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CHARLESTON A HORSE HAVEN A. K. MACOMBERS GREAT BAND OF STARS IN THRIVING CONDITION. Royal II., in the Livingston String, A Grand Appearing Horse — John Sanford Has Many Fine Looking Maidens at the Track. By T. K. Lynch. Charleston. S. C, December 31. — At no racing ground in America is there gathered together a grander lot of thoroughbreds than those being wintered at the Palmetto Park track near Charleston. There are about 180 horses here and collectively they represent the choicest Hood that has been imported from both England and France during the past two years. There is also a goodly representation of American-bred ones in the different stables BCd it would be a hard matter to find a more vulu-al le lot than those quartered at the Charleston Jockey Clubs course. The climate of South Carolina is particularly adapted for the thoroughbred during the cold months. They appear to thrive and do better here than further up north and if one is to judge by tin-appearance of the horses in the different stables here then this is the ideal spot to winter at. Away back in the nineties South Carolina was a favorite wintering place for John J. McCaf ferty. when he campaigned a formidable string on the Metropolitan turf. W. P. Purch also favored this locality and in later years William C. Whitney. H. K. Knapp and Thomas Hitchcock selected Aiken, S. .. as a good spot to winter the thoroughbred. Last season P. T. Chinn shipped the youngsters he purchased in England to Palmetto Park and William Jennings and Holly Hughes brought the Macomber and Sanford horses here. S. A. Clopton wintered the J. O. Talbott string here last year and went north in the spring and won a number of races at the early meetings. Put what the racing public is more interested in is what is going on here this winter. Macomber s Great String. The most important Stable o:i the grounds is that of Mr. A. K. Macomber. whose big string is in f barge of William Jennings. There are fifty-one in the stable and, despite their number, it would be a hard task to pick one that could really be called a bad looker. They are as fine a band of racers as could be gathered together and it is doubtful if any one turfman at any one time had as many stars in his string as has Mr. Macomber at present. There is not a sick horse in the stable. The appearance of the horses as mentioned above speaks volumes for the careful attention that Jennings has bestowed on them. Naturally there are seme favorites in the big string, but like all true livers of the horse. Jennings sees something good in every one of the fifty-one. Sunbonnet and Star Hawk liotli have a warm spot in the heart of their great trainer. "That is the gamest horse I ever trained." said Jennings, when showing Star Hawk to the writer. "He is really a wonderful colt and -hould never have been beaten last season. Of course, I cant train and ride them, too. and Star Hawk was particularly unfortunate in being the victim of poor handling on several occasions." All of the horses in Jennings care with the exception of the three most recent arrivals. North Star. Kings Joker and War Star, are high in flesh. The] have spread and thickened out since their retirement last fall and. better still, the flesh they have rut on is good and hard. Sunlioiinet is developing ilto a grand looking filly and should be very troublesome in the Oaks next spring. She has the speed and in her private trials late in the fall showed that she can carry it as far as horses arc asked to go. There are so many good looking horsese in this big establishment that it would take columns if one were to write about each individual. The Cock. who went a bit wrong last season is taking his daily gallops and is as sound as a bell. He is a fine individual and if looks count for anything he should amply reward the patience that Jennings has bestowed on him during the past season. E 1 Crump, the biggest winner in the Joint . Schorr stable in ] ll ; lias spread out a lot and is a picture borne. The three-year-old Dick Williams is an other that has done particularly well since his retirement. Roots, whose feet bothered him a bit all last year, even when he was running those senna tional races, is going absolutely sound. He, too, looks much improved since his arrival here. Dodge will be a pinch bigger horse next season. All of these horses are taking their daily gallops and although big and lusty; look hard. There are brothers and sisters to most of the good horses brought over by Mr. Macomber, from England last year. There are a couple by Sir Goffrey. an unfashionable sire, but one of them is an extra good looker. There are half a dozen yearlings by Dade in t Instable and they are a uniformly good looking lot. North Stars Appearance. Very little has been done with North Star since his arrival. The colt hurt one of his knees en route from the other side, but the injury looks of a slight nature and is responding to treatment. North Star is a bit light in Hash and looks like a colt that had a hard