Bisbee daily review., 1909-05-15

NEW YORK, May 14.-Under con ditions even less promising than those of year ago. the metropolitan racing season begins at Belmont park today with the opening of the annual meeting of the westchester Racing association. If the plans ot the Jockey club are carried out the season will extend over 9l days. clos. ing at Saratoga the last of August.
 The five meetings and the dates al lotted them for the season are as fol- lows: Belmont park. May 13 to June g: Grasevend. June . to %; Sheeps- head Bay, June 24 to July 13; Yonk- CTS. July t4 to July 31: Saratoga. Aug. to Aug. 2S.
 Though the season extends over 94 days. there probably will not be rae ing during more than half that per iod The Belmont park meeting open ing today for instance, has dates GOV ering eighteen days. but only ten of these will be utilized unless the pub lie shows by its attendance that 1t wants extra days, in which case they will be given.
 The meeting opens with the Metro DDttldu Dsit VI tue lOA -iitCs7N classics of the. American turf. But instead of being race with s10.000 added as heretofore the added value of the Metropolitan this year Is but $300O. The 30.000 Belmont, the old est stake in America; the Withers. with sl0,0o0 added: the Ladies. with s500o added. and the National Stall lion, with sS000 added. are to be run without any reduction in value.
 The outlook for the future of rac- ing in the metropolitan district csr- tainly is discouraging to the track owners, horsemen and others inter- ested in the sport of kings The Queens County Jockey club and the Metropolitan Jockey club abandoned their spring meetings Neither will the conditions change.
 The biggest race of the year. from money value point of view, will be the historic Futurity, to be decided at Sheepshead Bay probably in September The Brooklyn and su- burban handicaps may he run again if only to perpetuate their names, but the added money will be nothing com pared to that of former years.
 The slump that the racing game has undergone is best evidenced oy Ine IdCt that tut SdidiitS ct OA. .S'~'-7 jockeys, traIners and other employes have been cut in half. while the or ,dinary running expenses Of the tracks will also be greatly reduced
 As far as betting goes. the tracf owners have instructed the Pinker tons to enforce the law strictly. st that spectators who may tak' chances by recording wagers VIII o' So on their own responsibility. accordance with court decisions ren sered so far it is legal for individ uals to make oral bets. It is ais' legal to sell advance information while it Is a question whether th' display of odds can result in a con yiction for a violation of the statute
 Many cases for violation of the Az pew-Hart anti-betting law are nov tending in the courts. In due um Some of these cases mey be passe mon. and if taere are favorable vel diets the racing situation may D cleared up. The fact that at leas the season has been left unapportiot ed by the Jockey club would corrot crate the general opinion that 1T tn cases in the courts should be decl' ed so as to permit individual and ora fetting and registration of wager fhe attendance would be so good 10 warrant there being fall meeting at both Aquedust and Jamaica