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KENTUCKIANS WIN IN CUBA Horsemen from Blue Grass State Prosper at Oriental Park Frank Weir the Leading Winning Owner Senor Diaz Pros ¬ pects Excellent HAAANA Cuba December 30 Although over ¬ shadowed numerically by the stable from the east ¬ ern sections of the United States the stables from Kentucky are more thitii holding tlieir own in the racing which has taken place so far this season at Oriental Park Last year the Kentuckians carried i us slliri of tll Profits and it looks as asif if they are destined to do so again this year for in spite of being a bit tardy in coming into the racing action they have won more purses than the localityThe representatives of any other locality The records for the first eleven days of the meet ¬ ing show that the Kentucky horses won twentv eight races as against twentyone to the credit of the Maryland and New York contingents eight won by Cubanowned horses that spent the sum ¬ mer here and twelve from miscellaneous localities During the first few days of the meeting Ken ¬ tucky was but meagerly represented in the eritrr lists chiefly because the owners who shipped thefr stables from that section were disinclined to begin racing immediately upon arrival here notwith ¬ standing that the special train from Kentucky made a recordbreaking run and unloaded the horses in fine condition the journey having been made under ideal conditions throughout Hut now the Kentucky stables are beginning to come into the racing action freely and it is to be expected that thev win cp unufe t miki a gowl showing Irs thfe liieeTfiig ad Tnces TncesThe The eastern section of the United States not onlv uermatches the west in the numerical strength of its representatives but has a considerable num ¬ ber horses of good class here that will make it mighty interesting for the Kentucky stars in the stakes and other important races If Hodge stands training however and Kay Si ence his owner thinks he will the Kentuckians doubtless will have the champion of the season for it is universally con ¬ ceded that Hodge is by far the best horse ever brought to Cuba Hodge has been going along satisfactorily in his preliminary training and it is likely that lie will be in condition to participate in the racing next month He was assigned top weight of 124 pounds for the Christmas Handicap but was an absentee because lie is not yet in racing condition conditionFRANK FRANK WEIR IN THE LEAD LEADOf Of owners who shipped here from the Kentucky section none has done so well as Frank D Weir In fact the Weir stable is leading all others here in the item of races won and jockey J Dreyer the contract rider for Air Weir is leading the jockeys in winning mounts During the first eleven days of the meeting the Weir stable won no less than nine races and nearly 4000 in purses Stinningdale Fort Bliss Marniou King Worth Ambassador III and Helen Atkin were the winners that contributed this satisfying total Mr Weir lost the fleet filly Ambassador III after her victory II II Dalley whose 030Other Avion finished second claiming her for 030 Other owners wdio figured prominently in the win ¬ ning list during the same period included J T Strife whose horses von five races worth 2030 C T Worthington Tour races and 1C70 J P Itoss three races of 1500 Kay Spence two races and 14i and G Holmes three races and 1200 The winnings of the last named owner are all to the credit of the good old campaigner Clark M which trainer Deo Hammond had in superb con ¬ dition for the opening of the meeting Hammond is training a small but select string of horses and those that have started so far have raced with the utmost consistency having either won or fig ¬ ured as sharp contenders in all tlieir starts Smart Money the star of the Hammond string is being reserved for the stakes and other important races racesThe The meeting continues to run along in a satisfac ¬ tory manner despite he handicap imposed by the recent spell of unfavorable track conditions which affected the quality of tlu racing by retarding the training of the good horses and giving the cheaper grade of horses a monopoly of the racing programs lint with a return of the usual ideal climatic con ditions of the famous Cuban winter the finest brand of racing ever seen in Cuba should lie the rule from this time on Kven if there should be some more rain track conditions will not be so trying as they were last week as the heavy rain with which the course was deluged recently has served to settle the new top dressing of the track admirably mil it will be in better condition to withstand a wetting wettingADDITIONAL ADDITIONAL IMPROVEMENTS MADE MADEGeneral General manager Itrown continues to build for the future ill Oriental Park An immense amount of money has been expended during the past few months in making the racing plant more beautiful and more complete in its conveniences and equipment both for the benefit of the horsemen racing here and for the general public There is now no more beautiful spot in Cuba and still the work of further embellishments of the wonderful natural beauty of the place is going on One of the latest improve incuts undertaken by Mr Brown is the inclosing of the open air paddock where the horses are saddled for racing with an ornate fence for the protection of the public and the equipment of the paddock with stalls for the convenience of the horsemen So genial is the weather here at alii times that stalls are really a superfluity but Mr llrown decided to add them to the equipment in conformity with the general practice on American race tracks tracksSenor Senor A IF Diaz the wealthiest Cuban who has become interested in racing as an owner and a breeder is looking forward to a successful season when his new trainer AVilliam McDaniel has been in charge of his stable long enough to get results McDaniel took charge of the horses some three weeks ago and will weed out the less desirablev material when he gets a line on their capabilities Those that are not capable of carrying the Diaz colors creditably will be disposed of with the idea of eventually building up a stable that will hold its own on the American tracks as well as in Cuba Senor Diaz is a thoroughgoing sportsman and is keenly interested in racing He lias high hopes from what the colt has shown since McDaniel took him in hand that Orestes will prove a better horse here this season than he was last winter when lie was regarded as the champion He failed to race satisfactorily in the United States last summer be ¬ cause of a hurried preparation for the Prehkness Stakes it Iiinlico nponhis arrivnl there from Cuba
