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GOOD START AT TIJUANA Racing at Far Western Track Flourishing Over 800 Horses There. BY GEORGE W. SCHILLING. SAN DIEGO, Cal., December 18. With twenty days of racing at Tijuana a matter of history, the winter season at the Mexican course is well underway. Truth to say, Tijuana has never before got away to as good a start as it lins this winter. The fact that the commodious plant has an abundance of fair class thoroughbreds within its confines ready to race has made the fields large and the contests thrilling and interesting. In former years Tijuana has gone abegging for racing material and every legitimate method was, used to bring a better grade of running horses here. In striking contrast to other seasons the American horsemen have answered president James W. Cof froths, offer of increased purses and bountiful stakes with a liberal patronage that filled Ins barns to capacity and caused the hurried erection of 200 additional stalls. Today we find the horse population at Tijuana exceeding the S00 mark, with every barn filled. The outstanding feature of the past racing days of the present season has been the consistent run-ning of four thoroughbreds Wallace L., Nepporhan. Hubbub and Mex. The first mentioned three-year-old son of Tony Iloncro Bessie Latimer has faced the barrier five times and has won four of his races. In his initial endeavor owner Frank Barton intrusted the black gelding to jockey J., Sliil ing. Unhappily it fell to Shilling to bring about the only defeat suffered by Wallace L. during the Tijuana meeting. Shilling got him away poorly and. under an incompetent ride, the horse finished on his own courage, being beaten but two necks by Sedan and .Myrtle A. Since then Wallace L., with jockey Dority in the saddle, has met Sedan and Myrtle A., conceded them weight and lias shown himself to be convincingly the better horse. The rejuvenated Mex, an eight-year-old son of Mexican Eastern Shore, has annexed three purses for the western horseman J A. , Person. The old fellow seems, to have taken On a new lease on life. Jlis victories have bceiiover platers of vthe. sprinting "division,- bnt- on,,ich"oecaslon he was forced to come from far back, to win. William "Red" Walker, who claimed Nepper-han in eastern Canada last October, acqufred a good handicap jiorse in this steady-going son of King James. Up to date the horse has won the Opening, Loma Portal and Caballero Handicaps. He has enriched ids owner to the sum of ,750, and as he is going along in a sound manner and is entered in all of the long-distance stakes, Walker should enjoy a most profitable season with this horse in particular. OLD HUBBUB A SURPRISE. The aged Broomstick gelding Hubbub is another old campaigner that has surprised the Tijuana racing public. A one-time good class horse, Hubbub now races on legs that are unsound. However, the old fellow finds the soft, new top dressing of the Tijuana track kind to ids dicky underpinning, with the result that he lias won two races out of three starts. Horsemen here arc elated with the present condition of the newly dressed mile course. They point to the fact that bad -legged horses extend themselves over it, the soft loam acting as a cushion. It is a remarkable fact that but one horse has pulled up lame while racing over it, and that was Red Cloud. C. B. Irwin, the Cheyenne, Wyo., horseman has a most promising apprentice rider in Dave Hum. a sixteen-year-old lad who hails from Oklahoma. The youngster, who is still in short trousers,- can ride at eighty pounds and seems to be a natural born horseman. A diamond in the rough, the boy requires the one thing necessary to all embryo jockeys experience. Owner Irwin, who has thirty horses here in training, is giving him every chance possible and the youngster has shown a world of improvement since accepting his first mount. He lias won six races, one of which was accomplished astride of Horace Lercli, a most unruly horse to handle. The other apprentice, riders who show fair promise of developing into successful jockeys are H. Jones, B. Marinelli and Whittington. The latter boy is gaining weight fast and lias difficulty in doing 109 pounds. Horsemen here seem determined that owners running horses cheaply to find soft spots shall find that practice an unprofitable experience. C. B. Irwin lias joined the claiming brigade and during the last ten days he lias led Babylonian, Horace Lercli, Capon and Rifle to his barn via the claiming route. He in turn has lost Reydo and Riposta, but reclaimed the latter mare last week on the occasion when she bled badly during the running of the race. Owner William Walker Jost Cork to J6hn Strite, but refilled the empty stall with the smart two-year-old colt Chow. J. A. Jarson took Boone-ville from William Weant and now owns a horse which has ln;en entered in all of the stakes. Frank ORourke, who will be remembered as having won the Burns Handicap with The Fretter in the bygone days when racing flourished in California, lost his only racing tool when William Weant led Sam Hill to his barn. it was a sad blow to the "honest blacksmith," as he is known, as he -has had this one horse since his two-year-old days. Harry Morrissey still continues to send the horses away in the faultless style which lias caused horsemen and public alike to proclaim Morrissey as the equal of any starter in America. Whether he accomplishes n start from a standing or moving position the results are the snme. The horses seem to leave in perfect alignment. Morrissey has perfect u.ntrol over the riders, which, after all, is one of the secrets of his success. What makes his work at tlie barrier remarkable is the fact that he has to contend with many horses which have been starting at the fairs willi a flag and no barrier and are used 1o running anil wheeling at the start.
