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KINGLIKE HORSE OF MOODS Noise Frightens Him, So Ears Are Stuffed With Cotton. With This Extra "Equipment" He Makes Amends for Recent Failures and Is Only Winning Tijuana Favorite. SAN DIEGO, Cal., December 21. A horse of moods is Kinglikc. No pampered prima donna has any more temperament than he ; but, unlike a prima donna, he does not thrive on popular acclaim. As a matter of fact, if this speedy son of Hippodrome could talk, he probably would request "Lets have it quiet." When Kinglike went to the post yesterday both cars were well stuffed with cotton to exclude all noises. Now, this is not idle chatter, but reality, and any bit of forethought like this on the part of an owner is regarded as a legitimate trick of the trade. Its an owners duty to the public to provide the thoroughbred with the equipment in which he runs best. Some runners cannot outrun a fat man without blinkers. Others get so accustomed to bandages that they will develop imaginary lameness without the mud. With Kinglike it appears that he cottons to cotton, for he ran five-eighths in 1 :01, the fastest of the meeting and over a track that was technically described as slow. What did Kinglikc beat? Well, in the first place he came from behind, placed himself on even terms with that good colt Dick Terpin, took him on at a sizzling pace for a quarter of a mile and then left him in his wake to win by a length and a half. Chances are he could have defeated better ones yesterday at five-eighths. CALWELL DISCERNING TURFMAN. And why did they put cotton in Kinglikes ears? Just because owner H. E. Calwell, an inquiring sort of horseman, had learned that in his last two races, wiien he was a beaten favorite, he went extremely wide, and that the horses desire to go to the outside on the stretch turn was from his urge to avoid the pandemonium from the voices of jockeys on mounts behind him. Jockeys had learned that Kinglike would swerve wide when his ears recorded lusty yelling, and they made the most of this knowledge to beat Kinglike in his last two starts previous to yesterday. It was different yesterday and with the noises excluded Kinglike ran as described above. The stuffing of Kinglikes ears with cotton was not kept secretive, at least those who visited the paddock, and this is open to all race fans, knew of the procedure. That the information it would be sans noises yesterday for the runner seems to have been fairly widespread, for the winner was made favorite over such good sprinters as Ikey T., Continued on twelfth page. KINGLIKE HORSE OF MOODS Continued from first page. Dick Terpin, Harry D. and Lucky Button. The biggest Wednesday crowd of the meeting passed through the turnstiles yesterday afternoon and the card was run off under the most pleasant weather conditions. Cafeteria at odds of better than 131 to 1 came dangerously near proving the upset in the sixth race when he came within a narrow margin of defeating Bill Head. Jockey Ralls, on the latter, put up another one of his sparkling finishes and it was really his good ride which won for the angular gelding. Not only did he find the shortest way home with Bill Head, but at the finish he outrode Martin "shoes to plates," with the result that his mounts number appeared uppermost on the official post. Only one lone favorite managed to catch the eye of the judge a winner during the afternoon. This was Kinglike, which ruled a lukewarm choice over Dick Terpin. That champion of champions. Jack Demp-sey. who is appearing at a local theater this week, made a rush trip out from San Diego and remained for two races. Previous to the races he was a guest of president James W. Coffroth at a luncheon given in the champions honor at the clubhouse. Others in the party Avere Jack Kearns, manager of Dempsey ; Hiram Dempsey, father of the champion, and visiting theatrical people who are on the same bill with the famous athlete this week at the Pantages theater. Between races this afternoon C. B. Irwin sent Blind Baggage and Motor Cop a fast quarter to test their speed. They ran the distance in 23 easily, which is a fast move for a track which was deep and slow. Preparations are complete to entertain many outsiders during the holiday period of continuous racing. There will be racing on the following two Mondays, with the Christmas Handicap, a gallop of one mile and a sixteenth, with a value of ,000, as the first feature, followed by the New Years Handicap, at a like value, for the following Monday. Many of the best horses here are being pointed out for these events and such horses as Rebuke, Bastille, Red Wingfield, Adonis. John S. Reardon, Fairway, Georgie and others are expected to go postward for the liberal purses. The first mishap of the meeting was recorded yesterday afternoon when Lucky Pearl fell in the stretch during the running of the fourth race and threw jockey Pevic heavily. The rider luckily escaped with a few minor bruises and the mare was uninjured.
