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MEETING HALF WAY OVER OAKLAWN ENTERS UPON ITS LAST TEN DAYS OF RACING TODAY. Over Two Hundred Horccs Worked Over a Fast Track Yesterday — Essex Park Vastly Improved and Reedy for Action. By J. L. Icmps?y. Hot Springs. Ark.. March 18. — Nearly two hundred bam s were given work outs at Oaklawn Park race track today, and the going was extremely fast. An unusually large number of tourists were on hand watching the horses in action, which liears testimony to the great amount of interest they are taking in the rating here. Several fast moves were reported, especially among the better class of horses, which are being given plenty of preparation for the daily MM handicap. After his successful efforts during the past week in filling four races daily at a mile or over. Racing Secretary ampin 11 has high hopes of keeping this up until the end of the meeting and of getting more of the handicap horses out in the longer races. Arrivals Vmtinue at an amazing rate from all parts of the country. Some of the advance guard from the Havana meeting, which doses tomorrow, got in yesterday and many more are expected by the middle of this week. The impending railroad strike is having no effect on the tourist travel here, as the largest hotels r -port that their waiting lists for accommodations have increased in the past few days. Jockey W. Cramp is leading the riders list with ten winners to his credit, while the Jefferson Livingston stable, due to several victories in the lust week, is the leader in the matter of purse money won. A number of the owners took advantage of the off day to visit I-:ssex Park and inspect that plant and its stabling facilities. Nearly all the finishing touches at the course have been completed and racing could begin there tomorrow. The MS stalls at Kssex Park have almost all been assigned and there is no imminent danger of a shortage of racers for the meeting to be held at that track. Passing the half-way station, the race meeting at Oaklawn Park is in an unusually healthy state and, taking the first half of the meeting as a criterion, even greater things are in store for the last half. To date the daily attendance has been the best in the history of the course, and for enthusiasm the Oaklawn Park crowds have no superior. The limit number of operators, forty, has been reached, and even this large number find their hands full taking care of the betting. More have tried to go on. but were unable to be accommodated because of the limit allowed being placed at the forty mark. Bight on top of the raising of the purses to a minimum value of 00 came another of 00 .per day. which is added to the stellar attractions on each days card. This makes a total of daily purse distribution of ,100, which puts Oaklawn Path on a par with many tracks in the north and east in this respect. Ten days hence the gates of Fssex Park will be opened for a ten days meeting and. when the scene shifts to that track, practically all of the stables, with few exceptions, will move there bag and baggage. Thousands of dollars have been si»ent in improvements at Essex Park and. if tiiere is any part of the grandstand or other buildings that has not been touched Up in some respect, it has been because the workmen have been unable to find it. There are many horses stabling at Kssex Hark now and the horsemen whose charges are there are loud in their praise of the truck proper. The clubhouse at Kssex Hark is open now and during the past week has been the scene of several brilliant serial affairs. It is the plan of general manager Sim Davis to make tiie races at the track under his control, a big event iu society circles and the clubhouse bids fair to become papain t with the society folks. As was the case at New Orleans the greater part of the winter, the bad track at Oaklawn Hark is giving horses a chance to win races that seldom earn brackets, becau-■ the good horses which are ! . st on a fast track get into action only occasionally. The horses which came here from Juarez. Mexico, have been faring especially well. They are not much in the way of going a considerable route, but iu the cheap races at five and one-half furlongs - they are in their glory. There are a few of them with staying ability, but as a rule they are gifted with early speed and do not do well at farther than three quarters at the most. Trainer Andy Hlakcb y intends shipping the horses Which he trains for A. A. Ueilly to Havre de Brace at the lose of the 1 ical racing season. This stable has had a campaign through the New Orleans meeting and fared well there in the matter of pumas won. The horses will be given a short rest before beginning their Maryland campaign. Blakeley nneovi red what may be a real good horse here in Kalitan. which came here a maiden. He ran him iu a el liming race at five and a half furlongs and he made bis opponents dizzy in trying to catch him. He covered the distance in l:0i;;.. the fastest race at this distance at the meeting up to that time and was running easily at the end. A quartet of claimants sought him after the race and he wound up the property of K. B. Bradley. Among the visitors here enjoying the races is Otto Stifel. who owned Colonial Oirl when she won the Worlds Fair Handicap at St. Louis. Mr. Stifel has ia« direct interest in any thoroughbreds at the present time, but he still retains his love for a good, game race horse and seldom overlooks an opportunity to take in some racing. He will remain throughout the Oaklawn Park meeting according to his present plans and may stay over for the Hsse-; Hark meeting. Pacing is not the only sport in the Yapor City at the present time, as the Boston American League baseball team, winner of the worlds series last year and the Hrooklyn Nationals, their opponents iu that series are both training here. In addition to this many of the leading golfers of the country are holding forth daily on the golf links in this vicinity. The racing enthusiasts hav I all forms of amusements and there is little wonder that under these conditions the city is filled to capacity with visitors. F.ssex Park will have plenty of horses with which to make up the daily racing program. The highest • lass of thoroughbreds here will have numerous opportunities to race.
