The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-14
ON THE NEW YORK TRACKS
Norris Park Spring Stakes Have
Not Been Announced.
The Programme Has Been Prepared
by Cricismorc, But August belmont
HIS Not Found Time to Look the
Races Over. and Publication of 1t
VIII BE Deferred for short Time.

NEW YORK Jan. 13.-The only metro
politan racing associations yet to be heard
from in the matter of stakes for the com
ing spring and summer meetings are the
Westchester and Saratoga combinations,
which control Morris Park and the track
at the Springs These concerns will be
in the field all right, but horsemen and
turf patrons must possess their souls in
patience and wait awhile August Bel
mont, the Westchester boss, has not had
time since his recent illness to look over
and approve the Westchester programme
arranged for him by H. q. Crickmore,
clerk Of the Morris Park course, and the
men who compose the Saratoga concern
have not yet made up their minds what
they are going to do. There is no hurry
about the Saratoga. The Saratoga meet
ing will not begin until along toward the
last of July or the middle of August, and
the closing of the stakes might as easily
as not be deferred until the LIST of April
TT Whereabouts. With Morris Park the
situation is different The Morris Park
spring meeting inaugurates the high class
season on the metropolitan circuit, and
ne sooner the programme is announced
the better. Mr.. Crickmore has had the
thing all arranged for some time, and II
Mr.. Belmont does not get around to it
within the next week or ten days he will
announce It without approval 1t does not
make the least difference whether the
programme is submitted to Mr.. Belmont
or not Mr.. Belmont never changes it.
His check is merely a formality, but be-
ing something of formal man, he likes
to put the check mark on.
With one or two insignificant alterations
the Westchester programme for the spring
meeting of 1901 will be a duplicate Of the
programmes Of 1900, 1893, 1898, etc. The
chief race for horses of the older division
will be the Metropolitan Handicap at one
mile, over the Withers course This race
Will be followed by the six-furlOng Tobog-
gan Handicap, over the Eclipse course, and
Mr.. Crickmore's three lightweight spe-
Gals. at six, six and a half. and seven
furlongs, instituted three or four years
ago. These three races, with the three
that correspond with them in the fall pro-
gramme, are as popular sprints as the
metropolitan racing calendar boasts of
from year to year.
They invariably call out the best
sprinters, and have in the past been eX-
celleHt mediums for the exploitation OF
Handicapped Walter S. Vosburgh's con-
summate skill an adjuster OF weights
In four out of five of these races Mr.. Vos-
burghs top middle. and light weights pass
the judges heads apart These hlgn-
weight handicaps are Mr.. Crickmore's
idea, which idea, looked at from any point
of view, is all right. If We are going to
have sprints, it is right and proper mat
the sprinters should carry weight Spirits
are attractive even to the lovers OF long
distance races when the sprinters pack
burdens Sufficiently heavy to test their
stamina.
In the matter of money the Metropolitan
will be this year a 5000 added money al
fair. as 1t was last season. Al least, that
is the present scheme. With as many en-