Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-23
SHXTY-DAY Meet
AT THE WILLOWS
VICTORIA RACE TRACK WILL
OPEN JUNE rs
HIGH CLASS OF OFFICIALS AND
HORSES is ASSURED
Many of Best Animals Which Raced
at EmeryviIle and Santa Anita. Are
in Stale-Canadian Horse-
men Are Enthusiastic
Especial to The Herald ]


kind ever attempted in any city in the
Dominion of Canada. Never before In
the history of the running turf in Can
ada has a meeting of this length OF
time ever been attempted, and While IN
a measure the venture is largely in the
nature of an experiment the promoters
3, are confident that it will prove an I'M
qualified success.
1t is generally conceded that an eX-
tended race meeting to ENJOY success
must be backed by the influential citl-
zens. of the city in which the meeting is
conducted And, Furthermore, a Suth-
cient number of thoroughbreds of
enough class to make the contests in
teresting must be engaged at the meet
ing But what is of the greatest I'M
portance is the manner in which the
meeting is conducted, and the charac-
ter and standing of the men in whose
charge Is placed the conduct OF the
racing.
That the forthcoming meeting will
possess all of these essentials there is
not the slightest chance for a DOUBT
The officials and members of the VIC
torja Country club, under whose aus
pieces the meeting will be conducted,
are all men of standing in the social
and business life of this city, and en-
low the confidence of their fellow cltl-
zens. D. r. Ker, the president OF the
cInb is one of the most widely known
merchants in British Columbia, While
the other officials and stockholders IN
the club are all identified with the pusl-
ness and social life of Victoria.
Regarding the number and quality OF
the horses that will be engaged at the
meeting it is sufficient to state that
there are already over 800 thorough
breds chartered at the track, Whlle
reserVations have been made for Sixty
nil
day. 1T ,,,,,o
In order to accommodate this large
number of horses over 200 new stalls
have been constructed, and even TINS
number has been found insuthclent 10
accommodate the large number OF am
mails that their owners desire TO snip
here. 49,,
Some of the best horses racing at the
recent Oakland and Los Angeles meet
ings have been shipped here ana race
eoers here will have the opportunity
Of witnessing some of the best sport
oVer offered on the Pacific coast. Among
the we'll known owners who VIII pc
represented at the meeting are the toi-
lowing: l. H. Wheatcrott the Wen
known railroad and mining man: Bar
ney Schneider, the owner OF the W WOO,
lands stud in Missouri; P. T. Cnlhll'
the noted Kentucky turfman, whose
string is being handled by W. I. Max
we'll. the veteran trainer; Matt hles 0I
Seattle. who has most torlnluaple
string here Gill Summers q Co, OWL
ers Of the sensational sprinter. Dom
inns Aroi: A. ]. Jackson, VINO mas
ITorn T. the grand little mare that
lowered the track record for mile at
seattle last summer, and Garrity y
Dunlop, who have number Oh eooo
bandican horses in their barn.
Tn addition to these all of the promi--
renf stables of Western Canada ana
british Columbia will be represented
at the meeting by their best thorough
breds. .ot,,,o+od in
securing the services oil Juoge HoOe 70 :
manage the meeting, for no better Sc
lection could have been made: IN.
Mr., Leighton has been identihed VITA
the turf in British Columbia ana Tue
Pacific coast states for the past NJ
+aon Years. and his long experience nus
-, adroirablv for the position that
came TO him unsought. He enjoys the
confdence of horsemen and the race
Going nublic alike and his selection as
manager is a guarantee that the meet
ing will be conducted upon hlBh
plane and kept from all faint OF sus-
picion hoo. on
nointed associate judge, is native OF
Hamilton, Ontario, and has mad years
of experience in the conduct OF racing
Last summer he acted as presiding
Judge at Butte, Mont. and ne comes
here with a reputation for honesty ana
fair dealing.
Pichard Dwyer, who will offlciate as
starter, needs no word of commenda-
+ion. He has been sending the horses
awav for the past twenty years, ana
is known to all patrons of the turf.
THE track and buildings are being
overhauled and put into condition for
OT1t
most completed, and it is predicted that
il will prove to be one of the fastest
in the country.
Ten stakes are to be decided during
the meeting, chief of which are the
Victoria. Derby and the Dominion Day
handicap. The nominations to the diff
ferent stakes closed May 10, and the
list is surprisingly large Nominations
to the Victoria Derby are particularly
large, as, aside from its value, horse
men are anxious to capture what VIII
in future years be considered the chlet
classic of the meeting.
Six races will be given daily ana
nurses will not be less than 5000. AS the
meeting progresses the value of the
purses will be increased in proportion
as the attendance increases. The
club does not desire to garner any
large profits, preferring to distribute
all surplus earnings among the horse
and purse values.
Special races will at frequent inter-
walls be carded for the benefit of Do
minion and province bred horses. This
is only right and will serve to stimu-
late the breeding business in the west
ern provinces.
Manager Leighton has made known
his determination to make the initial
meeting a model to be followed by
those in after years. In order to &C.
compish this all undesirable features
will be eliminated, touts and unde-
sirable characters will be kept away
and everything will be done to make
the meeting one of which the citizens
of Victoria may be proud.
1t is expected that the city will be
crowded when the meeting begins, and
hotel keepers are already making act
i've preparations to accommodate the
influx of visitors, many of whom will
he drawn to the coast this summer by
the Seattle exposition. Victoria is we'll
provided with all classes of hotels,
which are we'll able to care for a big
crowd.
Although the meeting does not open
fill June s. visitors are already begin
ming to arrive. and the hotels are alive
with horsemen and racegoers whose
sole topic of conversation is the race
meeting of which all speak in enthu-