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Here and There on the Turf Closing of Tanforan. Severe Blow to the Turf. Kentuckys Fall Stakes. Health of the Market. Both racing and breeding lost heavily in the recent death of A. B. Spreckels, one of the principal breaders of the Pacific slope. Mr. Spreckcls and Frank J. Kelley were the priri-cipal backers of the racing at Tanforan and the death of both of these sportsmen has resulted in the calling off of the fall meeting at Tanforan. Mr. Spreckels and several other sportsmen did a big thing for the revival of the turf in California by meetings at Tanforan and to have the meetings discontinued is greatly to be regretted. These meetings were conducted at a considerable loss that was cheerfully taken, with Mr. Spreckels and Mr. Kelley carrying most of the load. The racing had been brought back purely along sporting lines and with not even a remote hope of "breaking even." It was sport in its fullest sense and but for the untimely taking off of the two sterling turfmen the meetings would have continued. It is possible and probable that others would carry on the good work so auspiciously and courageously begun, but for the time being the regrettable taking off of A. B. Spreckels and Frank J. Kelley means no racing for Tanforan next falL An important list of racing fixtures for fall racing is to close Saturday, the last day that nominations may bs made to the stakes of the Kentucky Jockey Club. These are the prizes that are to be decided at the Churchill Downs and Latonia meetings. The list, as usual, is a particularly liberal one and will attract the best horses in training in each age division. There arc four stakes in the list that are to be decided at Latonia and in addition to these the Latonia Championship Stakes, with 5,000 added, and the Queen City Handicap, a mile for two-year-olds, will be run. These two stakes have already been closed. Those to which nominations close Saturday are the Fort Thomas Handicap, at three quarters, with ,000 added ; Covington Handicap, at a mile and a sixteenth, of like value, and the Latonia Cup, at two miles and a quarter, with 0,000 added money. The Churchill Downs stakes are the Golden Rod Handicap, at seven-eighths, for two-year-olds, with ,000 added, and the Falls City Handicap, at a mile and an eighth, with a like added value. Still another of the Churchill Downs features for the fall meeting is the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, for two-year-olds, at a mile, which has already been closed. It has an added money value of 0,000. And on top of all these big events there will be the mile and a quarter International Race at Latonia, in which Epinard will strive to wrest 0,000 from the best American horses. The health of the yearling market has been questioned by some this August, but it has been questioned by those who attended the sales when the yearlings offered were not up to the critical requirements, or those who really did not make the comparisons on which the market may be determined. As a matter of fact, comparing the records of this year with the selling of other years, there need be no apprehension for the strength of the market. Figures of those who have kept the record fihow that the first seven days of selling this year have brought a higher average price than was obtained last August. It has been shown that this year the average for the first seven nights of selling has b3en ,026, and this is almost 00 better than the average for the first seven days of selling in 1923, when the average was ,931. It must be borne in mind that these figures are only taken from the first seven sales and there are several notable consignments to go under the hammer that will undoubtedly bring up this average materially. Wide interest is being taken in the Chicago Special weight-for-age race that is to be decided over the Hawthorne course Saturday, August 23. The Chicago Business Mens Racing Association is to be commended for its fine liberality in hanging up 5,000 in added money for such a race, and it deserves every success. The distance, a mile and thres-sixteenths, is an adequate test and the fact that it is a weight-for-age race makes it of ideal championship design. Already there has been a good response to the canvass for nominations and the field should be a thoroughly representative one. As a matter of fact the race being run during the time of the Saratoga meeting offers a formidable opposition to its complete success, . but the prize is such a tempting one that there will be shipments of good ones from Saratoga to try for the race, just as there will be from various other sections of the country.
