Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-14
NO RACE LIKELY
UNTIL MARCH II
DRIVING CLUB EXPERIENCES
HARD LUCK
RAIN GOD USES LOS ANGELES
HORSEMEN ROUGHLY
Members Of Amateur Racing Organ
ization Will Try to Prevent Re-
moVaI of Track at Agri=
cultural Park
BY DAN PATCH

hopes Of a matinee this month to be.
abandoned and it now looks as if the
next one would not take place till
March II, st. Patricks day, though it
is possible, if the weather turns clear
and warm, the board of directors of the
Los Angeles Driving club may decide
to have an informal matinee, just to
get the horses keyed up, some time in
the early part Of next month.
Nothing was doing at the track last
week. except the regular routine of
jogging on the road or on the inside
track whenever the weather permitted,
the remainder of the time being passed
in reviling the weather man. and
''horse" talk: what certain horses had
done and what they would do, and why
they had not done it before and why
they could not help doing it next time;
till whole chapters could have been
added to Murray Howe'S Excuse Book.
The Driving club has at last awal1-
ened to the fact that unless it takes
active steps Agricultural park will be-
come an agricultural fair ground and
the race track will be lost to the city,
if the bill before the legislature is
passed appropriating 100000 to turning
it into city park, which is hardly a
crying necessity, situated as the prop
erty is, on the outskirts of the town.
The club has engaged the best legal
talent. in Los Angeles to go to Sacra-
mento and place the facts in the case
before the laWgiverS, and explain to
them that the whole thing is simply a
real estate scheme to increase the value
of some property abutting on Agricult-
ural park and owned or controlled by
the men who wish to be known as
blood relations of poor old PRO Bono
Publico," whose name is so often seen
at the end of letters to the newspapers.
To Remove Race Track
Their plan is to tear down all the
fences and stables, but not to replace
either, but to leave the track where it
is so as to technically keep within the
clause in the original deed of the prop
erty to the state that a race track
should always be maintained there, but
to throw it open to all kinds of We
hicles, which in one week would make
it unfit to drive a trOtter over. The
track at Agricultural park is one of
the most difficult in the country to
keep in shape for horses to speed or
race over and requires at present, with
only sulkies and light carts allowed,
with the constant work of three horses
and a couple of men and an expendi-
ture of between $50 and SIS a month
in water to make it fit to train on and
at that it is not any too good, but it's
all the county, of Los Angeles has. How
the real estate spectators expect to
get around the other clause in the deed
specifying that the park shall always
be kept for agricultural fairs and live
stock exhibitions is not quite plain, as
without a fence or accommodations in
the way OF shelter for stock a county
fair would seem to a man up a tree
as rather peculiar. With no fence there
h11 hn ~
charged and without an admission fee
the funds to pay premiums would
hardly be raised, unless the men would
agree to use a portion of their profits
on the land DEAL and they could af-
ford it, for that purpose, but that has
not occurred to them-at least they
have not intimated it.
Horses and Horsemen
A. B. Miller traded his PAGER. Leap
Year Wilkes. last week for Tom Nc
Kinney and Harry H and bought Queer
Knight from Walter Maben. He also
sold a 3-year- old filly for $1,000.
Charles A. Durfee is working a black
stallion called DR.. Lecco, 3-year- old
trial of 2:15A, by Lecco 2:09, dam by
Mckinney 2nd dam by Directum 2:05,
that, if looks and breeding go for any
thing, should be heard from next sea-
formation, color and has demonstrated
his speed as to racing qualities. He
gets that from all his prOgenitOrs.
Dick Mcmahon. the driver of SOnOma
Girl, has bought Lottie Sherbert 2:19H
by Sherbert 2:16%, and will race her
down the grand circuit She has con-
vinced him she can beat 2:10 consid-
erably.
Racing statistics for 1907 showed
that among the newcomers of the stan
dard list of trotters and PAGERS were
191 performers out of record mares.
This was almost 100 per cent more
than characterized the list of 1897-a
decade preYious-and showed that the
use Of record mares in the stud was
increasing; also that such mares were
producing speed prolifically. Figures
relating to the new performers Of 1908
show that of the last seasons new
record makers no less than 273 are out
of record mares, which is a most sig
nificant increase over the showing they
made in 1907-an increase, in fact, of
over AZ per cent. This increase is all
the more significant when it is consid-
cred that the whole list of new per-
formers for 1908 IS not appreciabIy
larger than the list of 1907. These
figures plainly indicate the trend of
breeding relative to the use of record
mares in the stud.
c. c. Crippen. the representative of
the Breeder and Sportsman of San
Francisco, was in town last week and
a visitor at Agricultural park. He is
on a tour of the Southern California
tracks in the interest of his paper and
was greatly impressed by the young
stock at the track here.
1t takes quite a horse to get on the
l.
seen from the following specifications
under which forty-f1ve were recently
bought:
Cali horses to be geldings Of good
conformation, sound, we'll broken,
prompt and light in movement They
must be handsome animals, bay color,
black points, intelligent tractable,
showing breeding and superior class,
and in all respects suitable for the
police service as determined by author
lied officials.
Patrol wagon horses are required for
quick draught purposes and must be
sound and without a blemish or defect,
showing breeding and kind disposition,
to be well broken to harness and drive
with open bride, with free, prompt ac-
tion either at walk. trot or gallop.
Horses to be geldings, solid bay, 16
hands, not less than 115O pounds. from
five to seven years DID, head and ears
small, eyes large and prominent, vision
perfect in every respect, chest full,
broad and deep, withers elevated, back
short and straight, broad deep loins.
short coupling with solid hind quarters,
good, fiat legs and cup feet. Long
legged, loose-jointed, long-bodied, mar
row-chested, restive horses will be re-
jected.
Saddle horses to be the same as
specified for patrol wagon service, ex-
cept as to weight which shall not be