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MARYLAND SEASON BEGINS TODAY i Everything in Readiness for Opening of Spring Meeting at Bowie Seventeen Named For ,000 Inaugural Handicap, Feature of First Day Outlook Bright For Exceptionally Fine Racing. BOWIE, Md., March 31. With everything in readiness and every stall on the course filled, the eleven-day meeting of the Southern Maryland Agricultural Association will begin tomorrow at the Bowie course under the most auspicious conditions. The track is at its best and the promise overnight is that the new spring season will be blessed with sunshiny spring weather. There was the last day hurry in attending to the many eleventh-hour details that kept -a big official force busily employed all through today, and from early morning a goodly crowd was out renewing acquaintances. It was a coming together of those who had campaigned at one or other of the winter courses and those who had "wintered" in the North, and the talk was of what winter horses had done and how those that had rested through the cold months had progressed towards racing condition for the season about to begin. For the first program of the new season the winter horses greatly predominate in the entries received, but that was to be expected for the early days of the meeting, although there are many of those that have rested that promise to keep the hard and fit campaigners exceedingly busy as the meeting progresses. The Inaugural Handicap, the opening feature, a ,000 added seven furlongs dash. .-attracted seventeen through the entry boxf and, with few exceptions, they all performed during the winter. Butit has peculiar interest in the fact that.it has brought together the best from Florida and the best from New Orleans. Then the stay-at-homes that are named haw been showing enough in private to hold out promise for a great contest. RAPID TRANSIT ON TOr. Rapid Transit, the best sprinter of the Miami season, is the top-weight, with 120 pounds as his impost and. under that weight, he is required to give Paul Bunyan, from New Orleans, two pounds. Gun Royal, also from Miami, and winner of the Inaugural Handicap there, is rated next with 122 as his burden. These are the high weights for the big "opening attraction and it is expected that each will be sent to the post. Then there will be great interest in the half-mile .dash for the maiden juveniles that is the opening race of the day and while some few of them learned some racing lessons in actual winter contests, most of them are making their initial bow. The H. P. Whitney stable is represented by two in Airliner and Smear, a pair that Freddy Hopkins made ready at the old Ben-ning course. Two others from the same old training grounds have been named to carry the silks of H. C. Fishers Dixiana Stable and Admiral Cary T. Grayson are Sweep All and Up. The other, team that is represented is that of Avalon and Huntingdon, named from the stable of A. M. Herkness and Howard Bruce. BABY It ACE ATTlt ACTS. This race for the juveniles has attracted eighteen and of these there are six that are in the "also eligible" list, the stalls only accommodating an even dozen. There is a six furlong claiming race and another of five and a half furlongs for three-year-olds, that both promise well, while altogether the first program is one that abounds in interest. The official family for the sport remains unchanged with the stewards stands by George Brown Jr., Baker Waters and Al G. AVeston. The placing judges are Joseph McClennan, John P. Turner, George T. Miller and J. P. Anderson. James Milton, as usual, will do the starting, which is all from the stationary stalls at Bowie. John P. Turner officiates as clerk of the scales with William Jennings as timer. Joseph McLennan is secretary and handicapper, the office he has filled so ably in other years. Of course there is general regret that genial Big Jim OHara will not be on hand for the opening. His failing health brought his retirement from actual management some few weeks ago and that important office is filled by Joseph A. Farrell. James Dew is, naturally, in charge of the mutuel department and in all the various other offices familiar faces are seen. Continued on third page. MARYLAND SEASON BEGINS Continued from first vise. And while much labor was expended on making the course ready for the opening, also considerable work has been done on the various approaches to the racing ground and motor roads have been put in condition. The electric line has also improved its service. With seventeen named for the Inaugural Handicap it will be impossible to make use of the stalls at the start unless there should come some scratches. At that starting point there are but fourteen stalls, but it is natural to expect the field may be reduced to that number before post time. Hialeah is better represented in point of numbers than any other section in the inaugural and those who campaigned through the cold months in Florida are hard to convince that the Florida horses will not finish first, second and third in the opening day special. Rapid Transit. Gun Royal, Pennant Lass, Clean Play and Stand By are some of those most fancied and that is about the order in which they are chosen for the seven furlong dash.
