The San Francisco call., 1908-03-16
TuKfmenEhfhusiasfic
Over The Spor
Classy Cards Prepared BY Mar
tin Nathasson Meet With
Ceneal approval
BY D. r. Jeffery

BY D. r. Jeffery
Local race eoers are enthusiastic over
the caliber of the cards that Handi-
capper Natianson has been providing
since the Advent Of favorable track
conditions 4 Classy and well balanced
fields have resulted in capital contests
throughout the past week and 1t is
learned that Nathanson means to make
ITO his pfogram book during the re-
Wsinder of the meeting in a way that
viii virtually eliminate horses of the
skate type from the sport.
Nathsnson takes the view, and the
mass ~ the local race going public
viii agree with him, that the cheaper
horses have been sufficiently provided
for throughout the winter and that
they should now give way to the bet
ter class OF selling platers and handi-
zap horses. OF course there will be
e race now and then that will not be
up to the mark that Nathanson is
aiming for but il is safe TO predict
that from this time on local race goers
VIII be regaled with some Of the most
brilliant racing that has ever been
seen on the coast. That the season
VIII close in a blaze Of glory seems
certain Whether or not there will be
an extension Of the meeting beyond
Nay 2. it's scheduled date for closing.
President Williams still has the ques-
tion under consideration. ii is under
stood The general expectation is that
tnere viii be an extension of about
= month. in view Of the coming of the
bsttleship feet to San Francisco early
IN May
The program arranged for this week
by Handicapper Nathanson is calcu-
lated TO bring out the best horses in
training. The leading performers among
the , year olds will make their ap-
pearance Saturday in the Bell stake
at four and a half furlongs and there
viii be much interest in the event. ow-
ing TO the increased distance the
youngsters viii be asked to go. The
stake will have a value of more than
$4,000 and among the prominent
elfgibles are Lee Rose. Duke of Milan,
Woodlander, Gull Holland, Little Jane.
Rose Queen, Ocean Maid. Blameless.
Achieve, Vatican, Steel, Seattle and Bill
Eaton.
Saturdays program also provides for
three handicaps The special feature
viii be the cup renewal handicap at
two and a quarter miles for a purse of
$1,000. It is hoped to bring together
horses that met in the Waterhouse cup,
as well as other long distance per-
formers
The other handicaps are the Sonoma
at a mile and a sixteenth for year
oids and upward and the Tolenas at
six furlongs-
The st. Patrick's day handicap at a
mile Will be run tomorrow. the Madrone
handicap at six furlongs is on for
Wednesday, while on Thursday there
VIII be the Benicia at mile and
quarter.
Nominations for the Family club
handicap, to be run on April 4. and the
Olympic club handicap. scheduled for
april Il, viii close next Saturday.
Local interest in the legislative de-
velopments affecting racing in New
York state is by no means confined
TO that class OF horsemen who are ac-
customed TO race here in the winter
and on the eastern tracks in the sum-
mer, inasmuch as it is generally con-
s5dered that the prosperity of the
sport in the great metropolis of the
east has an important relation to the
racing game throughout the country.
While some of the more optimistic of
the local turfmen who transfer the
scene Of their operations TO the New
York tracks during the summer months
believe that the sport will prosper un-
der some new arrangement which will
be evolved to meet the emergency
should the proposed legislation inim-
zeal to racing be enacted into law.
there are others who will not take
the chance of going east until the sit
alton has cleared and resolved Itself
to their satisfaction. This will have
the effect of giving at least tenn
Yorary boom to the summer meetings
sn the west scheduled to follow the
closing Of the Emeryville season. The
coast is looming more and more i'm
Eortant from the racing standpoint
and many a leading owner is begin
ing TO come 10 a realization of the fact
that he might do a great deal worse
than to confine his operations strictly
to the winter meeting at Emeryyillle
and the summer meeting at Seattle.
This viii keep his horses busy for
at least nine of the u months of the
wear, and the remaining time could
be devoted TO the resting up which
every successful owner plans to give
his horses between campaigns.
An evidence of the way in which the
sport Of the coast is appealing to
eastern horsemen is furnished by the
fact that Martin Nathanson has re-
Gently received a request from several
leading owners at New Orleans for
stake blanks for the Seattle meeting.
with the intimation that they are de-
sirous Of shipping west this spring
instead Of going east with their horses.
The natural result will be that these
horses will be campaigned at En-
'eryviIle next fall, after the close of
the Seattle season. The proper sort
OF owners and horses viii be gladly
welcomed by followers OF the sport
on the coast. but the shipment of in
ferior stables should not be encour-
aged. as there are already too many
Of the cheaper sort of horses in Cali
fornia for the good Of the sport.
Persons in touch with the New York
situation declare that there will be
racing on the New York tracks the
coming summer regardless of the fate
of the antibetting measures now be-
fore the legislators at Albany, and
q that there will be betting between
individuals on some sort of a credit
system which will be devised to meet
the exigencies of the situation. This
VIII eliminate the socailed evils of