The San Francisco call., 1898-08-22
TALK OF THE
 RACE TRACK Auspicious Opening Day
 at Santa Rosa. WH0-IS-IT IS A CHAMPION EXCELLENT SPORT ASSURED AT SACRAMENTO.
WHO-IS-IT IS A CHAMPION
The Carrigan- -Brenock Truce-Jock- eys Indefinitely Suspended-Fu- turity Candidates as a Book
 maker Sees Them.

The results of the contests of the first day st the Santa Rosa meeting are very important to breeders of light harness horses in California. So extraordinary was the racing from a time standpoint. so exciting from a spectacular point of view, that the greatest of enthusiasm prevailed and the immediate revival of the great American sport, contests be- tween trotters and pacers, looks cer- tain.
 The performance of the new" three year-old trotting gelding Who Is It was a record-breaking one, for when he trotted in PIP he took a second and quarter off the best on record. His owner, A. G. Burnett, president of the San Francisco Stock Exchange, is so con- fident he possesses champion that he offers to match his young gray ghost for 5000 against any three-year-old gelding in the United States, provided the race comes off upon a California track within sixty days. Who Is It was trained at Pleasanton, and late last spring capable judges pronounced him the coming cham pion, notwithstanding he had never ''come up for the word" He made his mark of PIP in the second heat of the 2:1S trot, defeating May B and Myrtle Thorne
 Mr Burnett, owner of Who Is It, is an enthusiast over fast light harness per formers, and is one of the directors of the Pacific Coast Trotting Horse Breed CTS Association, under whose auspices the Santa Rosa meeting is held. Much Better's three heats in 2:1012 in the 2:13 class pace was another notable showing, and l. Direct, by Direct, 2:052, paced a second heat in 2:13 in the 2:19 class race. Peter Williams chestnut horse beat Zom- bro and Mamie Griffin in the free-for-al trot in 2:11, 2:11, after Zombro had taken the first heat in 2:13.
 The list of entries to the trotting and pacing races at the State Fair meeting, which begins Monday September 5, Is exceedingly gratifying to the manage ment. All the events are well filled. The first day there will be the 800 trot, 2:l7 trot, 300 pace and 2:l8 pace. On We'd nesday, September '. the PIP class pace, mile and repeat, comes off, with such good ones in it as Hijo del Diablo, Flora cita, Betty Gentry, Prince Almont, Beach Alto. Little Thorne and the Santa Rosa winner, Much Better. On Friday, the 9th, Toggles, Zombro, Monterey Galette and Mamie Griffin meet in the 2:1O class trot, and Monday, the 12th, a big field of good ones comes up for the word in the 2:15 class pace and on the 14th many in the 2:15 pace meet in the 2:14 class pace. On Friday, the 18th, grand programme is presented, consisting of the free-for-all trot, 216 trot, 2:20 trot and 2:23 pace.
 The stakes for the gallopers at the State Fair meeting filled pretty well, though the entries are not as numerous as last year or in 1896. Among the events we note the Dewey and the Shafter stakes and in the list of entries are such good ones as Buckwa, Scarborough, the once-great Gilead Colonel Wheeler, Shas- ta Water, Harry Thoburn, Cromwell, Wheel of Fortune and Grady among the older horses. In the two-year-old stakes are Magdalenas, Bonibel, Ocorona, Cross melina Obsidian, Midlove, Ranier. Fever sham, Ann Page, Jennie Reid, Casdale, Iirnewater, Modwena and others, many of unknown ability, making matters all the more interesting. Among the three-l vear-oIds entered are Marplot, Fl Moro, Miss Rowena, Arbaces, Plan, Charles Le Bel, Racio, Barney Schreiber. Valen- cienne Los Prietos and Highland Ball. John C. Humphrey secured the betting privileges, paying $12,5O0 for the twelve days
 day at Saratoga and three on Saturday. On the afternoon of the latter day there were five races, Clawson piloting the first winner T. Sloan the next three, and George Cochran the successful one in the jump ForgeO This certainly gives a strong California flavor to the racing at the Springs.
 The California and Oregon. horses did well at Buffalo. N. Y.. on Friday and Sat urday last On the first-named day Che- hallis paced the third, fourth and fifth heats fin 2:06 Frank Agan winning the first and second in 2:05l4, 1:ui14 On Fri day at Anaconda, Mont, four of the six races were won by California-bred horses, and in another great event one was sec ond at the finish Saturday at Anaconda the winners, Toribio, R. c. Ban, Charlotte M. and Miss Rowena, are from the sta bles of California turfmen. Charlotte Ms was a stake win. She. belongs to the. es-