The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-18

Spectacular Preliminaries.
 The scene of these great races-four four-mile heat affairs, by Lexington in twenty-four days-was the old Metairie course The Metairie race course and and it's settlements were ever a pleas urable-even delightful feature in the old time social life of New Orleans The gentle people of the city reached the grounds by carriages along the Metairie shell road. The Dantons and Plaquiris and their set from the old French section of the city came forth in their gorgeous, sllver-mounted carriages of the Louis XVIII style, the soft cushions bearing the reclining forms of fair ladies who could boast of their thousand years of aristocracy. attended by booted and spur red cavaliers of high degree.
 From the opposite side of Canal street the Americans came gentlemen of for tune and family distinction from nearly every southern state and as far west as the Pacific coast. An eminent writer on the subject says: Ut was 6 handsome sight that afternoon on Metairie road, and it was a handsome sight which those persons were going to view"
 There was enormous feeling among those generous hearted Iouisianans; Lecompt was the pride of their hearts; his accomplishments had been those of a thoroughbred of highest lineage, and he was a son of Boston. As greatness was contrued by them. Lecompte had all of the characteristics And he had with in him all the best that Virginia-mother of thoroughbreds-could give They felt that Lecompte could not be beaten in the final struggle with the great bay horse from Kentucky. The Dantons and the Plaquins of Royal street and the smart gentlemen from up about Bayou Ieehe and Bayou Lafourche were too gentle in breeding to boost openly, but slyly among themselves. they whispered: What might not a gentleman from Kentucky do after a night with his friends? Ger tainly. bet on his bay horse.'
 At the Pickwick club, General Williams of California was saving to Judge Hun ter of Alabama as they slipped their cafe noir, that anything out of Glencoe mare by Boston could surely defeat any horse by Boston out of an alien bred mare For these Glencoes are race horses" Captain Billy Williamson of Mobile agreed with the California gen. tleman. adding. "Yes, sir my old friends in Kentucky have told me that the Dlomed line has not bred such race horses as they have got from the mares by this English Glencoe horse'
 Judge Hunter, calm, dignified and re- served, rather preferred a bay horse In color, and he had a most respectful re- gard for the young Kentucky four-year- old Lexington. Anyway they would soon see. These gentlemen later met Q crowd of distinguished southerners in the lobby of the old St. Charles hotel among them Richard Ten Broeck. Dr. Blackburn, Captain Merry, General Welles. and MT. William J. Gardner of Dallas They all agreed that "the night promises well and the track will be good"
 The Crescent City" was agog. Things were going to happen all signs and portents betokened that. The hneries and fripperes of the Creole ladies were ablaze on every thoroughfore, and the hum of soft yolces-ever and anon inter spersed with the sibilant accent of their klnd-was sweet to the ear. The fact is, that down by the gulf where the rip bling waves dance and nod to each oth- CT; where the weird grey moss hangs in rich festoons from the Spanish oaks and sways in the breezes that float up from the equator, across the blue waters of the Carribean sea, to fondle the fair locks of the sloe-eyed ladies' there was was going to be a horse race.
 At the Metaire Track.
 The following description of the race was the official report, printed in the New Orleans Picayune the next morning:
 "Assnredly the best portion of a horses speed lies in the mind of his rider, and it is by no means certain that if Gil. Patrick, who rode Lexington into 719&, the present knowledge of what is within horse-grasped the rein and pressed the sides of Eclipse, he could not have brought his 7;97 down to 7;26.
 When the blankets were stripped from the horses and their magnificent combinations of blood, heart and muscle