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FRANCIS NELSON AT HOME! Sees Bright Outlook for Racing — Revival of Steeplechasing Encouraging Sign. TORONTO, Ont., May 9.— The outlook for racing all over North America has never been brighter than today, according to Francis Nelson, the steward for the Canadian Racing Associations, who has just returned to his home in this city from New York after looking over the situation there, fol-lowing a winter of racing with the Lower ; California Jockey Club at Tijuana. "Eastern owners will be well represented at the Canadian Racing Associations meetings." he said. "And in addition to those who begin the season at Woodbine, others are shipping to Ottawa and Montreal, while still other important stables will join at Hamilton. Steeplechasing is taking a new lease of life in the E3st. and the generous purse and stake offerings of the Ontario Jockey Club for cross-country racing have greatly stimulated the interest in that branch of the sport around New York. The pur- I chases of "Specs" Crawford in Europe for the Messrs. Clark, and the activity of the Queen City Stable, have now a counterpart in the formation of a syndicate that has bought four Irish and two French steeple- chasers to take part in New York racing. Mr. C. I,. Whiting of Rochester, whose colors are seen regularly on the Canadian courses, is one of the members. "That element of the community which finds itself bound to stop somebody from doing something had no more support in the ; New York legislature than at Ott«« a. Three bills meant to injure the racing i iterests were introduced during the session that closed last week, and all were quickly and quietly buried. One provided that no higher admission fee than should be charged at any race meeting. Another that would have commended itself to some of our people in the legislative line of business would have imposed a tax of t per cent on the gross receipts of all running or trotting meetings. This was put into the waste basket along with the proposal to transfer the functions of the State Racing Commission to another committee, practically abolishing the original body. The only legislation affecting racing in any way that received favorable consideration was the bill by which infraction of the law against bookmaking was reduced from a felony to a disdemeanor. "Ohio and Pennsylvania are opening new racing centers every year, and Chicago will probably have three clubs in operation this year instead of the single one that raced at Hawthorne last fall. All together, the western states and in British Columbia the story of increased public support and encouragement is the same, and the Tanforan course at San Francisco is to be reopened next November with a meeting that will revive all the former glories of racing in California.
