Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-16
SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
Large Crowd Watched the
Horses Yesterday.
TRACK GETTING GOOD
MANY THoRoUGHBREDs QUAR-
TERED AT THE COURSE.
End of Palm Beach Golf Tourney
George Dixon Whipped-Play OF
the Chess Masters


the Chess Masters.
The brilliant spring weather OF the -FOUR
days preceding today has set things num-
ming at Benning, where the eastern racing
season of 1908 will be inaugurated Monday
next The warmth and the sunshine dis
PEELED the gloom of the well nigh respondent
trainers OF the 800 thoroughbreds already
auartered at the track. New life was given
to the horses themselves, who have been
held back up to this time on account of the
cold and frequent rains.
Saturday morning the gates Of the main
track were opened by order OF Superintend-
ent Thomas Strahan, and from soon after
sunrise until the long shadows Of the even
ing began to appear the course was filled
with eager and willing horses The trainers
set their charges down for the first really
fast work Of the season, and the animals
seemed to relish the occasion as much as
did the men who held the watches and
noted the speed Of the trials at the various
distances. The horses fought for their heads
nearly all the way. 1t was almost inspiring
to see Old Brisk, now a veteran ten years OF
age, flying down the backstretch with the
stable boy swinging back on stirrups ana
reins unable to restrain the big fellow. Brisk
Is one of the strongest of local favortes,
and 1t looks from his present condition that
he is practically sure Of winning his annual
ra ce at the spring meeting The opening or
the main track and the constant arrival or
new stables has had the effect Of bringing
hundreds of people to the track during the
past three days. The "railbirds'' were on
hand with their little watches 'clocking
the various horses as they sped by the fur
long poles.
Yesterday, however came the first real
throngs Of people made their way to the
pretty course Of the Washington Jockey
Club.
The street car company had It's hands
busy from early in the morning until late in
the afternoon, carrying to the track the big
crowds from the city that were deposited at
the car barns. There is generally wait Of
twenty minutes at this transfer place. but
the road management was quick to grasp
the situation yesterday, and the crowd was
handled with promptness that called forth
praise. Owners, trainers, officials, jockeys
and track followers were all there. and the
bright sunshine enlivened the spirits of all.
There was not pony on the track that
could make fast break without the
watches flying out and the gait for furiong
taken with the greatest satisfaction. The
Washington people appeared to be engross-
ed with the handicap of the opening day,
and everybody connected with the track or
the horses to run thereon was accosted for
informa tion on this event. At the end Of the
day summing up of the information would
place about seven horses in first place for
that race.
Opening the Racing Campaign.
The interest in the spring meeting Is
always eager. It marks the beginning of
the campaign on the metropolitan tracks
and comes at the end Of the winter
months after a long, idle season, and
the lovers OF the sport are anxious to get
back into the fray. Yesterdays crowds
Indicate the esteem In which the thorough
bred is held inv ashfngton and point I'M
mistakably to the unqualified success Of
the coming racing days. The meeting at
Benning this spring will be of twenty rae
ing days duration. The officials of the
Jockey Club. who control the eastern rae
ing. have dealt generously with the Wash
ington organization, which has now been
taken more closely into the fold of the
metropolitan associations. That this Is true
may easily be seen when 1t Is taken into
consideration that Washington will have
spring meeting of twenty days, whereas
Aqueduct. which follows, must be con-
tent with only ten days. The advent of
the new Jamaica Bay track at New York
necessarily means a curtailment Of some
of the racing dates. but Washington Is
profiting by the new arrangement.
Preparations for the meeting NOV
ing forward with rapidity. The principal
concern has been with regard to the track,
but those who have seen the ellipse the
past iS" ddSS ali dSTcc tHdl with 40 uiOIe
heavy rains the going will be all any horse
man could desire. Since Friday evening
the back stretch has been dry and fast.
The home stretch has been rather slow
in coming to hand. on account of being
shaded for quite distance from the after
noon sum- c. W. Leavitt. jr., the noted
landscape gardener and race track con-
structor. was at the track Friday and
Saturday looking after the finishing
touches. Under his direction large guam
tity of sand was spread on the track in
the wet places where the shade Of the
grand stand makes the drying out slow
process. Mr.. Leavitt declares he does not
consider the topsoiling of the Benning
track mistake by any means. ''In fact"
he said, II think after the track thor
oughly settles and the superintendent has
a good spell of dry weather in which to
thoroughly and constantly work 1t, 1t Will
be one Of the best, safest and fastest
tracks in America"
Adjournment Of the Grounds.
Mr.. Leavitt has also been experimenting
the planting of trees and shrubs at various
points about the grounds. The club house
lawn is beginning to take on the gala air
OF the springtime. At the four corners
of the lawn large beds Of evergreens have
been set out Smaller plots have been
made ready to receive the early blooming
flowers of spring. The planting of trees
and shrubbery. however. has not been con-
fined to the club house. On the infield at
the first turn and wherever 1t was thought
the natural beauty of the grounds could
be enhanced there has been extensive
planting.
Mr.. Aigernon Daingerfeld. assistant Sec
rotary of the Washington Jockey Club is
at the track the greater part Of each day.
personally looking after the details of the
arrangements for the coming meeting. Su-
perintendent Strahan and his assistant Mr.
Frank Belts, have their hands full super
vsing the work of the scores of labo-ers
employed about the grounds. The stabling
of the incoming horses must also be attend
ed to, and altogether the air of business
about the place is most manifest
Arrival Of Thoroughbreds.
AS already stated. there are at the present
time about 800 horses at the track. During
the next few days every train almost will
bring in an assignment. Stables are pre-
pairing to ship from training quarters east