view raw text
HAVANA SEASON AT ITS BEST RACING AT ORIENTAL PARK PARTICULARLY GOOD AND PUBLIC FORM RELIABLE. Betting Activities in Swelling Volume — Track Gaining in Speed — Bedwell in Poor Luck. Yesterdays Racing and Gossip. II:iv:in;i. Cnb;i. January 10. — The meeting at Oriental Park is now in full swing and largo crowds :ire turning out to witness the sport. The rating lias been particularly good and public form has been fairly reliable. The Cubans have taken kindly to racing and speculation lias lie-on active. The meeting started out with fourteen layers, and after a few days other bookies cut in. Business kept improving and during the past ten days eighteen layers have been operating. There has also been about fifteen mutuel machines in operation, so one can readily surmise that the betting here is good. Superintendent Frank Kelly has the track in splendid condition and fast time has been made in many of the nee*. A top dressing of sand was placed on the track previous to the meeting and every few days a dozen more wagon loads are spread on different parts of the course. There has been a noticeable improvement in the club house attendance over previous seasons and the elite of Havana are lending their patronage to the meeting, more specially on Sundays when every box in the grand stand is filled by merry family parties, wiio visit one another between the running of the different races. Society has placed its stamp of approval on the races and it is the proper thing t.i be seen at the course on Thursdays and Sundays. 11. C. Bcdwoll is not cutting the swath he Jlid at the previous meeting. The Maryland turfman is finding keen competition and. although his horses have won their share of the races, they have not been in front as frequently as in other racing seasons here. Bedwell is handicapped. in a measure, by not having a good rider. He has been rbiwg :» apprentice named Heupel and. as the latter is Vu.l.v a beginner, he has cost T.edwell several races by weak rides and poor finishes. There is some talk of a race being given every week, the condition of which will call for maiden jockeys. The Idea is to enable the owners here to break in new boys. There are several excellent exercise lads here and. if they are given the right sort of a chaiio . they may make good riders. At all events, the horsemen have asked that these sort of races be put on. Yesterdays Racing Gossip. The Marrone stable scored another victory at Oriental Park this afternoon when Mae Murray beat a band of fast three-year-olds in the fifth race. She was ridden by Kleeger. came from behind and won easily from IIa.il Columbia. In the opening race "field horses" finished first and third. Ieg winning, with Granado in third place. The racing conditions were ideal both as regards the weather ami the track. The attendance was good and the speculation brisk. H. K. Knapp. one of the stewards of the Jockey Club, and a party of friends are expected here next week. The stewards, after investigating the rough riding of G. V. Carroll and Ambrose in the fourth race vestcrday. decided that Ambrose was at fault and filled him §100 and suspended him for ten days.
