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DON PEPE AT LONG ODDS Cuban-Bred Rewards His Backers Handsomely in Close Finish- . Walter Turnbow Shows Ohl-Timo Form The Pirate Again Victorious Nolle York Ailing. 6 DELAYED IN TRANSMISSION. HAVANA, Cuba, Dec. 23. Horses that fancied soft going had their inning at Oriental Park this afternoon. Light rains fell during the morning and during the running of the first three races. The going was a bit muddy on the inside, but as the afternoon progressed the track showed a decided improvement, and when Don Pepe won the fourth the Cuban-bred ran the three-quarter mile in 1 :17. Don Pepe was an outsider in the betting, paying his backers the handsome return of 27.10 in the mutuels. Tommy Burns, who had the mount on Don Pepe, rated the son of Don Thrush off the pace until straightened out in the homestretch when he came from behind with a rush and in a driving finish, got up in time to beat home the tiring Puff Ball by a head. The latter set a fast pace, running the first quarter in 21!, and the half in 4S. W. R. Coes Little Smoke proved best of the five that paraded to the post for the opening three-quarter mile dash for two-year-olds. Winnipeg, from the Rosedale Stable, finished second, and Armedee outlasted the favorite, Chile, for the short end of the purse. Callahan, who had the mount on Little Smoke, rated the son of Sweep off the pace until rounding the stretch turn when he made his move and was wearing down his opponents in the last fifty yards, won going away by a length. Winnipeg set a good pace in the going, but tired when challenged by the winner. Chile seemed unable to untrack himself in the heavy going. RUTH WEIILE SCORES EASILY. The second race, a dash at five and a half furlongs, for fillies and mares, three years old and upward, resulted in an easy victory for Ruth Wehle. At the end she won by five lengths from Josephine K., while third fell to J. B. Hayes Miss Rankin. Mab, one of the choices in this race, showed speed for half a mile, but tired badly in the run home and finished a badly beaten last. In the third race Valentine dOr and Koran raced head and head from the start until reaching the turn out of the backstretch, when Valentine dOr drew away into a commanding lead, but in the stretch run the daughter of Mont dOr quit badly and Fly-cast, coming fast in the middle of the track, passed Koran in the final eighth, and won going away by a length and a half. Mary Reigel, the favorite in this race, lost much ground entering the homestretch, where she went wide and at the finish bore over to the inner rail and was just beaten by a head for second place. S. McNeills Walter Turnbow showed some of his old-time form when he beat Fair Virginia by a length in the fifth race. He was a distant follower in the first half, but rounding the far turn he worked his way up on the inside, and, closing with a rush in the stretch, caught the tiring Fair Virginia and beat her in the final strides. Thomas F. McMahon took the short end of the purse from Pierrot. THE PIRATE ONCE MOKE. The concluding race, at a mile and a sixteenth, fell to J. A. Parsons The Pirate, which won easily by two lengths from Tamper, with M. J. Dalys Coscorron in third place. The horses that have been racing under tle colors of Harry Herdel will be raced for the remainder of the winter in the interests of the Maryland Stable, with J. Lavely the trainer. The stable includes Koran, Superior, Walk Up, Little Black Sheep and Never Can Tell. Trainer C. Bergman assumed charge of the horses Wedgwood, The Boy and Celtic Lass, which hereafter will race for the Curb Stable. The horses formerly ran under the colors of J. D. Millin. Nelle Yorko was excused by the stewards from the fifth race today, due to the fact that the mare was reported to be on the ailing list. J. D, Rahner, passenger agent of the Florida East Coast Railroad, with headquarters at St. Augustine, was among todays visitors at Oriental Parle R. F. Van Vllet, superintendent of the C. M. and St. P. Railroad, of Des Moines, Iowa, and wife, were among recent arrivals here. W. S. Kinnesr, the well-known civil engineer of New York, paid his first visit to Oriental Park today, in company with Mrs. Kinnear. Intense interest is being manifested by local racing patrons in this seasons crop of baby racers. They are looking forward to next Monday, when the youngsters make their debut in a race especially arranged for them. Jockey E. Beach, who rode Arnvnlee in the opening raco today, drew a suspension of three days for disobedience while at the post.
