The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-23
MEXICO HUNGRY
 FOR RACE HORSES S50O,OOO Plant to Be Soen
 Established DE CARRERRO EXPLAINS Wants American Horses and Jockeys. Governmental Supervision of Bet ting-DetaiIs of the Scheme.
 Stables Forminu,
E CARRERRO EXPLAINS
BY J S. A. MACDONALD.

San Francisco, December 22.-About the most interesting thing heard in the sossin VI 'uil ai1airs here is the news of a big race track promotion in the City of Mex ico' From what the owners and breed- CTS at Emeryville, Oakland, hear con ] cernlng the matter a first-class racing plant, costing upward of s5O0.OO0 and | equipped in the most modern style. will pc erected in the Mexican capital city "ithh the next IS months. Moreover. a | Jockey club having jurisdiction and gov , ernment over thoroughbred racing by virtue or special legislation toward that end, VIII direct the racing on the new course and upon other courses which
 IL IS thought will naturally spring into existence in the City of Mexico and neighboring cities in the course of time. Capitalists, foremost in commercial and
 social circles in the ancient city. are ahead of both the new race tracks and the proposed jockey club. The intention
 IS to place the Mexican turf upon the same plane and status as racing is found
 in New York and under the French Jockey club on the Parisian courses The
 men behind the idea of creating a turf Tor Mexico desire racing for the social and sporting attributes behind. Strange as 1t may seem, the project is not being urged because of the financial possibili-
 ties of the scheme. Not a dollar of stock Is to be bartered in this country. How ever, a determined effort will be made to bring an adequate number of horses.
 owners, jockeys and officials from the
 United States to properly set in motion
 the machinery of the big project.
 While there has been no great fanfare | about the thing, the fact that earnest 1 and substantial measures had been al- ready taken toward launching racing in the great empire to the south of us was learned this week during the visit here 1 of Francis de Carrerro, the noted Ranch
 King and timber limit proprietor, of | Guadegallpo, Mex. Carrerro though a young man, is a millionaire several times over. Five years ago he was a student at the University of California and a | noted baseball player. He Is a member of the new California Jockey club and the Westcnester Racing association of New York. Though unable to give any details. the young Mexican confirmed the correctness of the facts in the main ] above related. It Is thought racing will be inaugurate ted in Mexico on first-class basis about January 1. 1909. Betting will be under governmental supervision as in France while it is planned to give purses and overnight handicap values of suf- ficient calibre to attract horses and horse men who participate in mid-winter racing from as far north as New York. It is now possible to ship from New York to the City of Mexico well within a fort night and at little greater cost than the rail transportation to New Orleans. The ideal winer climate the population and the wealthy class of citizens necessary to support high-grade turf are to be found in the City of Mexico today. While there has been a sort of desultory splash of running racing there for three years past with a lot of culls from the Ameri- can turf, contesting for s200 purses racing has never been considered on a preten- tous basis before the present time. All ready l.. Blum lis spending upward of seO0O0 in purchasing middle grade thor oughbreds for breeding purposes in Mex leo. He recently secured 2S head through Kentucky and New York, and will pick up another band on the winter tracks next month for shipment south The day may come when the City of Mexico will rival this city, New Orleans and Los Angeles as a winter racing point.