Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-22
FAST TRACK FOR
SPEED HANDICAP
INDICATIONS FAVOR PASTE
BOARD GOING
WILL BE GREATEST RACE EVER
RUN IN THE WEST
Colonel Bob May Be Among the Added
Starters When the Classy Field
Goes to the Post to Contest
for Rich Prize
SPEED HANrIcAP FIELD
BY JAY DAVIDSON

With the aid of continued favorable
weather conditions this will be the
greatest day in the history of coast
racing and Los Angeles racegoers will
have the opportunity of witnessing the
greatest race ever run west of the met
ropolitan circuit. The premier attrac-
tiOn of the most attractive card for
today at Santa Anita park will be the
Speed handicap at six furlongS, which
Will have a guaranteed value of $4,000
and will attract to the post the class
lest field of sprinters that ever raced
anywhere in a sprint stakes.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
California derby is to be run at the
same hour at Emeryville it is merely
stating fact when it is said that the
patrons of the turf throughout Amer
lea will subordinate the blue ribbon
event at Emeryville to the Speed hand
leap at Santa Anita. There is no COM
parison of the events possible from a
viewpoint Of class that will be rep
resented in the race and the Speed
handicap will have nearly as great
value The California derby always
has ranked second in Importance to
the Burns handicap, which outranks all
other turf events of the winter racing
season, but the Speed handicap, which
is to be run today for the first time,
easily IdhSS Iollh S0COIlQ OILY TO the
Burns, if it does not hold an equal
position in Importance and value.
Nine starters were named in the
overnightS and all will go to the post,
while it is probable that the field will
be increased to a dozen in the added
starters that are certain to go to the
post if the track continues good. This
field unquestionably is the classiest
field of horses that ever faced a west
ern barrier: Never before in the his
tory of the turf on the coast has such
a classy field met in any event.
When the raindrops began to patter
down late Saturday evening nearly
everybody who loves the sport and
had been hoping for a pasteboard
track for the Speed handicap. that the
great sprinters might have every IA
vorable condition to make the great
race measure up according to the STAN
dard set for it in their minds. began
to sigh and comment upon the per
verseness of all things. The reappear-
ance of Old Sol in all his glory yes
terday morning, accompanied by high
winds and practically no clouds,
quickly repaired any damage to track
conditions that might have been
wrought by the rains, and, barring
sudden and unexpected showers mean
time, the track will be lightning fast
this afternoon and a new world record
for the distance may be confidently
expected.
With such great and classy horses
as Jack Atkin, Roseben, Colloquy,
King James, Chapultepec, Smiley Cor
bett, Dominus Aroi, Miss Sain and
Magazine already named as starters,
and the probable addition of Colonel
Bob and one or two others of the
classy sprinters at the track the Speed
handicap will go down in history as
an event that has set the standard of
racing on the coast, and this standard
will be hard to beat in years to come,
if the sport survives. The great in
terest that has been manifested in
this event in discussions at the track
and everywhere that sportsmen meet
indicates that Santa Anita, the world
record track, will set still another high
mark for its rivals to shoot at when
the turnstiles cease to click this after
noon. If the attendance records on the
coast are not broken by a wide margin
there is nothing in signs, as indica-
tions favor the greatest attendance
that ever witnessed a horse race on
the coast
Secretary Smith has arranged a card
that undoubtedly will furnish the
greatest day of sport that turf devo-
tees ever witnessed in the west. In
addition to the aIl-important event
there will be another handicap, the
day, which will bring out a classy
field in Montgomery, John Carroll. Vox
Populi Mark Antony II, Arasee, Green
Seal and ClOyne for a journey at a
mile and an eighth. Horses of best
class will be found in all the other
events also, making up a card that
never has been equaled on the coast.