taskmaster fitting him for his engagements, as a matter of fact Mr. Jul was of this opinion and has already engaged a new trainer for next year. North Star is a clean cut. muscular looking chap, and when Mr. Jennings sends him to the races next spring he will In- a different looking horse than he is right now. It is a pity that he was not here a month or six weeks soeacr s,, ils to give his trainer a better chance to build him up before starting to give him a Derby prep. 11 he does cot show up so well early in the spring, North Star is sure to be a good colt later on In the fall. Kings Joker is an immense horse. He is tremendous and looks all over the great sprinter his people claim he is. He looks up to any sort of weight and if he can go a route should be a real gcod race horse. However, he showed in his races in England that he has plenty of speed, so he should keep the sprinters busy next season when he meets them. Kings Joker shipped in particularly good shape. The Macomber string occupy the stables at the lower end of the track which formerly housed the horses owned by R. F. Carman, F. J. Pons and Robert Davies. Mr. Jennings has this part of the coarse fenced off and really has a private training ground all by himself. He purchased a team of mules on his arrival here and his men keep the track in splendid shape. The track proper is better than at any time since it was built. It dried out fast and is always in good condition to gallop over. Jefferson Livingstons Horsee. At the tipper end of the course, just at the lead of the hone stretch, are located the stables of Jef-lerson Livingston. John Sanford and Edward Trot ter. The hitters bernes occupy stalls in the shed row. while the Livingston and Sanford horses lill up the five big stables at that end of the track. The Livingston horses are in charge of that com Detent young trainer. Louis Tnuber. and he has certainly got them in grand shape. One home in particular looks greatly Improved since Tnuber took him over and that is tin- Euglish-hri d colt. Royal II.. winner of the Latonia Derby. When Royal II. enase to Canada after winning the Latonia Derby he was drawn and tucked up. with every Indication of being a delicate door. Tauber has him looking like a truck horse and if lie is not a shifty sort of a customer next spring Ill miss my raens. Royal II. was always a colt that liked to run g 1 ami fresh and Tauber surely has him big and strong. Hanlon is another one of the imported ones that looks particularly good. In fact, all of the horses in Tanlliers care have improved wonderfully in looks. Even the little yearling, full sister to Meddling Miss, that Mr. Livingston purchased of Francis .1. Cons, has grown a lot and. while she is the smallest yearling in the stable, she is a well turned and trim looking youngster, just the sort that -hould cine to hand early. Immediately on Tubers arrival here he set to work fixing up his -table and soon had it in excellent order. M. Anderson, who rod" for Peter Sheridan in Cl nada last season, is galloping horses for Mr. Livingston. The lad is a son of an attorney in Knox-ville. Tenn.. and is an unusually bright chap. He got into some sort of a mix-up at Montreal last spring and. being unaware of a ruling against him, Id- at the fall meeting at Havre de Grace, but Was prevented from accepting mounts at Uiurel. Since then he has obtained his release front Mr. Sheridan and is anxious to straighten out his differences, with the Canadian authorities so that he can ride in Kentucky. Anderson is working hard here ami gallops half a dozen horses every morning. Sanford Stable and George Smith. Scond in importance to none and what may prove a most formidable string i oxr season is the band of racers that John Sanford. of Amsterdam. N. Y.. has here in charge of trainer "Holly" Hughes and young Preston Lurch who acts as manager of the stable. Hughes is one of the younger generation of trainers. He is a bright, manly chap, full of enthusiasm and better still one who does not talk too much. He is a polished gentleman, polite and courteous, willing to show one about the establishment and make the visit a most pleasant one. Hughes, like his fellow trainers here, has his horses in grand condition. He had one or two sick ones vhich developed a bit of fever en route, but all have fully recovered and are doing well. There are thirty-one horses in the Sanford string and thirty of them are maidens. The single exception is George Smith, the Kentucky Derby winner, who occupies Pox No. 1. The string is made up of three-year-olds, two-year-olds anil yearlings. Many of them have never started and all are grand lookers. Just think: Thirty of them are maidens. If appearances count for anything there will not be many maidens among the lot when another racing season rolls by. Oeotge Smith is evidently the pride of the -table, as he has every reason to lie. He is a great 1 dg, strong horse, having thickened out wonderfully over his two-year-old feint. He is a different looking horse entirely than he was when he was here in the string of Edward McRride and stabled in the shed row. Mr. Sanford has in his band horses bred in France, England and the United States. He has a number of good leaking Star Shoots, Meteorite, by Star Snoot— Hamburg Pelle: Folklore, by Star Shoot — Tradition, and a colt called Starlight being rnssag the number. He has a couple of two-year-olds, one by Neil Gow and another by Romberg, which are particularly good looking. Neil Gow ami Lcmberg finished hftsds mart in the K«s*eu Devby There are also in the stable several fine -looking yearlings by Voter, who. by the way, is now the property of Mr. Sanford. 