard. • Ah to the track proper, all the flattering reports l sent up previous 10 the opening have been keCM out. Horses arc working over it seconds faster than they ran lasi winter and on the opening day track rcc-ords were bowled over in nearly every race. The mile and a sixteenth was run seven seconds faster than last winters record, and In the second Water IJly ran the live-eighths in l:H»i;.. Young Harry Brown is entitled to the credit for the condition of the track. He has licen here for several months 1 regrnding and resoiling it and has worked like a Trojan on the Job. The soil, which is of sandy loam, has been pronounced admirable for the purpose and predictions are made that many records 1 will l e made over Oriental Park in the future. : The track is springy, a good deal like the old 1 Brighton Bench track, according to Mr. Fitzgerald. Jockey Taplin go in fn m California aliout a week ago Mid is in splendid condition. Bedwell :ind he are a 1 lucky combination and that astute horseman can lie J del ended upon to will his share «.f the purses here tills winter. There are a ii,.r..hcr of go.wi fat keys l.cro. Besides Troxler and Taplin there are Schut-liner. Pari ingou. Bond. I.apail.e. Allen. Wolstcn-hobn. Connelly. Ward. Hanover. Meriaata, Dejrte and young J. P. Ryan. The latter is under contract to the Captain Cassatt stable and is here f;.r the winter. The club distributed in purses .S0O on the opening day and a Lhcral iilicy has lieen mapped out 1 liy the* management iu their treatment of the horse-iicii. Tlicre is no gainsaying the fact that H. ! . Brown lias always made it a point to raise the ; ■grana as iiimh M pHhh wherever he has given 1 a nu-etiug. Oriental Park U one of Mr. Browns • |iet hobbies and he is anxious to make the meetings iu Ctibn the greatest ever given during a 1 v. in er season. Havana is certainly an ideal place to spend the winter months. There are many attractions here MIh the races and all lalk about not being , able to gel good things to eat here is ;i:.iply J foolish. The staff who were iu charge of the C«snio|iolitan las! . i;it r have moved over to the . Telegrafo. "ratty" Phillips was expected hero to , take charge of tl.e litter place, but he did not t turn up. The management of the Plaza found it t iioeoMsary to construct two more stories to their place t accommodate the crowds. The betel at the track entrance is Metal with , not a room vacant. There are many more rooms available this winter, however, and there are plenty of ntneaa for all who are coming. A majority of I tlie pe .pie up in the States, who have never been here, have no idea of wh:«t a great city Havana is. It is m-xlern and up-to-date with a [ population close to 500.000. There are splendid 1 driven, a beautiful water treat, ideal bathing beadies and a climate that simply cant be lx-at. All those who were here last winter, with but few . exceptions, are back and besides a lot of new faces • can be ■■■■ in the crowds at the track. Otto , Tc.vnsond. who spent many racing seasons in California and Juarez, threatens ;,, Im-coui-- a native. Pigan Denny, who is here from Kentucky with I some of his" norses. simply raves over the place, and Hani Kcene says it is the greatest winter racing 1 |K»int in the world. He looks for his brother lack Keene here fur a visit after tho holidays. G. Alexandra, who switched at the last moment f and came to Cuba, has written many of his friends . In New York «l»out Havana and is lond in his s •raise of Oriental Park and the- management, iiiete is something about this place that fastens itnelf upon one and you just simply become a bug v. lieu von talk Bteal Cuba. I The" boys have alr-ady formed water polo teams i and the beach every morning is crowded with swimmer.-. Abe Kempoer and Chris Fitzgerald are regu-larv at the Ilaya and "Handriding" Murphy. Clar-« . ne«. Herbert. wllltani Itirnie. Slim Ownsliey. Kddie -, Taplin. Bore! and all "f the rest of the hunch are , down there every morning. There is- a new car r •• . whi-h runs to the Ilaya. One can step on i *;■* the Ilaza or Manhattan and be lauded right I ?. tl.e l each. V se Cohlhlatt is due here about Thursday next with the Jefferson Livingston stable. He wired 1 that he would ship from Juarez on Saturday, which i would land him in New Orleans in time for Tuesdays lM at fir Havana. He is bringing Iron Mask. Uri- Kriugle. Oihello and. in fact, all of the horses li ■ shipped l« he Mevoan track from Kentucky. The tie. pie away from here are beginning to real ize that raeiug in Cuba has come to slay and that t the s|.ort here is certain to develop into a most t strnendous one. Starter Milton, who is a great favorite with the I natives, having started in Cuba last winter and at the meetings of the old Almandares track, is back again. Mr. Milton is sending the fields away iu his usual excellent manner. He also assists Mr. Brown iu looking after many of the important details in the management of the plant and it was he who superintended the transportation of the big band of horses that came here from the Maryland tracks.
