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Twenty Years Ago Today Chief Turf Events of Jan. 25, 1904 Racing at New Orleans, Los Angeles and Oakland. The entries to the great spring handicaps in England just closed and compare favorably with those of previous seasons, although the absence of entries from the Americans Whitney and Keene were noticeable. Among the entries are the American horses Aurbiton, Hands Down, Vendale and Ypsilanti. Judge Himes will not be a starter iany of the early spring handicaps. C. It. Ellison, owner of the 1903 Kentucky Derby and Hawthorne Handicap winner, arrived at Memphis from New Orleans last Sunday and announced this much by ordering the firing irons put to Judge Himes. The horse will be turned out and will not be taken in hand until early in the summer. Although Walter Rollins handicap horse Herbert will not be seen at the post in races this year, racegoers will be reminded of that goad mudlark by a two-year-old brother, a brown gelding by Albert Bonnie Ola, which will carry the colors of the Oneck Stable this year. This gelding, which is also a brother to Bonniebert, has been doing well in the hands of trainer Karrick at Sheepshead Bay and has been entered in many stakes. B. J. Cunningham, an Arkansas horse owner, whose racing string, which competed here last summer, is in winter quarters at Montgomery Park, has been looking over his horses at Memphis, the most conspicuous member of which is Gilfain, a four-year-old son of Loco-hatchec, that achieved distinction two years ago at Worth track by nosing out the great McChesncy in a mile dash, with unequal weights. Last spring Gilfain loomed up as an American Derby candidate, but he never regained the form that enabled him to defeat McChesney, and now Cunningham is wishing he had accepted Tichenor fc Co.s offer of ,000 for Gilfain, made just a year ago. "Derby horses are all right," said Cunningham, referring to Gilfains ups and downs, "but a handy selling plater is good enough for me. Annie Thompson, a mare I bought for 50 in New Orleans two years ago, paid for the bills of the stable last season when Gilfain was doing nothing but eat. I also won upward of 30,000 betting on Annie Thompson. If I had a dozen good selling platers the Derbys Avould never get my game."
