Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-05
Turning New Soil Under.

undertaking, and II no rain rails curing
the next week all the horses at Bennins
intended for the spring meeting will be able
to do their final work over 1t. While the
main track Is under the harrow tempo
rary half-rile course constructed on a
piece Of ground just behind the backstretch
Is being used for working purposes. This
working course Is situated on natural Po-
tomac bottom sandy soil. and the trainers
there William Preston Burch and other
men of his kind, say 1t serves quite well.
The work track Is rather deep On sand and
quick time Is Impossible. Three-quarters
in 1.3O or whereabouts is excellent for this
time of the year. Later on after the horses
are nearer to racing condition. anything
between 1.19 and LIS will be particularly
good.
Main Track Only Two and Half
Inches Deep.
The main track just now. In its worst
part, Is not more than two and half
inches deep Gravesend, Sheepshead Bay,
Monmouth Park. Brighton, Gutenberg and
Gloucester in the old days used to be that
deep when they were fastest. Last fall,
when seven-eighths of mile IN better than
1925 was possible. and three-quarters in 1.13
or thereabou was common, Benn1ng was
one of the fastest tracks in the country.
1t will not be as fast as that this spring,
but faster than at any time before last
fall Mr. Daingerfield predicts that the first
Bennlng spring handicap. six furlongs. to
be run on the opening day. will be covered
In better than LA, and the second. seven
furlongs, to be decided on the closing day,
will be covered In better than 1.2s. pro-
vided the going is dry and the weather ia
vorable. When 1t Is borne in mind that the
old Benning record for three-quarters was
lis and fraction such time must be con-
sidered pretty good
There Is a vast difference between two
and a half inches and six or eight, which
the pessimists were saying last week and
a. IL 80 h. af ptoar
track In support of their glowing predic
tions that it would be utterly unfit this
spring for first-class meeting.
Work on the New Track.
The horsemen at the Washington course
are galloping cheerfully the halfmile
track just now. because they are anxious
to expedite the work Of filing the main
track. The only objection they have to the
going on the temporary course is its depth.
They have learned since eastern secretaries
adopted the western scheme of lightning
fast tracks that too much depth OF soil Is
bad for horses Joints and shoulders.
Even the most old fashioned of them have
overcome their aversion to the new paste
board arrangement. Working in three or
four inches of sand will not do horses harm
at this time of the year, because they are
not asked to go along at much better than
a two-minute clip. By the time trainers
prepared to let them down the main
course will be ready.
The soil that Is being turned under by
the disk harrows was gotten last year from
the fats Of the Eastern branch of the Poto-
mac river. 1t Is an alluyial deposit re-
newed annually In spring freshet time when
the river overfiows its banks and backs up
over the fats. 1t was used because there
did not happen to be any good clay in the
neighborhood and the Washington Jockey
Club did not care to go to the expense Of
bringing any from Virginia.
Top dressing for Fast Time.
The idea of putting this top dressing on
the native sand was President 8. 8. How
lands. Mr.. Rowland was at Saratoga last
summer and saw what a vast improvement
a top dressing of clay Engineer Charles w.
Leavitt, jr, put on the native Saratoga
county sand made there. Approaching the
value of quick time as an advertising me-
dunn. Mr.. Rowland asked Mr.. Leavdtt to
follow the same scheme when he improved
the Benning plant.
The Potomac flats soil made an admirable
top dressing for Benning track so long as
the weather was good. 1t formed an India
rubber-like cushion, over which fast rec
ords were easy to make without danger to
the horses. The jar was not great because
of the rubber-like character of the cushion.
The top soil gave in at the place where
horses foot struck 1t and sprung back d.
rectly the weight was removed 1t was
only after the heavy and steady rains of
the latter part OF last falls meeting that
the horses went through the cushion. Then
the going became preposterously heavy. 1t
is evident that Benning track, which Is
used in spring and fall, the seasons of
heavy rains will not stand the kind of
treatment that so easily improved the Sara
toga course; also, alluyial soil Is not nearly
SO good as clay. 1t holds water too long.
sandy surface with a first-class drainage
is the thing for Benning. and that Is what
the Washington folks will have hereafter.
Big Money in Improvements.
Twenty-nine thousand six hundred dol
lars. big sum for the Washington Jockey
Club. which hasn't center of population
of four or five millions to draw support
from to put out in track improvements, was
expended at Benning last year, and the
using of this Potomac soil was the only
mistake made. No track In the United
States, except Saratoga, Is so we'll drained.
Mr.. Leavitt applied all his talent to the job
and succeeded admirably. An improvement
second only in Importance and utility to
the drainage scheme adopted by Mr.. Lea
witt was the banking of the turns. The ex-
perience of the last few years has demon-
strated that banked turns are absolutely
necessary to the safety of horses and rid
ers. 1t is particularly necessary that the
bends OF mile tracks shall slope rather
sharply from the outer to the inner rails.
horse galloping at full speed can no more
take an ordinary fiat turn and retain his
equilibrium than railroad train running at
mile minute can round a fat bend and
keep the rails The logic Of this was dem
onstrated at the Empire City trotting track
during the first and only meeting of the
Empire City Jockey .iub. Mr.. Leavitt
after the meeting Of 1900 Frank Clarke
banked the turns at Sheepshead Bay.
Other superintendent quickly fell in line.
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES Fall in Zine