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JUDGE MURPHY OPTIMISTIC FINDS EVERYTHING IN SHIPSHAPE ORDER AND PREDICTS SUCCESSFUL MEETING. Horses, Both Young and Old, to bo Thoroughly Schooled Stables from East and West Arriving Daily. New Orleans, La., December 12. Judge Joseph A. Murphy arrived in the city Sunday and found everything in shipshape order, as Jack Campbell and Joe McLennan, his two chief lieutenants, have been on the job attending to the preliminary arrangements for the meeting, and they have everything running smoothly. "I am highly gratified with the wav I found things upon my arrival," said Judge Murphv, "and I look for this to be the biggest and best meeting here in recent years." In order that owners and trainers may have plenty of time in which to get their coming two-year-olds accustomed to facing the barrier, assistant starter Osborne tomorrow will begin schooling the youngsters at the gate. The hours of schooling will be from 10 to 12 oclock. Judge Joseph A. Murphy instructed Osborne to make a careful note of the juveniles, which he schools, as well as the older horses, and to report to him as to their post habits. He said that bad actors would not be tolerated during the meeting and that he would give trainers of such animals every possible chance to improve their actions at the barrier before barring them from races. Weather conditions improved today and, under a warm sun, the course dried out rapidly. There were plenty of horses out for work today, but fast time was out of the question. By tomorrow the going should be better than ever, as the recent rain served to settle the track. A. L. Rogers arrived today from Kentucky with four horses and word was received from William Woodard that he will be here tmorrow with four. He will bring two of his own and two belonging to J. McClelland. The latter has nothing but yearlings here. Charley Casey got in yesterday with fourteen horses belonging to Grant Hugh Browne, and this makes sixteen this stable has here. Fair Mac, the imported Irish horse, belonging to Browne, and another one of his string have been here for several days. Andrew Blakeley also brought fourteen horses belonging to a wealthy New Yorker, for whom he has been training all this year. The racing firm of Gatewood and Buckner brought along five horses. They came from the Gatewood ranch in Kansas. Herman Conkling, who will have charge of making the jockeys engagements at the meeting, got in from New York. Several other easterners also came in yesterday. Judge Murphy is having compiled a list of the coming two-year-olds stabled at the track, and as far as the work has progressed, he has found that the owners who are going to race here did not hesitate to bring their well-bred youngsters with them. He said he was hopeful that the turf governing bodies in the east and north would amend their ruling, which bars two-year-olds from starting before April, so that it will not be so drastic. Many of the owners racing here have not as yet named their two-year-olds, and Judge Murphy is urging upon them the necessity of having tliem registered with the Jockey Club as soon as possible, so that they will be eligible to start at the Fair Grounds.
