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LIVE EASTERN TURF GOSSIP. Metropolitan Turfmen Skeptical About Maryland Jockey Club Stakes Without Entiance Fees. By Ed Cole. few York. January 2a. — Price McKinney and his partner. James Corrigan. who race under the 110m de turf of the AVi. kliffc Stable, have chosen MOM appropriate nam s for their youngsters, aaaaberiag twenty-six. and which are highly thought of by visit. us to the Wickliffe barns in Kentucky. The two most talked of youngsters are Subabdar. a celt by Delhi — Baaaway cirl. and Ulthna Thole, a colt by rntimus- Uubia Oramla. A rati that Mr. McKinney tbinga much of for sentimental reasons is El Com padre, by Colin — Playmate. The name ae-soi iates itself with Mr. McKinneys late friend and companion. Jack Pollansbee. who was much interested with Mr. McKinney in Mexico and was one of the organizers of the Juarez Pacing Association. The Maryland Jockey Club has issued its stake Maaka for the spring meeting. No entrance fee is charged for the four fixtures offered, starters subscriptions only being called for. all of which goes to the winners. Horsemen here criticise the conditions owing to their having no entrance fee. They claim that there will be many entries made of practically aaeleaa caliber. It is a departare from the general run of stake conditions and the result will In- watched with much concern by other associations and secretaries. Dwyers Dreams of Gravesend. President I*. J. DwyCS of the Prooklyn and Queens County Jockey clubs is still taking his daily exercise on Fifth Avenue. He intended taking a trip to Lakewood. but will not do so for a week or two unless the weather here gets bad. "Some day I hope to see another Brooklyn Handicap run at Cravesend." said lie. "1 dont know when it will be, but I certainly would be satisfied with my racing career if I culd once more see my way ch BT to Open the Prooklyn gates. Some day people will see that to improve the bread 01 horses there must be com] etition between them. There should be favorable legislation in every state in the Union regulating horse racing. If such were tbi case it would not be long before we bad the greatest race horses in the world in this country and plenty of useful horses for remount and general utility purposes. The Jockey Club and others interested in horses have a hard battle in hand to convince state officials of the value of the thoroughbred, but they will eventually do so though it may take years. The pceaBajf part of it is that all European countries encourage the thoroughbred and racing while a few malcontents in this country are doing all that is possible to check progression in the improvement of the most useful animal in existence." Discussing the Selling: Rules. That the new selling race conditions adapted by the Jackey Club will meet with favor is the opinion of all those who have analyzed the rules. It also is the general belief tiiat the claaee compelling the winner of a rape to be sold at auction is the one that will be generally used by the local secretaries, though the claiming races will bo well patronized by the owners who have the cheaper variety of horses in their stables. By the new nil M an owner can lie well punished for entering a horse too cheaply, and the results of sucii financial pun.sh-meat will be distributed among owners of winning horses in the future. So long as the rules provide for equity there can be few complaints. It has been argued that the beneficiary after a run-up should be the owner of the second horse, as of old. This is offset by the fact that tlie new-rubs have checked what has been termed "the porch climber." or the bttknidator, who in years past has made it a business to run-up horses for no other purpose than to gouge money from the owner of a winner by the run-up route. The hitters methods are so well known that description is unnecessary. Under the present edict no one knows who is going to benefit by a run-up. consequently there is no incentive to raise the price of a selling race winner unless he has been entered too Cheaply, which, of course, is a matter of opinion. The general feeling in that the auction clause in the new rules will bo generally used in the east and will work out satisfactorily. The claiming races may cause a little dissatisfaction at times, especially if one or two "home traders" take advantage of the opportunities offered. There is one grand chance for men who care to be classed among tlie "traders," though their methods will be in part checked by the conditions whereby a claimant ett put as much in a claiming envelope as be thinks proper to get possession f .1 horse. Under the rule now in existence in New Orleans, which also has been opera it d at other tracks, a person is privileged to claim a winner after lie has been conditioned by another trainer at considerable expense, enter the same horse two days biter for tlie same price or as much more as its latest owner things proper, win a purse, and should any other owner v. i di to claim it, let it go. Ky this man* an I the "porch climber" has profited as much in two days as the original owner has in possibly six months with an expeaae of t ,vo days feed bill and a jockey mount. Loophole for Tricksters. Another method for a "porch climber" will be to load tip with three at lour goad selling platers, and as soon as he has gathered enough for his aehenM lie can ship them to Canada or elsewhere ami race them under different rules, where he will be free from attack unless lie is followed. In other words, an astern owner may enter a selling plater for a fair value, anil if it shows to be a good bone, in winning condition, he will Immediately/ be claimed and taken or sent to another track and will practically be lost sight of so far as com eras any chance bis first owner will have to reclaim the horse. This will not occur frequently, however, as the claiming races will be chiefly confined to the Cheaper grade of tlie selling platen, and they cab be protected timh-r the Jockey Club rules, which make the claim clause practically a race for boraea Uable to be claimed by the highest bidder. Thus tlie sharpshooter will be somewhat checked in his methods. No matter what rules are adopted, an avenue will always be open for sharp practice. Hut the man who enters a selling plater for his value as a selling plater will have no cause for complaint if be loses his horse, as he will have received its v.-.liv. There will be no kick from this individual if bis horse is claimed legitimately by a neighborly sportsman, but there will be a little feeling if the Claimant is a bone trader taking advantage of rules that cannot possibly be better barricaded. The man who may mh*er most is the one with a single horse. Should his only breadwinner be iakt a from him, In- will have, no chance to reclaim until he can buy another horse witli which to become a claiming eligible. The man with little money at his command will always be at tlie mercy of the capitalist. But such is the fate of a.ll in the horse-racing business; they have to accept what is Offered and live up to the laws, which have never liein known to suit all participants. Ill- Jockey Clah has tried to cover the ground. It has tried lo please all I la—fa Tlie result will be watched with considerable interest throughout this country and Canada,
