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FINAL NEW YORK RACING Jamaica Closes Its Gates .and the Scene Shifts to Empire City. Only Twelve More Days of Metropolitan Season Prospects Never Better for Excellent Sport at Yonkers Course. c BY C. J. FITZ GERALD. NEW YORK, X. Y., October 16. With the closing of the gates at Jamaica Saturday the metropolitan racing season enters upon its final stage for 1922. Judging from the reservations that have been made for Empire City, whose meeting opened today for twelve days, the final period of the sport will be up to the high standard which has prevailed since the early days of May. There is no more delightful spot for racing in the golden days of autumn than the course in AVestchester, midway between Mount Vernon and Yonkers, which has .lames Butler for its president. It commands a view of a country which is at its loveliest in the fall, hillside and fen showing crimson and gold under the magic of the frost kings touch. The selection of the site for the Empire City course was made by its founder, William H. Clark, against the judgment of every one with whom he consulted. It suited him, however, and the fact that the spot where the track proper was to be laid was covered with boulders of the type kiown as nigger-heads only made him all the keener to have his own way in accomplishing a transformation that was the talk of the countryside. The orders were "full speed ahead," and there was no slackening until ,000 had been spent and the plant finished. The only oversight in connection with the enterprise was the failure to place the grandstand on what is now the backstretch in order to r.void the afternoon sun, and arrange for the building of a spur from the Harlem River branch of the New York Central at Mount Vernon through the valley which lies beyond the upper turn. It was a great day for Westchester County when "Billy" Clarks track was opened. W. H. Clark had been corporation counsel of New York. He was young and handsome ; high in the counsels of Tammany Hall, with a world of friends. There were no portents of the misfortunes which were to come later and wreck a career of the greatest promise. With the death of "Billy" Clark the Empire property passed into the hands of its present owner, who has brought it to a high state of perfection, the track being famous for the chance it affords to see the races from start to finish. That the interest of the Butler family in Empire City is not to be diminished may be taken for granted by the presence in the stewards stand during the coming meeting of William Butler, eldest of the sons of James Butler, who is well known as an amateur rider and polo player. William Butler should develop into jrood material for such a position and with A. H. Morris and W. S. Vosburgh as his associates the interests of racegoers at Empire should be well served. Secretary Victor Schaumburg has done his part well, the program for the twelve-day period having been framed with the object of bringing out the best horses in training. There will be much for those residents of the Bronx and Connecticut whose racing is confined exclusive to Empire to enthuse over; and even the most blase of the regulars suruld find new thrills in the, encounters between some of the good young" horses like Lucky Hour and those of the handicap division that have been furnishing entexvainnio.it ftr the multitude since the opening of tho 1922 racing season.
