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TREMENDOUS ATTENDANCE Welcomes the Return of the Thor ¬ oughbred to Oriental Park Gala Opening of Cuban Winter WinterMeeting Meeting Inaugural Ilacing IlacingClose Close and Interesting HAVANA Cuba December 8 A tremendous attendance welcomed the return of tlie thorough ¬ bred to Oriental Park today when the Cuba American Jockey Clubs winter meeting of one hundred or more days of racing was inaugurated Clear skies balmy breezes and the warm rays of a tropical sun made conditions ideal for an after ¬ noon of outdoor recreation an opiwrtunity of which the sportloving Cubans were not slow to take advantage Many nersons prominent in the business ami social life of Havana including President Menocal and members of his official family were present Enthusiasm ran high and speculation in both tlie books and miituels was of large volume The volumeThe initial days racing Was of a character that appeals to the average follower of the sport evenly matched horses furnishing keen competition with the finishes close and interesting This was par ¬ ticularly so in the third and fourth races only a iioss margin separating the first two horses in both cases In the thjrd Rollin Laird after lead ¬ ing from the start tired in the last eighth and Blahchita finishing with resolute courage almost overtook the leader loosing the decision by the smallest of margins It was nip and tuck between Fort Bliss and Lady Jane Grey in the fourth the former prevailing but only after a stubbornly contested stretch drive with the result in doubt until the official placing was announced announcedThe The first winner of the meeting came from the stable of HtBTDalleyv Ms Avion leading all the way in the opening dash to score in a fashion that left no room for doubt as to the best horse in the race As Avion was the publich choice his victory proved popularFailure popular Failure to leave the barrier with the others prob ¬ ably cost Perigourdine the second nice She was away absolutely last andwas outdistanced for u half then closed up with a fine display of sp ed that landed her second but not in time to overtake the winner Lycia which after disposing of Servia held the lead to the end Bellringer took the measure of the Xevada Stock Farms Bank in the fifth race The latter appeared a trifle short for aft5 aft5r r leading to the far turn was unable to successfully resist the fast closing rush of the ultimate winner winnerTh Th biggest upset of the day came with the defeat of High Gear by Clark M in the sixth The Science representative appeared to outclass his opposition and there was no apparent excuse for his downfall Clark M would have won much easier had not Howards stirrup strap broken forc ¬ ing him to ride out his mount Stout mountStout Heart accounted for the closing race dispos ¬ ing of Bill Simmons after a hard fought stretch duel the sixteenthMore latter weakening in the last sixteenth More than six hundred horses are on the ground Eighty five new stalls are built to accomodate the overflow Eastern horses won a majority of the races racesEighteen Eighteen bookmakers and seventeen mutuel ma ¬ chines were in operation
