The sun., 1919-02-21
The racing season In the metropolitan

The racing season IN the metropolitan
district will be opened on Thursday,
May Is. at Jamaica. will end on Sat-
urday. October 25. at the Empire City
track and will include 1f1 days OF COM
petition. This was announced In con-
nection with the Issuance of the schedule
for the season after special meeting Of
the stewards Of the Jockey Club in the
Offices OF that organization here yes
terday afternoon. A.' ...' - ..a-
The officials took time by The fore
lock and announced their plans at an
earlier date than had been the custom.
II was only few days ago, that they
Reid their regular February meeting and
gave out the schedule for the Maryland
circuit. The local programme had not
been looked for until the March meet
Ing. but In order to make an early start
the stewards decided 10 get through with
the Northern schedule. ne ..
The mild winter and. a remarkable
absence OF disease among the horses
wlntering In this section already has
put the trainers on the qui vive, and the
early announcement Of the dates viii
add greatly 10 their enthusiasm. At
Gravesend the horses are breezing-a
fact which some may regard as a ma
ture fake" but which Is true neverthe-
for May is than ever before in the
history of racing In the North.
The stewards had no trouble In allot-
ting their dates or making out their
schedule, for they took q programme for
1918 and followed tt out with exact
ress. TIE 1919 meetings. their length
and their sesuence as to tracks are SINH
lar to those for last year with one slight
exception The first Jamaica meeting
was reduced to six days from nine, and
The. second raised from six to nine,
Jamaica Opens Season.
II will be remembered that last win
ter when the officials gave out the pro-
Gramme they made no provision for an
added season I'm the fall, as there was
some doubt as TO the reception the public
would accord racing in war time. How
ever. when the trainers. racegoers. own
ers and all others came through with
tremendous response the stewards
added the autumn programme so as to
make the season last 141 days.
The meeting yesterday WIS presided
over by Major August Belmont. Frank
X sturgis, Harry X. Knapp. Andrew
Miller and John Sanford also were In
attendance. As usual, Jamaica got the
oill for the first meeting and was al.
otted six days. Belmont Parks SPRING
meeting will follow. from May 81
through June II, eighteen days Their
the horses VIII go back TO Jamaica
for the second half Of the spring meet
ing, from June IL through the 2lst
Aqueduct will have its inaugural or
June % and will close on July /. &c
he followed Immediately by seventeen
days Of racing at the Empire City track
which will close Its meeting on July 81
Then will come the big feature. Of
-acing in America. th4 annual meetire
a. Saratoga, which next summer
eNpected TO ortdo anything yet attained
at the Springs and eclipse even tn,
Sas meetings of the lralcyon periot
. the Casino. The racing at the Spa
@l be started on a Friday. August
and will close on August 80.
Futurity on September Q.
The fail circuit will be opened a
Belmont Park on Monday. September l
which means. that the big Futurity will
be run on Saturday, September 6. Th'
horses will hold forth at Belmont Parl
Tor twelve days. On September Is th'
races viii begin at Aqueduct and OF
september 20 they will shift to ia
ma.ca. On October 10 they will 81
70 Empire City, there to continu,
though October IS.