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OF METROPOLITAN ASPECT RACING AT FAIR GROUNDS A WINTER MEETING IN NAME ONLY. Magnitude of Sport Surprises Visitors Here from All Parts of the Country — Wagering System Understood — Better Racing to Come. By J. L. Dempsey. New Orleans. La.. Jan. 7. — Rearing out in every MM of tin- word the prediction made that the winter race meeting at the Fair irounds would be e winter meeting iii name only, and that it would ..ssuine the proportions of some of the largest meetings in the east and north, the third annual racing season of the Business Mens Racing Aaes-tiathm is now under a weeks headway, and thus far it has set new marks in every respect over the two previous years. While adverse track conditions have served to curtail the fields to some tcnt and have prevented the bettor grade of I.orses from getting into action, except in the •takes, the good weather of the past week has en-alded many trainers to get their best thoroughbreds lit. and from now on the real high class racers will go to the post. Turf enthusiasts who have not been seen at a winter race track within the past ten years can be seen daily at the Fair Grounds, and they have ■ pressed themselves as being surprised at the mig-nitude of the sport here. In the lalm Garden each day one will find people who. when racing was stopped here and in California, ceased to take in-ttltlt in the sport during the cold months, but they have discovered that there is plenty of action in this locality, and they intend to remain for the entire winter. Two -Year-Olds in Iavor. Much interest was manifested in the appearance [ of the new two-year-olds in the first few races of the vear due to the barring rule passed by the parent turf governing bodies in Canada. New York and Kentucky, but the horsemen here appear little worried over this. They make entries liberally to the Juvenile races, just as they promised they would when Judge Joseph A. Murphy called a meeting and explained the penalty a two-year old would incur if raced before April 1. When the track tiecomes at its best, it is more than probable these races ax ill draw limit fields. Thus far it has been impossible to get a line on the youngsters because i it has been a case of begin fast and hurry home. Naturally the fast beginners have had the advantage, as the distance for these races has been only three -eighths. When a fast track conies the two-year-olds which have the reputation of being good ones will be seen under colors. Two stables which have a large collection of youngsters. Johnson and Hillings and Grant Hugh Browne, have not been represented in these laces as yet. The arrival of 1rederick Johnson. part owner of the Johnson and Billings string, which is in charge of trainer Charley latterson. was agerly awaited by many horsemen, as they were anxious to see how he stood on the iuestion of racing two-year-olds in the winter. They were not surprised when he instructed his trainer to race some of them here, and this will help the sport « onsiderahly. as his baud of juveniles are all well bred. Omar Khayyam in Light Training. Mr. Johnson is spending a vacation lure, and he is one of those who was surprised at such a high -class xvinter meeting. He has one of the largest Stables, ranking will up in class as well as numlvrs. and jncliuled in the number, is the good three-year-old Omar Khayyam. It is the intention of trainer IMtterson to fit him for the Kentucky Derby and lie has nigh hopes of annexing the rich turf prize il the colt does not go amiss in his training. To uate little has been done except to gallop him slowly, but lie will be sent along in a short while :ind lieing v.int-red here and having a few races, should help him to a great extent. Jockey Charles Korel is galloping him. and the colt never looked better in his life. Another wealthy patron of the turf who is spending some time here is Jefferson Livingston, whose g 1 horse Syrian won the New Years Handicap. Mr. Livingston raced his stable at Havana last winter, but this winter he sought this field because of the greater opportunity to race his good horses in the aluable stakes being offered by the Business M. n*B Racing Association. At the present time Syrian is one of the most dependable horses which he has in his stable, as out of eleven starts he won siv races ami was second for the ether five times. II.- has developed from a selling plater into a real Stake horse, anil what makes him all the more valuable is the fact that he runs enually as well in any kind of going. Former Jockey Koerner Now an Owner. .Jockey Tii! Koerner. of Louisville. Ky.. who last year was tie- leading rider at the fair Grounds ,ii-e:ing. has branched out as an owner and has two 1 SCMS running in his name. Beauty .Shop and has. Nahui. Soon after the close of the racing here last spring Koerner accumulated weight so fast that lie was unable to continue his vocation as a jockey end he went into business in Louisville. He could not stay away from the turf long, however, ami during the summer he purchased the two horses which he now has here. They are being trained by Henry MeCoulskcy. and Koerner is confident that they will win their share of races this winter especially Beauty Shop. This mare was formerly i wned by Gallaher brothers, of Lexington. Ky.. and she won over every race track where she has ever raced. The new rule providing that an owner can enter a horse to be cither claimed or sold after winning. has met with favor with the horsemen, and it was the third day of the meeting before a horse entered to be claimed was taken out of a selling race when it won. This was King Mart, winner ■of a maiden race for horses of the older division. in,l George Phillips took him. However the "halt-ernien" have been active in all kinds of selling races, and it looks as though many horses will i-lmnge hinds during the forty-four days of racing. There are not so many runups as claims and in a 2. umber of the selling races it is necessary to draw-Jots to determine who shall get the claimed horse, ,;, cause there an- two or more after it. Wagering System Now Understood. Everything is moving with precision in the Palm Carden. as tin- turfites are well versed in the stakeholder system of wagering, but there is much more Jfe in this end of the sport this year than in the two previous years. Action is what most of the big operators who are here want and action is what they are getting. To date the layers have received about an even break, as well-backed favorites have been successful on several days, while on the others they have fallen by the wayside. The prices this year also have been much better than in the previous two years because of the presen.e ef more big layers as well as more big bettors. At the beginning of the meeting two hundred and forty stakeholders were appointed, and while this number has not been needed yet. it is not expected that there will be a surplus of them ere another week rolls by. A majority of the employes in the Palm Garden are natives of this city, but the out of town boys who worked here sin.-e the sport was revived two years ago. did not fare as badly as was expected two weeks ago. At that time it seemed that only residents of New Orleans would he named as stakeholders, but since then the powers that be have relented a little and given some of the outsiders a chance. Notes of the Riders in Action. Local racegoers were somewhat disappointed in the showing of jockey Frank Robinson during the Inst week, and he did not show to tin advantage that was expected of a rider who was the champion last year. Jockey MeTaggart seems to be pursued by hard luck. He came here from Tijuana and immediately went "en the road" in an effort to get down to riding weight and. when he got into good condition he received a five days suspension on the first horse he rode. He never let up on his road work, however, and this week he will be able to accept mounts again. II ■ has lost none of his ability at the barrier, especially with a two-year-old. and it was his overanxioiisness to get away from the gate that caused his suspension. It did not take judge Murphy long to put a stop to rough riding. On the third day of the meeting he had several riders before him on this charge. He uid not mete out punishment to them for their first oilense, but he gave them to understand, as w- 11 as all of the others riding here, that rough practices will not be countenanced and that suspensions on this charge will be lengthy. It was not the older riders but several of the apprentice jockeys, who were guilty of rough tactics, and the officials found it necessary to curb them early .
