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WANTED JUDGE MURPHY AT TIJUANA. Unsuccessful Effort Made to Secure Popular Racing Official to Serve at Far Western Track. By J. K. Jeff cry. San Diego. CaL. March 17. —President James W. Coffroth of the Iiwer California Jockey Club, verifies the report from an eastern source that he recently made an unsuccessful effort to strengthen the lister of racing officials at Tijuana by tlie addition of Judge Joseph A. Murphy. Mr. Coffroth. who has made great strides familiarizing himself with racing matters since he came into the sport for the first time a little more than a year ago. ardently believes that money spent in surrounding himself with first class officials of proven ability and high reputation is one of the best investments he call make. So he is now addressing himself to the task of building up an official staff at Tijuana that will command tie- attention and respect of the whole racing world. His invitation to Judge Murphy was the first step in this direction, and it was a matter of great regret to him that Judge Murphy could not see his way dear to accept the invitation, on account of conflicting engagements elsewhere. There is ■ no denying that no ft ml ill ail racing official stands higher in the estimation of the race-going public than Judge Murphy, and it was for this reason that Mr. Coffroth was so anxious to enlist his services. It is understood that some changes are to be made in the personnel of the Tijuana official staff for next winters meeting, but just what these changes will be. Mr. Coffroth is not yet ready to announce. There will lie a considerable shipment of horses rem Tijuana to Kentucky on or about April 1. One shipment of three carloads, that will go forward by express at that time, will include the stabhs of Utter and Iord. W. II. Hogan. II. L. Crain. C. Hawk. P. J. Williams. C. H. Shilling. F. tiering and It. P. Dickinson. Most of these stables have won their share of races at Tijuana and some of the horses included in the shipment appear to have !. i I benefited greatly by their sojourn here. A notable ease of this sart is that of F. Berings fleet filly Sayonarra. When she came here she was flighty and indi iiendnble. Now she is as steady as Could be desired and her disposition has improved immeasurably. The horsemen agree that horses do better here than almost anywhere else they have ever raced. They attribute this to the cool nights, warm agreeable days and the abundance of filaree. alfalfa and other green food that horses are so fond of. W. J. OBrien to Ride for James Butler. Jockey W. J. OBrien, who lias signed an advantageous contract to ride for James Butler on the eastern tracks this year, will depart for New York March 20. the terius of his contract requiring that he report to trainer John McCorniack at the Empire City track on April 1. He will be required to ride at 112 pounds, Which is about the weight at which he can pass the scales here nowadays. With the war.ner weather id an eastern seanmer, he should have little difficulty in making the required weight. OBrien has been in ft am I II a sonic seven years. As a lad of seventeen he emigrated from Ireland to the Canadian northwest. Soon after his arrival in that section, he attracted attention to himself by bis riding in some pony races. It was not long b"fore il. C. Eniinert. a Canadian owner of the racing thoroughbred, took him up and he had his fiist mount iu a regular race at Cranbrook. Soon afterward he rode on the more important tracks of Montana and other western states in the interest of Dan Dennison. W. St. Vincent and others. His most Important engagements up to this time has been with the stables of W. G. V.inke and .. W. Wingfield. for lioth of whom he rode successfully. He is a strong. Steady rider and may be counted upon to make the most of the golden opportunities that will come to him iu connection with his new engagement. He is a lad who takes good care of bimaelf and it will be surprising to those who have seen him in the saddle here if he fails to make good in the east. A. Pickens. B. Troxler ami S. McGraW are other jockeys of the local colony who will ride on the New York tracks this season. Pickens has not yet signed a contract, but has several offers under consideration. Troxler will ride for the stable of P. A. Clark. He will go east shortly. He is just now recovering from a surgical operation on the nose undertaken to correct a condition growing out of injuries received in a fall several years ago. McGraw is a mature and competent lightweight, who probably will never weigli more than he does right now. He will ride for the QallHJ Stable i!u:ii;g the summer. Kay Spence Departs for Kentucky. Kay ■passes has departed for Louisville, to give his personal attention to the final preparation for racing of sixteen horses that he wintered in Kentucky. He sold all the horses he brought here from Juarez last month, except Bigtodo. Hocnir. Bobo link. Marjorie I.. Black Bass and Perch. These six horses he has turned over to H. W. Bang to be raced hire during the remainder of the Tijuana meeting. Before leaving for the east, he sold the contract on the promising apprentice rider T. Hunt to Juan Vacates, trainer for W. H. Dapee. He w*hs influenced to do this because he has developed two other apprentices whose services he proposes to avail himself of when he begin- racing in Kentucky. One of these boys is II. I ■nofoirt C. Hunt will continue to fill the role of hading Jockey for the Spenoo stable, which will be raced at Saratoga fol lowing the dose ,,f the spring and summer season in Kentucky, afterwards l Wiling to the Kentucky tracks for a fall I a III pa lie Mr. Spence is so well satisfied with conditions at Tijuana that he plans le retan here next fall with a stronger stable than he has been accustomed to race during the winter season. The half a dozen horses that he left here will be turned out at the ranch of his brother-in-law at San Bernardino at the lose of the Tijuana meeting. Kuclid Allard. one of the few snecessful "limb" operators in this country, has just taken his departure for Hot Springs, after an unprofitable sea son here. He is a -trout partisan of the pari-mtituel system of betting and will patronize the Kentucky tracks at tin- dose of tlie Hot Springs ■eaeea.
