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-A GREATEST HAVANA MEETING Cubas Climate Attracts Visitors Country Prosperous. Oriental Park Most Ficturcsquc Course in the "World Beautiful Roads Lead to the Track. HAVANA, Cuba, Nov. 29. With the opening of the 100-day race meeting at Oriental Park here this afternoon, the curtain was raised on what qualified observors asert will be the greatest tourist winter Cuba and .Havana ever have known. Not alone are the liberal laws regarding prohibition and other United States animadversions responsible, but the racing itself, it is pointed out, is intrinsically superior to any given here before. Both in quality of horses competing and the character of opposition in the overnight handicaps, also purse races, it is plain that the Cuban and American visitors will enjoy racing of a metropolitan class until long after the snow has ceased flying in the North. Oriental Park, again in the hands of its designer and builder, II. D. Brown, is the most picturesque course in the world. Set in a natural amphitheatre, ringed by hills, ver-dured on every side by tropical trees and plants, it presents a gorgeous picture as Nature made it. When Nature left off, the genius of the architect and landscape gardener have gone on. The enclosure of the plant itself as well as its environs, comprise the most picturesque tract in all the attractive West Indies. The site of Oriental Park is a short distance from Havanas famous beach the Playa de Marianao and adjacent to the course and buildings of the Havana Ceuntry Club. It is reached over beautiful roads as smooth as Fifth Avenue in New York, but which wind in and out amid tropical parks or the stately haciendas of the Cuban sugar planters. From the far-flung vistas, views of tho azure waters of the Gulf of Mexico are seen on the one hand, and the foothills of the Cuban mountains to the South. At the left of the "hippodrome," as the stand is called by the Cubans, looms the casino and clubhouse of the Jockey Club, where there are sumptuous dining and dancing rooms, as well as the clubrooms, furnished in keeping with the best in the Salle Continued on twelfth page. GREATEST HAVANA MEETING Continued from first page. of Monte Carlo or the Casino at Deauville. Cubas laws not only recognize games in approved clubs, but foster and protect the sports atmosphere there. Music is provided daily at the races by the best of Cubas famous bands. The grandstand, reflecting the latest Parisian modes in feminine finery, gives a foresight of what the well-groomed woman will wear later on at Palm Beach and on Fifth Avenue. The boxes outnumber those at any course except Belmont Park. They are always filled with the elite of Cubas society, its officialdom, the members of the diplomatic corps, officers of the army and navy, also many of the leaders in business and social life in the States and other countries. Racing at Oriental. Park realizes to its full fruition the aims of the sport as seen at the older continental courses at Maisons Jifitto and Longchamps of the meetings at Doncaster and Epsoms. Whereas, at American courses, motorists by the hundreds come to the races in their cars, it is literally true that here they drive to the races by thousands. Cubas material prosperity, which, until a few years ago. topped that of any country in the world, is again manifest The reason is plain. The price of sugar is ascending. The known output will be 450,000,000 tons. It has been sold to the United States. This, to Cuba, is the index of all her great financial buoyancy. Tho stables at Oriental Park, all filled, totaling 700 racers, were constructed under the personal supervision of H. D. Brown. The complete roster of racing officials include : Managing Director, H. D. Brown ; General Manager, Frank J. Bruen, Assistant Manager, James F. Milton ; Secretary and Treasurer. H. W. Boyer ; Assistant Treasurer and Auditor, E. F. Krugel. In the directorship of the racing itself are men of international prominence. Mr. Brown is presiding steward, his associates being Martin Nathanson and William H. Shelley. The presiding judge is C. Cornehlsen. Mr. Shelley is associate judge and racing secretary. Messrs. Nathan-son, Cornehlsen and Shelley constitute the board of handicappers. Havanas hotels are in keeping with the character of the racing. The number of guests from all sections of the United States, notably Greater New York, Chicago, St. Louis, Cincinnati and Louisville, add to the metropolitan atmosphere.
