Evening star., 1901-03-27
Racing Season In the East Will Open
at Benning.
MORE HORSES here THAN EVER
Meeting Promises to Be the Best
in the Clubs History.
CURRENT SPORTING NEWS

The Washington Jockey Club throws
open the gates of its Benning track to-
morrow for a meeting of fifteen days, in
augurating the racing season in the east.
The course has been greatly improved and
bears handsome appearance. Every stall
on the grounds is filled, and hundreds of
horses are quartered at the old Ivy City
course and in stables adjacent to the Ben
ming track, the number of horses here for
the meeting being larger than ever before
These horses have come not only from the
south and east, but also many from the
west have put In an appearance, and the
meeting promises to be the very best ever
held here, as the fields viii be large and
the racing of the highest character.
The sport afforded by the Washington
Jockey Club has from the very first been
noted for its clean. honest character, and
President s. 8. Howland and his associates
have spared neither time nor money in
their efforts to place the Washington meet
Ing on an equality with thoe held on
the big New York courses. Jobbery and
croakedness. whenever detected. have been
promptly and severely punished and last
year the spring and fall meetings of the
club established records for the number of
winning favorites. thereby demonstrating
beyond question that the best horse in the
great majority of cases wins at Benning.
SOm1Ort OF Spectators.
Not only has the club management pro-
vided clean and honest sport, but it has
taken most pronounced step to raise the
character of the attendance, rigidly ex-
Guiding from its grounds disreputabie per-
sons, and affording it's patrons every pro-
lection. The result of these efforts has
been an increasing attendance of ladies and
of people prominent in social and off,
cial circles. Everything possible Is done
Tor the convenience and comfort of race
goers and for this meeting Haleys Or
chestra has been engaged, and each after
noon previous to and between races will
render selected programs of music
The racing will begin daily at 3 pm, and
the last race will be over in time to per-
nit race-goers to return to the city for an
early dinner. A special train will leave the
9Th street station each day at 2:15 o'clock
pm, running direct to the track and re-
turning Immediately after the last race
it's electric street cars to the track every
two minutes, connecting with. and trans
ferring from and to an lines but those of
the Capital Traction Company. The COM
pany has ample sdings at the track, and
cars will be waiting there after the races
in sufficient numbers to return people to
the city.
Tomorrosv's Card.
Tomorrow's card will be one Of the best
of the meeting. there being six races, in
cluding the Arlington purse for two-year-
olds. at half a mile. maiden steeplechase
at two miles and the first half of the Ben
ing spring handicap. The last mentioned
race will be of unusual interest as among
the horses entered in 1t are such good ones
as Intrusive, Sidney Lucas, Charentus.
First Whip, knight of Rhodes. Decanter,
Prince Of Verona, Speedmas. Gold Fox,
Brisk, Robert Waddell Fake. Moor, Obliged
and Death. This race is at six furlongs.
and Is the first, Of course, of the handicap
events this season in the east. Shaw Will
probably ride Charentus, Mitchell will be
on Speedmas, Michaels on Intrusive. Tom
my Burns Knight Of Rhodes, and the
others will have competent jocks, so that
it will be race from start to finish.
Six Races Daily.
The other four races will be hardly less
interesting, and as the track promises to
be in fair condition, despite the recent
heavy rains. the opening days sport should
be excellent in every way. There will be
six races every day. and the club, re-
specting the desire Of Washington race
goers for races over the jumps has pro-
vided a number of hurdle and steeplechase
events.