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Twenty Years Ago Today Chief Turf Events of Feb 23 1903 Racing at New Orleans and Inglesids Notwithstanding the snow and ice trainers were busy at Benning today and most of the horses were worked on the track which is of course frozen hard but perfectly safe Mara the steeplechase rider of the J W Colt string has reported to trainer Gwynn Tompkins at Benning He expresses himself as much pleased with the looks and condition of the horses horsesWill Will Darden of the firm of W W Darden Company has signed a contract with jockey I A W Booker for his services for the coming year His salary will be 4000 a year Booker is one of the most promising lightweight riders in the West and should advance his reputation with the Darden Stable as it includes some of the best horses in training trainingMr Mr Durnell the gentleman rider has ar ¬ rived at Benning from Virginia with the jumpers of J D Hall Ivan Charles OMalley Duke of Grassland and Corkscrew are in his band and Mr Hall should play a prominent part in the hunters steeplechases Ivan Charles OMalley and Duke of Grassland all showed prominently at the autumn meetings at Benning and Baltimore last year and they now appear as though a few hard gallops would make them fit fitSydney Sydney Paget has declared Waterboy the Watercress colt handicapper Vosburgh rates within a few pounds of L V Bells Francesco out of the Brooklyn Handicap The declaration is made because Jack Joyner does not believe that it would be good policy to attempt to get Waterboy ready too early Nothing ails the colt He is doing well at Sheepshead Bay and all the trainers look upon him as one of the most promising colts in Joyners string Waterboy is the horse that ran into the fence on the Withers turn at Morris Park last spring while undergoing his Bslmont Stakes trial and splintered one of the bones in his leg legL L V Bell has mapped out an unusually hard campaign for his muchtalkedof four yearold colt Herinis Mr Bell through his trainer J H McCormick has nominated Her ¬ inis for the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct the Excelsior Handicap at Jamaica the Met ¬ ropolitan at Morris Park the Brooklyn Handi ¬ cap at Gravesend the Suburban Handicap at Sheepshead Bay and the Brighton Handicap at Brighton Beach In each of these events tb3 famous son of Hermence Katy of the West will be asked to take up top weight Trainer McCormick says that if the colt gets into proper condition in time he will start at Aqueduct and then barring accidents will fit him to meet all of these engagements Ac ¬ cording to McCormick Hermis has wintered exceptionally well and is ready now to take up a hard course of training as soon as the weather permits Mr Bell also has nominated Francesco for all of these handicaps for the reason that the St Maxim colt finished last year in splendid condition and gives promise of a big improveemnt in form as soon as Mc ¬ Cormick gets him ready to go to the post
