The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-26
SUCCESS IN RACING
 AT EMPIRE CITY Attendance Does Not Detract
 from Saratoga
COLIN IS KING OF HORSES
Never Yet Beaten Keene's Commando Colt May Prove Greatest Ever
 Raced in America-New Or
 leans Preparing for Racing.

1t Empire City to pretty fairly estimate he effect of racing there on the local game While 1t is true that some of the turf followers left Saratoga for Yonkers t is equally true that q goodly portion of them have already returned or are to. It Is likewise certain that here has been no dlmlnuiton In the at tendance at the races here. The expert turf writers now located in Saratoga, generally concede this fact most willing y, and many of them are of the opinion hat there has never been q larger fol- owing here or one more representative han can be found at the track today. Empire City has been drawing good at .endance, to be sure but it has not been lrawn from Caratoga, a fact that seems Q suggest that those who go to Yonkers would not come to Saratoga, and those who are here prefer the conditions under which the sport Is conducted at the local rack. The result suggests that there must be a reason and one has not far to seek it.
 Better Racing.
 The second week of racing has been superior to the first six days. Ahe at endance has not only been twise as arge, but the sport itself has been better n every respect The good horses are be- Ing paraded and the class shown the past 'ew days has been of the very best What has been feature of the second weeks racing has been the extravagant oilets shown by the "swells." This ap- olies to men as much as to women. Soma If the men have gone to extremes in a natter of dress. and the fancy togs shown laily on the lawns worn by we'll known lctors and professional rounders have ,een the subject of much comment, and n some cases ridicule. Very few of lisplaythe racing followers indulge in ;uch display, Boots Durnell leading in his respect. This astute horseman elects lls racing colors, brown and white. He appears during the afternoon with a white flannel suit with brown 'tripes. white straw hat with a brown md white hat band, brown shoes and white socks. He is a picture this way .gged. With the women, Lillian Rus ell easily leads in the dress line. For en days past Miss Russell has put in In appearance wearing a different cos ume daily Some of them are dreams, md they have been the admiration of ace goers. Every afternoon the word is passed along the line q wonder what he will wear tomorrow"
 Gates Retirement.
 The dissolution of the powerful Gates )urnell confederaey is still the topic of here Many and varied red ,ons have been given for the abandon nent of the American turf by MT. Gates lnd the disposal sale of the horses owned " the partnership. Some of the opinions are absurd. while others have more definite ring to them. When the ,eal causes are known 1t will be found hat MT Gates severed his connection with racing on this side of the Atlantic simply because his business was every me elses business. The publicity given Q his betting operations by certain New York papers was very dlstasteful to the and. despite his denials that lis wagers were Frequently under a the papers kept at him hammer md tongs. He is quoted as having said a a friend at the pier the morning he sailed that he was d. tired of 1t, and wanted to get where he would never see mother American newspaper reporter la selling out his stable-for It Is generally that MT. Gates owned every one If the horses trained by Durnell-one of he best racing establishments arount New York was broken up Every horse n the stable was a winner, and if MT Jates ha dbeen allowed to conduct his urf transactions as he deemed ft there S no telling what sum of money the ,onfederacy would have been stored up before the snow began to fly.
 Great is Colin.
 It is now generally conceded that Colin. he great Commando coldt, is the best ace horse seen on a metropolitan track n years if not the greatest. MT. >eene he owner, and James Rowe, the trainer. If Colin. have acknowledged this fact, lot even excepting Sysonby, Those who ,ave watched the colt smother his field or speed have noticed one thing, and hat is that Colin is the biggest loater ieen for a long time. He Is only going 10 do what he Is made to do. In his race with Uncle the other day he kept head md head with the Hildreth colt and was ,ontent to remain in that position the entire journey. despite the fact he could nave romped into the lead at any time t was not until Miller went at him with he whip did he show a desire to improve lis position. In the Grand Union stakes. un Wednesday,. the same thing hap ,ened. He allowed Jim Gaffney to keep head in front of him until we'll into he stretch. and he would not put forth lis best efforts until Miller drew his whip. He was compelled to lash Colin sev- aral times before the colt made a move Then he ran from the whip, and in a econd was four lengths in front. which vas increased to six before the finish. f ridden out there is not the slightest loubt but that Colin could smash every wo-year-old record. Collins constant is little mottled pony. and whenever he takes his preliminary this pony accompanies him. It Is really anus ng to see the little pony try to meas Ire strides with his sturdy companion, md whenever the two appear on the rack the crowd lines the fence to watch he proceeding in almost as great mum lers as If a real race was on. Cohn IS still unbeaten, and from the timber so 'ar shown among the two-year -olds there S nothing around here to make him even lraw a long breath, He will win for Mir. Keene almost as much money as he unfortunate Peter Pan.
 Bennett Talks Racing.
 MT George Bennett, the well-known Memphis turfman. who arrived here sev- eral days ago, made the trip to New York by sea, taking the steamer from New Orleans. While in the Crescent City he visited the fair grounds, where ex- tensive improvements are going on. In speaking of the place Mir. Bennett said racegoers will not know the grounds