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PROGRESS IS SATISFACTORY Oriental Park Meeting Moving Along in Pleasing Manner. Patronage Exceeding- Expectations Climate Conditions Delight Americans. Havana, Cuba. December 11. The Cuba American Jockey Clubs fourth season of -winter racing at Oriental l;irk is moving along in a manner that is highly satisfactory to the management of the track. The patronage up to date has been running ahead of expectations and is setting a new record for the early days of the meeting, in comparison with the showing of previous years. The important factors in bringing about this pleasing state of affairs are principally to be found in tin; wonderful prosperity prevailing in Cuba, the increasing popularity oT racing among the Cuban people and tin-better class of racing provided this year by the Oriental Park management. It is considered quite remarkable that the ojteuing. days of the meeting should be attended by such satisfactory conditions, as many residents of Havana are at the present time absent from the city, visiting in the United States or attending to business affairs in the interior of Cuba. The opinion prevails here that by tins time the holiday season rolls around, all previous records for patronage will be left far behind. These are days of pure delight for the many Americans who are here in connection with the racings They have been enjoying themselves immensely, taking in the odd sights which are to bo found on every hand and otherwise filling in the idle time that the present racing schedule of four days each week leaves on their hands. It is safe to predict that only thosu who have spent a winter in Cuba can form any idea of the delightful weather that has been prevailing day after day, without a break. The bluest of skies, genial sunshine, tempered by cooling breezes from the surrounding ocean, nights that, are conductive to the trosc refrcsltlng sleep, and aii utter absence of disagreeable climatic disturbances, combine to make the lot of the visitor here one of perpetual delight. There is now such an extensive American colony iu Havana, that one feels thoroughly at home, notwithstanding that it is a foreign land. Those who do not take kindly to the foreign ways of living, can find plenty of iotelx and other establishments where American customs are followed. Some of the American racing men who are hen! have found quarters with American families, of which there are many permanently residing iu that part of the city known as the Vodado. where the finest residences are located.. The Jockey Club management is continually receiving information of such accomodations from persons who have them available for the use of visitors and stands ready at all times to assist visitors from the United Stales in getting agreeably located, either at the hotels r in private hemes. HORSES NOT HEADY TO RACE. The wisdom of the policy of attempting nothing more ambitious than four days of racing each week, until the advent of the holiday season, has been vindicated by what has been happening since the opening of the season. Racing Secretary Nathan-son has been finding it difficult to fill the abbreviated program satisfactorily, because comparatively few of the nearly five hundred horses quartered at Oriental Park are yet ready to race. During the past few days they have been coining to hand rapidly, however, and the present prospect is that the abbreviated schedule will soon be abandoned and the regular schedule of racing every day in the week except Monday taken up. During the holiday season, the plans call for racing on Mondays, as well as on every other day of the week. It may 1 expected that the better grade of horses will figure more prominently on the daily programs in the near future than has been the case since the meeting opened. Practically none of the handicaps and allowance races, which the program book provided for so liberally, have been run. This is because so few of the better-class of horses have been ready to race. Manager Brown has set aside Thursdays as Fashion days. On Sundays and Thursdays the social feature is emphasized at Oriental Park. On these occasions the elite of Havana are out in full forces, hast Sunday the grandstand presented an inspiring spectacle with its tiers of loxes filled with representatives of the prominent .families of Havana. To the American visitor who had never before aeen a similar gathering at Oriental Park, it was a positive revelation, and the Americans who were here for the first time enthused freely over the brilliancy of the gathering. Between races, following the custom of the country, the occupants of the boxes resorted to the promenades and exchanged visits. The ladies were all beautifully gowned, and the scene was one that was truly fascinating. The representative character of the well-groomed men who fraternized with each other in the paddock, betting ring and other sections of the enclosure "frequented by the sterner sex was another thing that appealed to the visitors from abroad, who are here in larger numbers than usual this year. PRESIDENT MENOCAL IN MOURNING. President Menocal, the chief executive of Cuba, has not visited the track this year as yet, because he is in mourning for the death of a brother, but he has been represented on various occasions since the opening of the season by members of his cabinet, including Sr. Juan Montalvo. Secretary of the Interior, and Sr. L. Azcarate, Secretary of Jus-ilce. Many others notable in the national, state and city governments have also been frequently in attendance. Sr. Montalvo, who is one of the big men of the Cuban government, takes a keen interest in the racing and, on the occasion of one of his recent visits, went out of his way to compliment General Manager Brown over the manner In which the sport is being conducted at Oriental Park and to assure him that he intended to enjoy a visit to the track as frequently as his official duties would permit. The stables from Kentucky have been gathering the lions share of the spoils to date. It looks at this writing as if the big establishment which Kay Spence brought here will be a keen factor for the leadership in purses won. Besides his horses, Spence came here well equipped with riding talent in Jockeys C. Hunt, J. Grubcr and H. Lunsford. Slnca his arrival he has sold the contract on the apprentice rider Grubcr to A. L. Rogers. Gruber look like a most promising riding prospect. Spence has developed many a jockey hi his day and has received fancy prices for the contracts on several, iucludinff T. Hunt, whose services were acquired last spring by W. H. Dupee, wealthy Callfornian, Continued on second page. PROGRESS IS SATISFACTORY Continued from first page. and "Brownie" Cole, whose contract was sold to , J. W. Schorr a few years ago. The process of further beautifying Oriental I ark is going on unceasingly under the direction ot an American landscape Gardner, whose services the track management recently arranged for. Much new shrubbery has been set out of late and for the past few days especial attention has been devoted to tin; transplanting of a large number of stateIycoconnut palms along the main driveway to the club bouse and grandstand, which will add materially to the dignity and beauty of the approaches. So much intelligent and skillful work is now being carried out, that it is a sure thing that-Oriental Park will eventually become one of the most beautiful of the show places of Cuba. HUMPHRIES PROMISING RIDER. In the apprentice rider Humphries, W. A. Carter has a promising saddle prospect. Humphries has shown marked ability on the few occasions when he has ridden here. Before coming to Cuba, he was attached to tho stable of S. C. Ilildreth as exercise lad. In that capacity he galloiwd August Belmonts great three-year-old llourless in . his trial gallops for his various engagements. Carter has recently taken over to train the horses Im-perator and Sir Wellons for S. T. Tolon of Havana. Presiding Steward C. J. Fitz Gerald received word that Charles Tanner was on his way from the Curls Neck Farm of C. K. G. Billings to spend the winter here enjoying the races and other outdoor diversions. 11 was Tanner who developed the great stallion Uhlan and other noted trotters for 3Ir. Billings. "VV. E. Phillips, who fills the position of patrol judge on the Kentucky tracks, is among the recent arrivals. He is interested hi the string of horses that Frank Rector brought to Cuba to race. Within the next ten days the colors of a new Cuban recruit to racing as an owner will bo shown. Senor Honore Lalne, n well-known Havana veterinarian, lias purchased the mare Anna Rose and she is being trained In G. L.- Strangs stable. It is expected that she will be in condition to race shortly, after having been turned out all summer in this locality. She is training satisfactorily W. Rnwley has purchased the contract on the apprentice rider R. Osborne from J. 0. Burttschcll. Gus Ritzier, well-known to American racing men everywhere, is conducting the restaurant at Oriental Park for the management of the track. He lias had much experience in this direction at other race tracks and patrons of this department of activities at Oriental Park are much pleased over the manner in which It is being conducted.
