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I . HAVANAS VALUABLE RACE OF TOMORROW. Little Nephew in Training Narcissus a Good Filly Imperator Ready to Race. By T. K. Lynch. Havana, Cuba, December 23. The Christmas Handicap for all ages at one mile, is of the value of ,000, and the distance is not too far for a two-year-old to give a good account of himself. The course which is improving daily should be faster than last year by that time, and one of the best local performances from a time standpoint may be looked for. There is an abundance of good material at Oriental Park that is ready to race, and a field of goodly proportions may go to the post. As two-year-olds automatically become three-year-olds a week after Christmas a youngster of quality of that age is often dangerous in races at a mile and even a mile and a quarter during the winter months. It is a matter of record that Lissak won the 0,000 Spreckles Handicap, at San Francisco., of a mile and a quarter when racing was nt-ife"heights in California. The speedy gelding Little Nephew, a good two-year-old the same season as Old Rosebud achieved his laurels, is at Oriental Park in tile stable of J. U. Strode. If he comes to the post in anything like the form he displayed when lie was chasing Old Rosebud, lie should make the best sprinters :it the track strain there necks to beat him. He was unfortunate in being out the same year as Rosebud. It is a matter of fact that the late Woodford Clay sold the phenomon gelding Roamer to Andrew Miller because he was so easily beaten by Old Rosebud. Roamer trained on and was at one time the fastest horse in training, while the Applegate champion broke down in tiic Withers Stake at Helmont Park. The filly Narcissus, which won on Saturday for Senor Alverez, cost 00 hist winter when bought from J. O. Keene. She is by Samson, a comparatively unknown sire, whose chief claim to fame is that lie is the sire of the well-known plater Jawbone. Narcissus can beat a much better band than she vanquished on Saturday. She was the only one of the Alverez stable that trainer Burke took to the United States last spring. She was ready to race at Saratoga, but struck herself and had to be thrown out of training. There are quite a number of horses with defective under-pinning, which would be much benefited by salt-water baths. The Playa at Marianao is only a short walk from Oriental Park, and it is surprising that owners of sore or crippled animals do not resort to the water cure. The bathing of race horses at the sea shore was a custom witli such experts as "Father Hill" Daly and Hilly Lakeland at Brighton Beach in years past. Some famous coups have been pulled off by trainers of bad -legged horses, which had their preparation by swimming them behind a boat. The horse gets his work in this way without any weight on his back, and he will stand training just so much longer under such circumstances. Trainer Rathman, who is training the Cuban-I owned horse Imperator, has him looking quite fit. He has put on considerable weight and appears ready to run. Rathman expects this horse to do great tilings during this meeting.
