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TO CLOSE MARCH 25 Practically Settled that Havana Meeting Will End on That Date Daily Patronage at Oriental Park ParkShows Shows Increase Due to Influx Influxof of American Tourists HAVANA Cuba February 19 Seventy one days of the Oriental Park racing season have passed into history and the interest of the Cuban public in the meeting continues to show a gratifying increase judging by the rapidly growing daily patronage and the un diminished enthusiasm they are evincing for the sport The last few weeks have wit ¬ nessed the influx to Cubas shores of a greater number of American tourists than during any similar period of former years and the tide of travel will continue to flow in this direction until well into the middle of March All indications point to the pres ¬ ent winter being the banner one for tourist travel to Cuba and this condition is already reflected in the city hotels which are all filled with the pleasure seeking Americans An unprecedented condition exists at the Hotel Almendares Havanas leading hostelry which for the last fortnight has been com ¬ pelled to turn away prospective guests Tho steady stream of incoming tourists is doinjc much to swell the daily patronage rt the race track for no American comes to Havana without visiting Oriental Park of whi h they have heard so much They all go avay with nothing but pleaam memories ot their visit visitAlthough Although nothing official regarding tho closing date of the meeting has been an ¬ nounced it has practically been settled that the windup will come Sunday March 25 This will make the season of 101 days dura ¬ tion The last meeting ran for 107 days and the one prior to that 110 days By closing March 25 horsemen who intend racing at the first Maryland spring meeting will be given ample time in which to get their sta ¬ bles to Bowie which presumably will open April 1 as in former years And those horse ¬ men who intend racing in Kentucky in the spring can get their horses to Lexington in time to prepare them for the meeting at that point which opens April 28 The Hunting ton West Virginia meeting scheduled to open early in April will be the objective point of quite a few stables that will later on be shipped to the Canadian tracks tracksPete Pete Williams the Kentucky trainer who has invariably enjoyed good fortune in Cuba has jumped into the leadership of the suc ¬ cessful trainers at Oriental Park To date he has saddled sixteen winners and judging by his present success he promises to finish the winter season at the top W B Finne gan another Kentuckian J A Parson of Poison Montana and Kenneth Karrick tho youngest trainer here are tied for second place They have each saddled fifteen win ¬ ners Frank Bray has sent twelve winners to the post while IT J Hak and W R Pad ¬ gett each have saddled eleven winners
