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MOBILE RACING PROSPECTS!: « Nearly Five Hundred Horses to * Furnish Entertainment. % Public Sentiment Favors Meeting and Wet Weather the Only is Obstacle Feared. » — , t MOBILE, Ala.. March 2. — There has been a steady I influx of racing people here from New Orleans for c the last forty-eight hours ami. judging from the r reservation lists at the hotels arul rooming houses, t il appears as though a majority of those who spent the winter in the Crescenv City will be on hand for the local meeting of ten days, which begins nen Wednesday. Not only will the city be taxed to capacity with visitors, but the residents of this sec- r tion are taking to the sport in all earnestness. The Business Mens Racing Association has the solid , backing of the leading people f this community , in its efforts to make the venture a worthy one in every respect. Inclement weather seems to be on the trail of the racing fraternity this week, after a turf season marked by more than the usual amount of rain in I New Orleans. A wet spell set in here yesterday J and the downpour continued for twenty-four hours. 1 The track was still muddy from the rains last week, : and the fresh invasion of water made it soft to a 1 depth of several inches. Few horses were given exercise gallops over it 1 this morning, most of the trainers using the roads 1 leading around the spacious fair grounds. I Aside from the track proper, the remainder of the J racing plant is in complete readiness for the opening of the meeting now. All of the buildings about ; the course have been given a thorough overhauling J and brightened up with paint, so that they present a neat appearance. As soon as the track dries out j sufficiently a large crew of workmen will get busy . with harrows and other implements and it should soon be in its best condition for the si ort, as the soil has a mixture of sandy loam in it and no doubt | will respond to treatment quickly. W. J. Koley, track superintendent, returned last night from New Orleans, where he went to inter -Tiew horsemen as to their actual needs here. His . journey resulted in many owners sending only horses ieady for racing at the present time, thus providing more stabling facilities. Quite a few have split j their establishments, keeping some in New Orleans • and shipping a division here. Additional stalls have Iweu built recently at the Fair ; rounds and ever.* bulling possible has been made into a stable, but the supply of stalls falls far short of the number of applications. __ A cheek up this afternoon revealed that there are 225 horses here now. with equally as many more to come from New Orleans. A special train is scheduled to leave there tonight and 100 or more thoroughbreds will he on it. Only a few scattering shipments have reached here from the Crescent City lltus far and they were composed « small rtlMw. T. B. Waters brought five horses down from his home in Illinois, where they winteied. Included in his string is My Oracle, one of the most frequent winners on the small racing circuit in recent years. The veteran jockey "Skeets" Garner is under engagement to Waters for the Mobile meeting. •loekey V. llinphy. who rode in Cuba until a few weeks hack, was ■ recent arrii.il. He will ride her.-for W. P. Bernhardt, the New Orleans turfman. Jockey R. Holloway. win. was recently placed under the baa by the racing of ficials at Mexico City, came in from that point. He said that he did not know of any ruling* against him until he lauded here, a- he was. so far as he knew, in the best of slaiiiing when he left there. iiie racing secretarys office will be opened tomorrow by Julius Heeder. who will look after the registration of horses. Secretary J. K. Campbell is due in Mobile in the next day or »o. but most of the other officials are um scheduled to arrive until Monday.
