Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-03-15
SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
Additional Horses Arrive at
the Benning Track.
MANY GOOD TRIALS
AUTOMOBILE SPEED TESTS TO BE
HELD IN FLORIDA.
New Orleans Races-President johnson
in Town-High-Class Bowl
ing Battles.

Despite the gloomy Gather of the past
two days, owners and trainers quartered
at Benning have lost no time in working
their horses into shape for the spring
meeting, which opens one week from
Thursday. The horse population in and
around the race course is one of the larg-
est close census has ever shown this far
| in advance of the meeting. The class of
the horses. too. is gratifyingly high and the
racing enthusiasts are looking forward to
nineteen days of the best sport ever seen
at a local track. The New Orleans and
Hot Springs races come to an end this
week, and then the influx of horses from
the south will begin. They will have plenty
of time to reach Washington by the open
ing day. and it is safe to predict that
| many of the seasons best campaigners will
be included in the first list of entries an
nounced
The trainers at Bennng, well as the
local weather sharps, are congratulating
themselves that all the bad weather seems
TO be coming at once, and they are en-
couraged to hope that the elements w IL
even matters up by giving warmth and sun
shine during the actual racing season
superintendent Tom Strahan declares that
While the weather conditions of the past
two days have been anything but attract
i've. yet they have not interfered very ma
terlaiiy in getting the track into shape
The thing most desirable is to get all the
frost out of the ground, and the warm rain
has assisted in this process. Once the win
ters frost IS gone it will be comparatfyeIv
easy to harrow and roll the sand courses
INTO good shape for the thoroughbreds.
Griffin's Horses Arrive.
one OF the noted arrivals of the past few
days has been the stable of II. T. Griffin
shipped her from New Orleans and Cali
Iornia- Griffin is well known to race
goers, and was prominently before the pub
lie few weeks ago because of an ingeni-
Gus trick which he played upon the cres-
cent city bookmakers. Griffin has a high
CLASS tWo-year-old filiy, named Sweet Pep
per. she was about to start for the first
Tune. The railbirds had been watching
the Grlff1n youngsters closely and while
tneS ala not know Sweet Pepper by name
they knew the appearance of the animal
ana were watching for her first public an
peafance. On the day of Sweet Pepner,s
race, Griffin's trainer sent a scraggy-Iook
ing little horse into the paddock Mean
betting ring.
Inc good odds of 5 to 1 were posted
against Sweet Pepper on paddock rep5rts
tha1 She was a scraggy animal and not
bapapie ot great speed. This to 1 had
oeen sobbled up until to only was
available IN a few minutes. Then the
statement was made that there had been
,nistak te The scraggy filly was trotted
~ ehc SidDie anu sweet Pepper
produced. She proved one of the most
handsome two-year-olds shown at the
track She won the race impressiyeIy
Then the bookmakers were indignant
Upon their protests the racing associa-
ton barred Griffn's entries No further
action has been taken in his case however
ana 1t has not, therefore come to the
ofnclal cognizance of the Jockey Club
Grlfiln S horses are very popular here in
Washington and the hope is generally ex-
pressed that nothing will intervene to pre-
vent his racing them al Benning
Griffin brings from New Orleans Conun-
drum. Payne. Stroller and Conkling The
latter developed into a speedy two-year-
OLD at the Benning session last fall. She
showed class by running third in the New
Orleans Derby last Saturday. Griffin g
California string includes Red Damsel, Clio
ROSA, formerly of the Columbia stable
owned in this city, and Mezzo, a frequent
winner.
Other California stables are on their way
to Washington it is announced. and il is
| believed the representation from the coast
will be the largest in years