view raw text
American Campaign for A. H. Diaz Orestes Much Improved Horse Fine Band of Two-Year-Olds in Cuban Turfmans Stable First-Class Sport at Oriental Park Latest Havana Turf Gossip HAVANA. Cuba. February 23. As a result of the i great improvement shown by Orestes and other horses in the stable of A. H. Diaz then; will be anuther invasion of American tracks tills year by the progressive Cuban turfman. The coming venture will be more pretentious than that of 1918, when there were only a few moderate class two-ypar-olds to support Orestes, then a three-year-old, and which failed utterly to maintain the form that made liini a great horse here lust winter. In addition to Orestes, again the sensation here, there will be the four-year-old Zuliiland, by Assagai Lady Duncns-ter, which is the bidder of the track record of "1:44 for a mile and a sixteenth and lias been showing splendid form, together with six promising two-year-olds. Eastern turfmen may be prepared to sen an entirely different horse iu Orestes to the one that raced in the PrenUness and other events last year. Inder the care of trainer William McDanlel the son of Tracery has developed into a splendid looking thoroughbred and lias been racing up to his looks. He lias not. been raced to death and has only two more engagements here, tin Independence Ihindi-eap at a mile and an eighth on Monday, and tiie Carnival Handicap at a mile on Sunday, Mareh 2. Afterward he will rest nnd gallop on ills home track until the season ends, when he will be shipped with tne rest of the string to one of the New York tracks. McDanlel Is reticent, about his plans, but it is a sure thing that he will not attempt to send Orestes to the post in the States until he has had a good preparation and is ready to race. Orestes lias been entered iu events on the New York tracks, but tiie only thing sure is that he will be seen Iu action at Saratoga, provided he Is up to a .race. Turfmen here are certain Unit he will nuike an entirely different showing- to "that" of a Tear ago. Much the same phui wiUJiexMlQwed .wiUiU0ujd,--tIie"rfaet: That liotirihese horses have raced on few occasions during the four months sport In Cuba being sufficient guarantee that McDanlel is wise enough not to race his charges, off their feet. Of the half dozen two-year-olds three have already won races here, while the others have shown encouraging form. Just Fancy, by Colin Idle Fancy, the filly that Mr. Diaz paid ,500 for, which went to the tobacco fund, has. dual brackets to her credit and has not been beaten. Another good one is also a charity filly, the Hod Cross miss Azurlta, by Hessian Motley. She has won one race ,and finished a close second to Just Fancy in another. Blue Wrack, a colt by Wrack Ocean Blue, also has earned winning brackets, scoring on both occasions that he has faced the starter. Mr. Diaz has won most of the baby races and holds a strong hand for the Cuba Juvenile Stakes, to be decided tomorrow, and which will go far toward determining the best youngster here. Just Fancy, Azurita and Blue Wrack are among those eligible to race for the ,200 added money, ami witli Dr. Hall, the early sensation, not nominated. It is quite on the card that the Diaz stable may run one, two, three. A good race is in prospect for Monday, when Orestes is likely to meet Kav Spences Hodge in the Independence Handicap at a mile and a sixteenth. Hodge, which until Tuesday had not raced in two years, has been going along finely in Ids work and is rapidly approaching the form that made him sucli a good handicap horse three or four years ago. Both these cracks are also entered in the Carnival Handicap at a mile, to be .run on Sunday, March 9. The siKirt here has been first class for the past few weeks, with fine weather alid a fast track most of the time. The Improvement made iu old campaigners by the equable climate is noticeable, an example being found in Skiles Knob, a seven-year-old son of Hurst Park, racing iu the colors of W. Feuchter. Skiles Knob was a selling plater when he came here, and In fact his owner thought so little of him that it was only at the solicitation of H. D. Brown that he brought him to Cuba. Skiles Knob has accomplished the unusual in winning six handicaps on all kinds of tracks, i and In one of his races he carried 130 ounds and defeated a good band at five and a half furlongs over a sloppy track. Maxey Hirsch is now on his way back to the States. After a lot ef hard luck at the beginning the Loft stable rounded into form and picked up several purses recently. Frank D. Weir still is racing witli success, and unlike Mr. Ixift he will take most of his campaigners back to America with him. There was a sensation caused recently by the changing ef numbers on uiutuel tickets, but the fraud was nipped in the bud. The first changed ticket was paid, but J. J. McFarlaud. the Pinkerton rcrescntative, got to work and the result was that the next day when a forged ticket was offered the man presenting it was arrested and fined. Another was caught the day following and was sentenced to thirty-one days in jail. That ended the operations of the gang, and the Cubans appear to have learned that the betting system is too well protected to be vulnerable. Itaciiig lias been so successful that from now on there will be racing every day of the week, and no Mondays off, as was the custom at the beginning. This, in spite of the drawback from strikes, will allow the full 100 days of racing to be carried out in accordance with the announcement of the management. That the sport here Is now on a solid footing is proved by tin; good prices brought for horses which their American owners did not wish to take lack, the buyers iu many cases being prominent Cubans. At the sale of the Preece stable Willie Dugau.-rccently licensed us trainer for J. Lnrrea. Jr.; paid ,125 for Dainty Lady, and at the same sale 1. Itinerant! gave ,000 for a two-year-old fill-,, Acushla III. The Armenia Stable, Messrs. Tolon and yeniaudcjQfijin-iUi horsc971osUned for the stud, especially fillies sent here from the Itimcocas Stud of Mrs. L. A. Livingston. F. D. Weir still holds his pride of place at jthe head of the winning owners list, but is being closely pressed by Kay Speuce, who has been sending winners to the post with such regularity that, if maintained for any length of time, will land him in first plaee. Cuban owners are doing well, Sener A. H. Diaz being third on the list with over ..001 to his credit. Following are the principal winning owners at the present time: Owner. Won. Owner. Won. Weir. F. D .0,125 Boss. J. P $ 3.220 Speuce. K 15.500 Whington. C. T. 3.070 Diaz. A. H 9.125 Holmes. C 2.900 Man-one Stable.. 5.125 Holtman. J. J... 2.800 Armouia Stable.. 4.920 Farris, It. J 2,580 Sclielke. F 4.730 Woodman Bros... 2,550 Loft. G. W..... 4.CS0 Timrman. J. J.. 3.530 Ixiwenstein. M... 4.005 OMeara Bros.... 2.520 Feuchter. W 4.380 Strite, J. T 2.500 Williams Bros... 4.285 Larrea. It 2,440 Lezama, A 4.050 Dallcy, H. B 2.3S0 Howeii, II 3,030 Brown, L. ..... 2.320 Pangle. J. W 3.571 Tyree. J. S 2.220 Howard. C 3,490 Herdcl, II 2,030 Applegate, W. E. 3,415 Jockey J. Dreyer is the leading rider at Oriental Park with forty-four winning mounts to his credit. W. Kelsay is next, on the list with forty-one, T. Murray following witli thirty-six. The following are the winning riders at the present time: Jockey. Wins. Jockev. Wins. Dreyer, J 44 Howard, J 10 Kelsay, W 41 Hilemau, E. ..- 8 Murray, T 30 Stirling. D 8 Thurber. H 31 Lang. W 7. Nolan. T 29 Howard, C 7 Lunsford, II 27 Preece. G.. Jr. 0 Bullmaii. II 21 Jeffcott, II 0 Dominiek. J 15 Davies, II 5 Troise. B 13 Dovle, W. 5 Preece. Q 12 Maher, J . 4 Ball. It .11 Fa tor, L. ....! 4 Pickens, A 11 Wingficld, It .4
