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BIG PURSES AT FAIR GROUNDS None Less Than ,000 Will Bs Given During Meeting Opening Saturday. P.Y J. L. DEMPSEY. NEW" ORLEANS, La.. December US. Next Sat- urday will bring a change in the racing scene here, j, in from Jefferson Park to tlie Fair Grounds, where a thirty-three days meeting will be inaugurated, witli ; the S3.000 added New Years. Handicap as the headliner attraction for the opening day. Tin- J; Fair Crounds meeting will be the greatest in purses f ever attempted by a winter race track, as no race there will have a lesser value than .010. while each day will find one race en the program worth ,.0. bringing the total daily purse distribtutit n to .rH. In addition to this. 1.001 added to stakes will be offered She horsemen. .t The plan whereby twenty-five per cent of tlie purse earnings of the owners was to be held in escrow until the Business M-ns Racing Associa- . tion was assured of a certain amount cf profit. t which would justify the offering of ja.OUO as a minimum for each race, has lecii abandoned. The racing promoters have announced that they j will assume all risks of. failure to profit by the s coming meting and the .?7.."il proposition will be j gone through with just the same. Taking the Jef- fersoii Park meeting as a criterion, the Fair , rounds people will have little to worry over from a profit -making standpoint, as tlie Shrewsbury track is enjoying a banner season in tlie face of much inclement weather. With the dawn of the new year will come the introduction of many new two-year-olds and the , Fair ".rounds management will piovide liberally for J the youngsters, as one race each day will be given over to them. It has lieen a trying task on train- , ers in getting their young racers ready for the coming season, because of the bad weather and muddy track, but most of them were fairly well , conditioned upon their arrival here from the North and East and schooling them at the barrier has been the greatest drawback. Assistant starters James Osborne and Will Hamilton have put in every day possible in educating them in post habits, but the rain seriously interfered witli this work. The holiday season is .responsible for -a big addition to the ranks of the turf followers here, the New York delegation being especially swelled. The laUv comers from that section report that many more racing enthusiasts plan to head this way as soon as tlie Fair irounds meeting guts under way. E. I!. Bindley, master of Idle Hour Farm, near Lexington. Ky.. whose extensive stable enjoyed the best year in its history this year, is spending a vacation here preparatory to departing for his winter home at Palm Beach, Fla. Mr. Bradley reports that his horses at the farm, under the care of trainer II. .1. Thompson, are wintering in splendid fashion and. if they continue to do well, he will le especially well fortified for the rich slakes on the Kentucky racing circuit and at Saratoga next year. The arrival of Mr. Bradley evidently brought luck to the division of his stable racing here in charge of William Hurley, as Brotherly Love won the lirst purse of the meeting for this establishment the day after his owner sot here. L. LYKES FINE HORSEMANSHIP. One of the most pleasing features of the Jefferson Park meeting is the excellent riding of jockey Lawrence Lyke. Weighing 113 pounds. Lyke does not get many mounts, but he invariably demonstrates his superior horsemanship on most of those that, he floes get. Contrary to the general supposition. Lyke is only twenty years of age, and he has many years of usefulness left in him yet. He makes no effort, to reduce his weight, and this contributes to his etlicieney and will serve to prolong his riding days. Many hoi semen here are fortifying their stables fur the big purses at the Fair Crounds through the claiming process and. unlike the first part of lite meeting when claims wen? few and far between, every day now finds one or more horses changing bands. Any kind of a thoroughbred that can win is in demand, and several horses have had as many as three different owners since tlie meeting opened. Jockey H. King, who is under contract to John M. Goodo and who has been riding in brilliant style here, will lose his apprentice allowance of five pounds on next Saturday. He scored his first vic-j tory on last New Years day at the Fair Crounds with Oniond. a -10 to 1 chance. A similar fate will befall jockey W. Heinisch on December SI, which will be one year from the date that he rode his first winner. This was Arch Plotter, owned by Pat ICnobelkamp. who is Ilein-isclis contract employer. Heinisch is a New Orleans lad and, while he has met with a fair measure success in tin- saddle, he is having a hard battle ; against increasing weight. It is with difficulty that he scales as low as 103 pounds now. and most f tlie time he rides at one or two pounds in excess , of that figure. One cf liii- most improved horses of the winter here is. Fantoche. Alex P.. Cordons two-year-old son of Filz Herbert- Fresnay. Coming to New " Orleans a maiden lie has won three races, two of 1 them over the mile route, and finished second once; In his only other start lie lost his rider immediately j after the start. Fantoche. which was bred in France by Clarence H. Mackay. did not race until r last October 11. making his debut at Latonia. He si ran several fair races in Kentucky, but since his . arrival here he has been no respecter of horses of 3 his age. He races best when saved for the last quarter and bids fair to make a useful horse over r a considerable route of ground as a three-year-old. Jockey " J. M coney, who is under contract to the 3 Quiney Stable and whoso brother, jockey J. J. I Mooney. is one of the leading riders here, is spending tlie winter at his home in this city. Both of e the Mooney Isys got their start in their native section anil their rise in their chosen profession 1 , has been rapid. J. Mooney. the older of the two. has not ridden here as yet. but his brother is i certainly upholding tlie family leputalion.
