view raw text
LAUREL PARK OPENS TODAY Ready for Maryland State Fairs Meeting of 23 Days. Large and High-Class Field Named for Capitol Handicap, Opening Day Attraction. - LAUREL, Md., Oct C Laurel Park will now bo" the center of- thoroughbred racing in Maryland. For Twenty-three days, beginning Tuesday, -October 7, the Maryland State Fair will entertain patrons f rom .Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York and from points along the Atlantic seaboard and other inland cities. With, the close of the Havre de Grace ten-day meeting Saturday, everybody connected with the turf began to move to Laurel Park. They will have two days in which to arrange for the sojourn here and bright and early October 7 Spalding Lowe Jenkins, president of the Maryland State Fair, will throw open the gates of Laurei Park. Laurel Park is ready to receive the kings and queens of turfdom. All during the summer the painters have been busily engaged touching up spots here and there, carpenters building three new barns, remodeling others and erecting three new kitchens. Nothing has been left undone that could be done for the comfort of man and beast Whilo the plant Was being made more attractive by landscape artists, another force of men was building a highway from the Washington Boulevard to Laurel Park proper. This new road will be used exclusively by motorists and will expedite arrival and departure from the track. This was one of the improvements Laurel Park needed badly and that long felt Avant has been supplied by President Jenkins. Woods Dickerson, superintendent and assistant to the president, reports that practically all the stables have been engaged and the few stalls vacant will be occupied by late comers from .New York. The demand for stabling room has become so great that it will be necessary to add more barns next year. Nine stakes will be run during the October meeting and all the best horses in training are entered in one or another, both on the flat and between the flags. Laurel Park will not want for quality nor quantity, specially the former and this meet will mark the appearance in Maryland of the highest grade of thoroughbreds. Featuring the list of stakes will be the 5,000 Washington Handicap, at a mile and a quarter, which will be run on the last day. M. Wertheimer has Epinard entered in this contest and if the Frenchman comes out of his race at Latonia with flying colors it is possible that he will come here for both the Washington and ?10,000 Laurel Stakes, which Continued on sixteenth page. LAUREL PARK OPENS TODAY Continued from firt page. will bo run on October 18, at a mile. Three big steeplechases will be decided during the meet and each falls on a Saturday, which will give the best leepers a chance to recover from revious contests between the flags and over the obstacles. Each has ,000 added and the Governor Ogle event is a new one in Maryland and should prove highly satisfactory because the distance is three miles. Featuring the opening day program is the Capitol Handicap. It is a three-quarters dash with ,000 added. This race was inaugurated in 1919 and has been run as the opening feature of Laurel meetings annually since that year. Billy Kelly won .the first, and third renewals of the fixture as a three and as a five-year-old respectively. Cranks is sand-witched between the famous gelding as a winner of the Capitol. Exodus captured the prize in 1922. Sallys Alley, running one of her few good races -as a three-year-old, beat Silk Tassel and New Hampshire in tne stake last year. Silk Tassel and New Hampshire are scheduled to try again for the major portion of the Capitol stakes tomorrow. Eighteen others were named overnight to compete with the pair that chased the winner homo a year ago. Most prominent of the number on recent performance is Swingalong, winner of two races at Havre de Grace in the silks of the stable named in his honor. The son of Whisk Broom II., is given top weight of 127 pounds. Next to him in the weight assignment is Shuffle Along, A. C. Bostwicks best performer at short distances. He gets in with 124. Others near the top of the weight heap are Goshawk, Osprey, Dinna Care, Reparation, New Hampshire and Time Exposure. New Hampshire is assigned 113 and Silk Tassel 105. Next in general interest to the Capitol is the Joppa, a two-year-old contest at five and a half furlongs. Under the conditions of tho race Single Foot, winner of the Eastern Shore Handicap at Havre de Grace ten days ago, is asked to concede much weight to nine prospective opponents. The impost for J. E. Griffiths good son of Wrack is 12G. Gymkhana is next to him with 114. Battle Field is assigned 110. Others of pretention that get in light are Swinging and American Flag. Each is assigned 107. The track is lightning fast today and track records will be under constant fire if there is no rain. The weather man hovered around the entry box this morning with a smile upon his features and it is promised that the pleasantry will continue for a few days at least. Following are the officials of the meeting: Stewards H. J. Morris, Geo. Brown Jr., Baker Waters ; judges, H. P. Conkling, J. B. Campbell, John P. Turner; starter, James Milton ; clerk of the scales, H. P. Conkling ; racing secretary, J. B. Campbell.
