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MEETINGS END AT HAND r Only Two More Days of the Fair Grounds Reunion. Has Been a Success Financially Despite Adverse Weather Jefferson Park Next. NEW ORLEANS, La., March 2. The fiftli annual winter season of racing conducted by the Business Mens Racing Association at the Fair Grounds track lias but two days more to ran, and the wind-up will come next Tuesday. The meeting has been a success financially, despite the unusual bad weather that has prevailed here this winter, and the association will have a balance on the right side of the ledger. The seasons profits, it is said, will Ik; devoted to the construction of a steel and concrete grandstand to replace the present temporary structure that was hastily put up after the old stand was destroyed by fire three days prior to the opening of the meeting. Work on the new stand will lie commenced during the early summer. It is planned also to build new stables to replace .the present antiquntetl and unsanitary barns, that have caused no end of complaint from the- "horsemen. There lias been at the present meeting a wider distribution of money among the horsemen than at any previous meeting, no less than 212 stables having .shared in the money, which number includes practically every establishment that lias been racing here. The- meeting has also been a record-breaker in the number of jockeys who have accepted mounts, there having been exactly eighty riders of all grades who have been seen in the saddle. On Wednesday the scene will shift to Jefferson -PjtrJwhe-eTOstiB5cc 3tteTiaTtfnr1JC iii- augurated: .V numlKT of improvements to that plant lias been made since the last meeting, the most important being the overhauling of the track proper and the installation of a good drainage system. The bad spots on the course liave been remedied, and with improved drainage there is no reason why the track should not be as good as any in tiie country. The list of officials who will serve at the meeting will be almost identical with that of the Fair Grounds. J. A. Murphy, E. C. Smith and Herman Conkling will be in the stewards stand; Jos. McLennan will ast as clerk of the scales, anil John Carey will be paddock judge. Edward Tribe, who sent the fields away at the last meeting, will serve in a like capacity at Jefferson. Secretary Jos. McLennan has framed an interesting program for the ten days of the meeting. No purse will be of less value than 00, while each day a handicap of ,000 will be offered. Long distance races will be featured throughout the meeting. The great majority of horses participating in the Fair Grounds meeting will be raced at Jefferson Park, including a number of the larger establishments that did not take part in the former meeting there. The transfer of horses to Jefferson, however, will not get under way until after Tuesday. These will be fewer than was anticipated, as a large number of stables will retain their quarters at the old track and only take their horses over to Jefferson Park on such days as they are to be raced. LADIES DAY WEDNESDAY. The Jefferson Park management will inaugurate its meeting by making next Wednesday ladies day. The exodus of stables bound for Hot Springs began in earnest Sunday morning, when quite :i number of horses, were shipped to Oaklawn track. Mose Goldblatt sent Tumbler, Docod and four of Harry Payne Whitneys two-year-olds, in charge of Doc Foucon to rest for the meeting there. Other shipments included the stables of Edward Ccbrian, Harry Perkins, C Dealy and C. W. Gasser. J. Dale, trainer of the mare Leta, was fined 0 by the stewards Saturday for using abusive language to clerk of the scales Jack Campbell. The trouble arose over whether Dale had engaged Carroll or Mooney to ride his mare Saturday. Carroll claimed that he had been engaged by Dale, while the latter denied this. John Blakoley, seven-year-old son of trainer Andy Blakeley, is confined to a local hospital with pneumonia and his condition is considered grave. Entries for the opening days races at Jefferson Park will close Tuesday at the Fair Grounds. The Lexington stnke.s. which closed Saturday, received a record number of nominations from horsemen racing here. The Churchill Downs stakes, which" close Tuesday, are also receiving an unusually large number of entries. Andy Blakeley will ship the stable of T. II. Cross to Hot Springs next Saturday. Royce Rools. the star of the stable, and regarded as the best handicap horse here, will not be raced at Oaklawn. He will be freshened and got ready for the Pimlico meeting. Mr. Blakeley stated today that the horse had been named in the 0,000 Kentucky Handicap to be run at Churchill Downs and that in all probability lie would be shamed to Louisville to fill that engagement. Krewer. "the stables crack two-year-old, lias been named in all of the eastern stakes for juveniles. War Mask, owned by John Dundee, the lightweight boxer, will not lw named for any of the rich Kentucky stakes next spring, according to his trainer, Frank Bray. While local turf critics have stumped the sou of Star Shoot Miss Kearney us the premier three-year-old of tiiis winters meeting, his trainer is of the opinion that lie is not good euoiigh to measure strides with such cracks as Eternal. Billy Kelly and others lie would meet in u race like the Kentucky Derby.. A. B. Dade, whose work at the barrier during the Fair Grounds meeting has leen of a high order and fully up to his best standard, will leave Tuesday night for Hot Springs to rest in preparation for his duties at Oaklawn. Assistant starter Jim Osborn will depart at the same time to begin the work of schooling the young horses at the Oaklawn track. Paddock judge John Carey was at Jefferson Park Sunday forenoon for the purpose of assigning stabling room. Starter Edward Tribe arrived today from Baltimore. Keen interest is being displayed in the Carnival Handicap, the closing day stake feature of tiio Fair Grounds meeting. It is a mile and a quarter nice and the field will comprise such good ones as Bondage, Courtship, Douglas S., Franklin, Buford, Bolster, Slippery Elm aa4 sever! otfiers,
