view raw text
SOME OTHER INDUCEMENTS RACING NOT THE ONLY ENTERTAINMENT IN STORE FOB NEW ORLEANS PILGRIMS. Pugilism and Baseball to Supplement the Main Sport Many Coming Two -Year-Olds Being Taught Tksir Future Vocation. By J. L. Dempsoy. New Orleans, La., December 10. Augmented by many persons, who are paying their first visit to a winter race track in years, the turf colony in the Crescent City continues to grow daily, and, according to officials of railroads and hotels, who are well-informed authorities, the number of visitor here now is within a few hundred of the maximum number at any time last winter with the exception of Mardi Gras week, and the race meeting of tin; Business Mens Racing Association is still two weeks off. Each new one reports that there will be a general influx here from the north and east during the holidays. There are at present 750 horses stabled within the Fair Grounds and there never was. at any time, a better gathering of well-conditioned horses at any race track. Owners and trainers have begun to "tighten up" their charges and. with the excellent weather which is now prevailing, they have ample opportunity to give them plenty of work. Fast moves are being reported daily and, with the unusually large number of high-class stake and handicap horses here, it is more than probable that several new track records will be made during the coming winter. The coming two-year-olds are especially well advanced in their training, and now that they are being schooled at the barrier daily by assistant starter Jim Osborne they should be in fine fettle to contest for honors. The juvenile contingent numbers about 170, and some of the best sires are represented. There are many imported near two-year-olds here and the juvenile races this winter no doubt will fill much better than in previous years. Among the youngsters at the Fair Grounds are some which are the last of the get of Abe Frank, the sire of Pan Zareta, and others the first get of The Manager, Major T. C. McDowells former great race horse. Every branch of sport will be represented at the Fair Grounds meeting, especially baseball. Among the prominent figures in the baseball world who are here for the winter are Bill Rrennan, umpire of National League fame, and who is now officiating in the Winter league which plays here on Sundays, Harry Mclntyre, formerly of the Cubs. Claude Keudrix, who was a sensation with the Pirates a few years back, "Chick" Gandel, Harry Dobar, Jake Atz and others. The boxing profession will also have plenty of representation. Former champion Abe Attell has been here for several weeks, and he has announced his intention of becoming a layer in the palm garden. Boxing is on the highest plane possible in this city and many contests which will bring together the best fighters in the business, are being arranged here for. during the winter months while the race meeting is in progress. Starter A. B. Dade is now the only official who is not here and he is taking a vacation, after his strenuous work during the spring, summer and fall seasons in the North and East. He is expected to arrive about a week before the meeting opens. Nominations to the first of the stakes to be run here, the New Years Handicap, will close on Christmas Day. It is expected that this will be one of the best filled stakes of the new year and it should prove a good contest as it will bring together a band of fresh horses, including several stake winners at many of Americas best tracks during the past summer and fall. Racing secretary McLennan will announce the weights a few days afer the nominations close. Herman Conkling, who will have charge of jockey engagements, as well as serving as patrol judge, says that he has received assurance from a number of the best riders in the country that they will be here, and he expects the jockey colony to be even larger than last winter. Conkling has been here for several days and has everything in his department straightened out. The innovation of having him look after the jockeys mounts, instead of having jockeys agents, has proved highly successful here, and it has been lauded by the racing public as well as the owners, trainers and the jockeys. Despite the fact that Pan Zareta raced here numerous times last winter, owner II. S. Newman is daily besieged with requests by local race-goers to see her. She is undoubtedly the most popular horse at the track and her appearance on the course in her morning work attracts much interest. Many of the natives go over to the Newman stable to take a better look at her and, even though she did not make the showing that was expected of her last winter, she has not lost a single admirer. The mare never looked better than at the present time and, after her long rest, she undoubtedly will make even such horses as Leochares and Chalmers hustle to beat her.
