Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-03-29

nROBABLY the classiest Monday
card that Secretary Smith has ar
\ ranged for the edlfcation of local
racegoers will be the offering this aft
ernoon at Santa Anita, barring, of
course, the day the Speed handicap was
run. Seven races, filed with horses of
good class. all evenly matched, is the
offering, with the fourth race probably
holding the honors of featurism. This
race is at mile, and five horses of
about equal mileing abilities are named
to start. Prospects are favorable to
good track, and the eight furlongs
should be reeled off in fast time, but
the horses are so nicely placed that 1t
viii be a difficult handicapping job for
anybody who tries to figure out the
winner before the judges announce the
result. The conditions, of the race
amount to handicap, when one looks
over the weights. and close finish is
the least prospect in sight. Sixteen
sprinting platers of about equal caliber
are named to start in the thiIsl race,
and the one that gets down to the wire
in front will reward his hackers with
excellent INTEREST LOT IilS investment
The last race of the day is no SLOUGH,
with such cracks as Fleming, Mary f,
Montclair, Old Times, Quagga, st. Elm
wood, Sibari and w. T.. Overton en-
tered. Racegoers will stick around until
this race is run, instead of hurrying to
the cars, because it figures to be as
much of a feature as the fourth race.
The improving weather conditions will
help out track conditions materially,
and some good sport should reward
those who attend.
Complaints of bum refereeing at San
Diego continue to get back to Los An
geles and while this is a sidestep for
the average losing fighter, they are be-
coming too frequent for easy dismissal.
There must be something wrong down
that way and the promoters of the San
Diego clubs will help their game along
very much if they will cut out these
amateur referees and grab onto man
who knows something about the game
"a man who knows fight when he
sees one without a label attachment.
Nothing disgusts fighters and the fans
so much as to sit at ringside and see a
good fight and then be surprised by
decision that is not warranted.
The board of stewards of the Santa
Anita meeting held another session
yesterday afternoon, but the reports
from the inside came that there was
nothing to give out. This is the wise
policy that should be adhered to strict
ly by the stewards. Blaring trumpets
help no case that depends upon inves-
tigation to produce evidence. If the
stewards have any offenders in tow let
them investigate and apply the jockey
club laws to fit the case, so that these
laws will furnish remedies as nearly as
possible in all cases, but it is not neces-
sary to take the public into confidence.
Publicity in treatment of scandals
never helps the cause along and those
who want to see the sport survive and
prosper will agree with this statement.
The Santa Anita board of stewards is
composed of men of established charac-
ter and standing on the turf and each
of the members is working for the best
interests of the sport. They are men
of integrity and the patroniZing public
can we'll afford to extend to them that
confidence which will permit them to
handle all these cases without the pub
licity that only curiosity seekers desire.
More effective work can be accom-
plished in executive session than ever
could result from the publication of
the every movement and decree of the
board, which they seem to fully realize.
Secretary Smith is a versatile chaps
He has been naming his handicaps all
season and adding interest to them
thereby. Having run out of names or
Los Angeles county towns and cities,
he has hit upon the plan of naming
the handicaps this week after the sfres
of stake winners, and four of them