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1 i Here and There 2 3 on the Turf 4 - 5 6 j Changes at Aurora. 7 Hawthorne Prospects. Exterminators New Role. 1 Rules and Racing Colors. j 2 Aurora is to be operated under a new management this year. For a time, but it was IS . not long ago, there was a fear that the pro-I osed meeting might fall through, when the 1 lea«e held by Charles Ford was cancelled, but -the 7 meeting wil be carried out as planned, though under the control of the Exposition Park Jockey Club. 1 2 Clifford R. Trimble, the ruling spirit of this c!ub, has begun wcl with the promise that : Martin Nathanson will be the presiding stew 4 ard. Few racing cfficials are better versed in ; racing than Mr. Nathanson and his association with the club gives it importance. With the selection of Mr. Nathanson it suggests that a like care will be made in the se lections of the others in the official family for the Aurora racing, and when such is the polity success is assured. There are already applications enough for stabling to make certain the presence of horses in abundance to carry on the sport. While Aurora only opened its gates for the first time last year, it is possible for the track to take an important place in the Chicago racing when the meeting is properly conducted and the plans for the new Jockey Club are for such a conduct of the sport. While Aurora is making its preparation*. Hawthorne is going forward with plans looking • to a great meeting. That was pretty well 1 . outlined when the stake values of the meeting were made known. Now one of the concern of the Chicago Business Men*.s Racing Asso . I ciation is the bettering of the roads to Haw ■ I thorne. This becomes necessary with the tremendous popularity of the racing and, doubtless, before the opening of the Chicago meet ing the automobile ways to the track will .- e j , greatly improved. The public will pay for] I the upkeep of these roads by a tax of ten : cents that has been provided on admissions to I j the track. This is a simple way in which to provide the necessary funds for the work, and it is an amount that will entail no hardship on the patrons. """ I I Exterminator is now a lead pony for the I Willis Sharpe Kilmer thoroughbreds. This j j amounts to a viriualy retirement, but it is. an occupation that is much to the liking of i the famous old cup champion, and it keeps , him at the race course, where he has ever been in his happiest mood. The old son of McGe and Pair Empress has had a life of ease for a considerable time, but he did not thrive in ! complete idleness. The eld fellow was out j of his element in a grassy paddock. He pine-1 ! for the race track, and when it m decid -d j by trainer Smith to take him along with the i j racing string to Havre de Grant hp did ftj big thing for the great rac°r. He proudly leads cut the different sets at work hour*. and never was there such a notable lead "pony in any racing establishment. There always will be a chance for Exter minator to come back to racing, but, if he does, it will be because he wants to come back. His racing life was a long and h morable one, and he has the right to pick his going. He will be humored to the day of his death. While on the subject of old geldings it is I interesting to know that Lanius, now in his : tenth year, is training so well at Belmont Park for A. J. Joyner. Lanius was a truly good I cla« horse and the manner in which he is j , I : I j I I I j j i , ! j ! j i j I : I taking his exercises at this time gives evidence of his coming back again to give an excellent account of himself early in the year. Laniu* gives promise of being another of the long wearing geldings that come to the turf from time to time. It was interesting to see that the sterling old matron which gave Leoehares to the turf, has another promising brother to that good campaigner. That was shown when L. S. Thompsons Aucilla, starting for the first time, wa- an easy winner of the half mile dash for maidens. This is a bay colt that at least has a com mendable turn of speed, and the ease with which he was home the winner suggests the possibility of a certain amount of racing gr?at- ness. Of course, he will have to go further, before he can be hailed as one of the best of the year, but the fact that his first racjj was an impressive victory is all that is needed at this time. Aucilla will not want for racing .j porf unities, and right now he is the best of tho.-e that have been raced at the Bowie meeting-There are certain regulations in the selection of racing colors, to prevent confusion. Of course, there can be no duplicates. Then , there are other regulations as to the size of stripe- and sashes. There is still another im-■ portant regulation that still is in effect, unles-there has been a recent amendment. This was that vertical halves were barred. When colors are divided into halves of different colors, it ;lis the rule that they be horizontal halves. The reason for this is obvious. With hori iixontai halves they remain the same at any angle they may be seen. With vertical halves only one color is shown at a time, so that in the home stretch the colors may show red, , while on the back stretch they may be white.! This is confusing to one watching the prog ress of a race, and that is the reason for the, ■ bar against the vertical division of the colors. I This question of colors was raised at Bowie Tuesday when A. Finnells St. Michael ap-peared with yellow and black halves. They w«"re vertical halves, and in the home stret:h St. Michael appeared to be wearing a black jacket, while racing on the back stretch it I appeared as a solid yellow jacket. ■ It may be there has come a recent amendment to the rule, but the old regulation was an excellent one and these vertical halves 1 should not be permitted. j It develops now that Myrtle Belle met with an injury in her last race, and thtt excuses her bad showing. She was jumped on in the running of the race, and it wis injury enough to account for her bad showing. It also was reported that F. J. Kearns has given up the horses of R. Benton, whose Vexation showed such an unnatural improvement in form. This would tend to show that Kearns was in no rense guilty of manipulating the gelding, and he is to be congratulated in ridding himself of a horse that, if the two races were an index of his usual form, is one thy t is sure to bring no end of trouble to any trainer. The first appearance of Normal was so altogether bad, when he raced Tuesday, that he cannot be expected to be ready for a winning race for a considerable time. He appeared on the Irack wearing bandages on each leg, and , ■ I I ■ 1 j it may be that his weak underpinning went back on him in this the first race he has been asked to run this year. W. Harvey, the lightweight rider, who w««? such a sensation at New Orleans through the winter racing, bids fair to be the sensation of the Bowie meeting. He brought four of his mounts home first on Tuesday, and was second with another when Asa Jewell was only beaten by Spugs in the last race of the day. His winners were Romping Home, Moon-raker, Top Sergeant and Despair. It is proa-! able that each was best in its respective race, but in racing the successful rider will ever have the opportunity to ride the best horse, for his services are so widely sought. Harvey is undoubtedly a real rider, and he has already become a decided favorite with tho Bowie crowd.