1nlike many of the Voters, these youngsters are big. solid looking fellows, of splendid conformation and substance. They are out of high bred mares and I will be greatly disappointed if there are not a couple of cracks among the number. The get of this stallion h:.ve always been considered hard horses to train, lut Hughes. I believe is partial to the Voters, and they must have shown him something to be so sweet on them. Ed. Trotter Has a Hardy lot. Edward Trotter has a half dozen here in winter quarters. A. N. Akin Mid Black Broom are among them. Trotter pursues different tactics than other trainers in regard to wintering his horses. He has several paddocks built outside the grounds and they are all turned out every day and allowed to rough it. They have hair on them like goats and the gioom is never permitted to pat a brush on them until the time arrives to take them up in the spring. When Trotter starts to train them they are all clipped and shaped up. Much attention is given to their feet, however, and some of them have had light blisters applied to their ankles and tendons. Trotters horses are all in good health and doing well. They occupy the stalls in the shed row that Hick Williams stabled in while here. Cliff Hamilton has the E. R. Rradley horses on the hill in the stable that was built for J. S. Tyree when his horses were lice in charge of J. J. Me-Caffcrty. Hamilton had a bit of bad luck in losing the two-year-old Frig er io shortly after his arrival. The colt unloaded in apparently good condition, but i.uickly developed fever aid died. The remainder of Mr. Bradleys horses are in splendid condition. Like the other trainers here, llanimon has a number of imported horses in his cnie. He is a hard and conscientious worker and spt ads most of his time about the barn. Jockey Lowdcr. who i; here with the Bradley Stable, will leave for He v Orleans next week and will ride for W. Hurley at that meeting. Clarence Turner is here with the Macomber stable ■ad trainer Jennings say* that he is one of the hardest workers he has. Jennings, by the way. has no less than fifty-three lien and boys working for him. Turner appears to lave realized the error of his ways and if he is rest red to good standing will undoubtedly be a different sort of a lad. Jennings s:.ys that if Turner suco eds in getting his license again his riding will be confined strictly to the horses in Mr. Macoinbers stable. John Loftus is also here with the Macomber stable. He will not ride at any of the winter tracks, but will remain bare until the stable leaves for Kentucky in the spring. Neither will any of the Macomber horses race at New Orleans as was printed in reports sent out from the Crescent City few days back. Mr. Jennings decided that it would be taking too great a risk shipping them so far for a few days of racing, as they would be run only in stake engagements Lary Carey stopped off lire en route to New Orleans and spent the after-i-oon visiting with Mr. Jcinings at tin- com -e. Gossip About Charleston Folks. "Puddiii" MeDaiiiel was here for a few days arranging for stable room for the Grant Hugh lirowne horses, which are expect* to arrive after the holidays. They will be stab:ed in the shed row near the main entrance to the track. Andrew Malone. who need Carlton G. when that horse was a pretty fair sort of a plater, is in the rntomobile business in Charleston. There are no saloons here and the town is as tight as a drum. There a •• many vacant stores on King street and the slump in business is said t„ I ave been due to the change in the city administration. The one business tint is booming here is the automobile business and matte Sotilhe. who is well known to the horsemen wl.o raced here, has one of the largest and most pros n-rous garages in Charleston. Bollo, the Italian oh f. has removed from his ihl quarters on Meeting street and is now located on King street above Went Worth. Archie Zin.mers friend, Alderman Chico, has closed up the restaurant part of his establishment, hut is still located at .he s ime place. The Chamber of Commerce Club has moved Into mw and smaller quarters on Proad street. Han-iook. the druggist, is still at the same old stand and so is Dr. athcart. W. J. Hanlon. a great favorite with racegoers, is still manager of the New Charleston Hotel and is as busy as ever looking I Iter this house ami the oi.e at the Isle of Palms. The usual spaghetti dinners are still held every Sunday at the latter plana.
