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, : TIJUANAS CLOSING DATE « Winter Meeting of 130 Days to End Sunday, April 23. « Crowd of 15,000 Sees Coffield Defeat Motor Cop and Mulciber in Sundays Chief Race. ♦ — ■ SAX DIEGO. Cat, April 3.— The first official word of tlie i losing date of the Tijuana meeting was given today by president James Wood Coffroth Of the Tijuana Jockey Club. He said that the meeting would be closed April 23. Thus there will he eighteen more racing days and when the closing date i.ir.ves the meeting will have been operated for 130 racing days, this making a record for continuity of racing at Tijuana and the longest race meeting in North America under the mutuel system of wagering. Before the present meeting was opened president Coffroth announced that it would be for 100 days OC more. This period was parsed and then Coffroth said there would be an extension. He did not say how long, but promised that during the extended period there would be at least two weeks advance notice of the closing date. This am . today. Consistent with his management of previous meetings at the bonier course president Coffroth has again given the horsemen more than he promised and they are appreciative of his liberality in the extension and the continuation of the good purses. As regards the weather and volumn of speculation the meeting could he operated successfully for an indefinite period. This was attested yesterday when the mutual plant and the books were taxed to their capacity. It has been surprising to even the most conservative how the sport kept gathering momentum and how the daily attendance and wagering maintained such a high average. Both ex-ceeded the marks of other years. A good crowd of about 15.000 people played the game of "watchful waiting" at the Tijuana race track Sunday. The odds-on price of 7 t„ 10 in the books well recorded that the lions share of this big crowd had given support to one horse in the main race, and this was Mulciher. And the crowd stood as one and waited and wailed for this black s f Vuhain to show the speed which had gained him fame. The patrons of the thoroughbred watched this black beauty at every stride and then as the field of three was running on the backstrctch eyes wore focused more intently than ever on Mulciber. "When will he make his moveV" the crowd sec ined to shout in unison. Mulciber never did. He m sans move yesterday afternoon ami the outside horse in the field of three. Coffield. won the Owacia* Handicap, at one mile, in the good time of 1:3s1.1,. within one fifth f a second of the record Sangailo established in l!lti with ninety-five pounds on his back. Second was Motor Cop. which had made all the pace and did not rolincjuish his lead until in the last sixteenth. Coffield won by a length and back of Motor Cop. three lengths in the rear, came the favorite, Mulciber. EXPECTED TO SHATTER RECORD. It was somewhat disappointing that the track record of 1:3H for the mile was not shattered. The entries had every advantage to aid them in making a new mark with the possible exception that the nana was not as fast as when Sangailo made the 1:3*. All were lightly weighted. Coffield. ridden by jockey P. Hum. carried 70: Motor Cop had jockey Ixmg in the saddle and 7." , while Mulciber was ridden by jockey Wilson, who made 102 pounds. That the pace made by Motor Cop was sizzling is attested by the fractional time ot the race. The quarter was in 23. the half in 40%. the three-quarters in 1:11%, these fractional times being the fastest of the meeting for the intermediate distances in a mile dash. Two other handicaps, one at five and one-half furlongs and the other at one and one-eighth miles. were the features secondary to the Owners Handicap. The first-mentioned dash was only an exercise gallop for Garden City, which came on when ready and beat a good band of sprinters. Ttie most opposition was furnished by Kinglike, but he was no match for the winner. Garden City waited on Kinglike until after entering the stretch and then came on to win as his rider pleased. In the handicap of one and one-eighth miles a rousing finish resulted. In this Bobby Allen, thanks to the capable riding of jockey T. Wilson, was able to get up in the lad stride to snatch a close victory from Rifle. The latter had his troubles saving M-cond place from Belario, which was only a few inches away. The spectacle of these three game horses fighting it out and finishing almost as one thrilled the huge crowd and was the real pulse cpiickener of the afternoons interesting sport. There were three long -priced winners. Tom Caro was the first to arrive. He won at better than 20 to 1 in the opener. The next was Mannikin II. in the third race at one mile. He took a nose verdict from Mis Dunbar and paid .40 to . The third of the trio associated with attractive odds •as itobby Allen. His price in the machines was BS.SS to M. Jockey T. Wilson and jockey H. Long almost accounted for the card of nine races, each riding three winners. Z. E. MeCiegor has announced that he will cam-paing his horses in Omaha during the summer meeting. Among those which McGregor will ship to the Cora center are Miss Mec-lick. Nonsuit and Tillotson. C. B. Irwin, who has the most extensive stable here, left tonight for Cheyenne. Wyo. During his absence his horses will be managed by Frank R. Irwin, his brother. Jockey Pablo Martinez, who does the heavy riding for this stable, also left tonight. He goes to Cheyenne and will undergo an operation on his leg. The bone was fractured in a fall at Spokane in 1917 and never tuoroughbly mended.
