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GOSSIP OF THE TURF Hiram Scoggan Slogan will send a small string to race at New Orleans next winter It will com ¬ prise praise Volandies Villainies Grace Darling Miss C Becky Ban and two or three others Grace Darling is a half sister to the fine racehorse King Lee Of this filly a writer says Grace Darling in her anteseason fatnesses work showed more than King Lee Winged Foot or any other horse bred and raised at the National Stock Farm Before she was sent to Nashville she worked half a mile over the track at the Scoggan Slogan farm in 50i with 140 pounds up It was not intended to try her out with any such crushing impost The stable hand who was on her back did not look nearly that heavy After the work which would have been remarkably good under any circumstances Mr Scoggan Slogan was naturally anxious to know just what weight the filly had carried and he had her rider get on the scales when it was found that she had carried as stated 140 pounds On the strength of that showing she was on the occasion of her first start at Cum ¬ berland Borland Park in the twoyearold toehold filly stakes made a 3 to 5 favorite over as good a mare as Black Venus subsequently proved to be but was beaten After that race she was taken sick and she never rounded to during the season that preliminary trial no doubt having hurt her considerably After a loug lug rest the filly is now doing nicely and her owner is in hopes that fihe fiche may completely round to and realize in some measure the promise held out by her early spring work We see far too much in the daily and weekly papers nowadays about the gambling and bet ¬ ting side of racing and it is the prominence unwisely given to this aspect of the sport that has aroused bitter feeling against it among a class of people who might favor and endorse it and from whom its best support would come by whom its best interests would be conserved The gambler the betting man and the book ¬ maker occupy today a more conspicuous posi posit ¬ tion ion than does the breeder the owner or the trainer of the animals upon whom they specu spec ¬ late and by a curious combination of circum circus ¬ stances and the freakish ways of the modern sensational press the very attributes of racing which should be kept in the background and made as inconspicuous and innocuous as possi poss ¬ ble able are exploited in every possible way and one is not allowed to learn that some gallant horse has won an important stake without having his attention called a dozen times to the fact or fancy that SoandSo Sands shocked the ring won a barrel skinned the lamb etc etc or that Tother Toothier fell to the favorite dropped a bundle went broke etc etc ad nauseam People will bet and speculation will prevail but in the name of decency let us not have the jargon of the betting ring and the winnings and losings closings of the gambling element always before our eyes and the entire sport made sub ¬ ordinate to the amount of filthy lucre there has been or may be lost and won over it The Horse Fancier
