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P I ] H r J l i ] t , ■ t | : , , I , a i . ■ . t ! , J , I , j , i t I i ! , [ , ! | j ] • , ARKANSAS RACING IN VIEW ■ i « ■ Political Changes and Sense Likely to Reopen Oaklawn. » $ -i Hot Springs Plant Ready for Turf Sport Revival — Morvich Attracts Some Big Wagers. «■■■■ ♦ — HOT SPRINGS. Ark.. April H —The forerunner to resumption of rncinp is heromins more manifest daily lit Hot Spritig iind its impetus pMOataaa to cause a resounding of hoof-beats over the palatial OaUawa course in the spriuic of 19_3. The expressed wish for a resumption of the sport is not confined to any one set of citizens here, but BfpaMa to be the desire of men-hunt-;, bankers, doctor*, hotel interests, gnat and small: baarattac-feaaac keepers and the majority of the vast army of visitors ou which the city chiefly relies for mainstay. Lack of amusements during this "easou aud two previous ones has caused a curtailment of tie-annual season and where a visitor formerly made his stay an indefinite one while tin- racing was on, the elimination of thoroughbred sport now finds the visitor fed up with the monotonous sameness after a stay of two weeks. Uainy and cold weather during February and March — the old story of the weather here — has also been a detriment this year and the lean season will be felt mostly by the boarding-house and rooming-house keeper. The larger and principal hotels, paitieularly the latter, which maintain the exorbitant war prices, have fared in their usual good style, but desire a prolonging of the season for at least thirty days. According to expressions from the best Moareea political upheaval is in prospect at the August primary and has for its main object the elimination from office of the politicians who have been instrumental in keeping the "noliiing doing* sign conspicuous on the Oaklawn gates. The cetainty of success is made surer, it is said. in view of the fact that support will be had from tho-"- formerly considered hostile to racing Their change of heart has been steady during the past two years. POLITICAL PROSPECTS FAVOR RACING. The lining tip of forces to select candidates who will carry out plans for a resumption of racing has already begun and ttbaac selected to win al the polls will stand high in the state and community, being both efficient and popular. The overwhelming sentiment for a return of turf snort, coupled with the businesslike tuatiuer in which pbins are being perfected to win for liberai-i.-m in the state and Garland County elections next autumn, leaves a decidedly good outlook for a re-ipenitig of Oaklawn to racing in the spring of IDL3. Tlicr" need be no fear that the palatial racing plant has gone to decay during its period of disuse. W.-ro it necessary the track and offices could b" made available for racing in forty-eight hour", so well has superintendent Scbxoeder looked after its upkeep. Instead of falling into decay, the massive plant, including grandstand, stables and dormitories for stable help, etc.. has undergone a strengthening process that makes it superior to that of its original architectural completeness. No horses wintered at the Oaklawn track. Superintendent SchroeUer took the opportunity to resoil the racing strip and also to seed it into oats. whlcS will serve a double purpose of preventing a spreading Hi loss of soil and also yield a harvest to feed the track stock. During the winter Mr. Schroeder also completed general improvements aud the building of a splendid nine-hole golf course in the center field. A lot of golfing enthusiasts are to be seen ou the links daily from early morning until late in the evening. The commodious secretarys office has ban converted into a temporary reception room for the golfers, while the jockeys* room, with its numerous lockers, showers and other appointments. fits in splendidly as a dressing room for the players. The former hospital room fills the purpose of an offb e. In time superintendent Schroeder hopes to make the Oaklawn links one of the best nine-hole courses iu the country. ESSEX PARK RUINED RACING RELIC. Es.-ex Park, the original racing plaut here, is fast becoming only a memory. Its decay has been stead.c and complete. Not a single stable is intact and the burned embers on the concrete foundation are tho sole guide to where the grandstand, burned during the last ruce meeting on the plaut. stood. The clubhouse, costly and pretentious, is still in goo-l condition, serving as the dwelling house foi several farmers and their famili-s. They ate farming the acres once making up the Essex Park track on shares. Essex Park passed into the hands of the Oaklawn interests shortly after the file that destroyed the grandstand aud caused a transfer of Essex Park to Oaklawn. It was intended when the Oaklawn interests took the plant over to have it go into decay. The original builders of both tracks. William Shannon and Henry Peyser of Essex Park, John Condon and Dan A. Stuart of Oaklawn. and subsequently Louis A. Cella, who secured the Oaklawn property, are nil dead. Each had a surfeit of annoyance as a result of their operations here: they suffered much financial loss and were forced ta m:iko valiant but unsuccessful ef foils to stave off adverse racing legislation. HOT SPRINGS FANCIES FOR MORVICH. Oaklawn Park cost originally in the neighborhood of $." 00.t»00 in 190"" . when labor and building ma terial were less than one third of the present cost. At that time its construction and appointment* brought it into prominence. The Amis anti-book making law closed the track and during its disus-Daa Stuart, who owned one-third of the plant, died. His widow, who is now here on I visit, sold this one-tiiird interest soon after Stuarts death for $:0.000 Dan Stuart also left a 2i per cent holding in the Fort Lrie track, which Mrs. Stuart sold for $•."" . u0 Few of the racing foiks which came here with the close of New Orleans remain. The last contingent left lust week. Joe Iluine. "Nick the Greek." Jesse Armstrong, and "Sol" Cohen are a few of the more well known who are left. They will be playing golf for some t"n days more before leaving for New York. William Pinkertoii. Chattel Ftlison, Mose Cossmau and several others will also linger here for a few days more. The racinv men while here were active iu wagering on the Kentucky Derby and some mighty wagers were recorded, tin of 0,000 to ,000 on Morvich was takn bv a vveli-kuown baseball magnate. Several bets of 0,000 to ,000 were also recorded on the same horse. A prominent sportsman sojourning at Palm Beach laid them the odds. Owner Benjamin Block is sanguine of the success if his redoutable colt aud has made known that be lias backed Morvich extensively. While in Palm Beach he bet ,000 against 5,009. and since then has helped in reducing the odds to about 3 to 1 by his steady support of the colt. The short oddi seem unwarranted in view of the fact that it is on a play or pay basis.
