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DAVE GIDEON ON AMERICAN RACING i New Yoek, March 22. "Do you know," said Dave Gideon of racing, fiddling ands theatric fame in a reflective way, "that I think Jean Heraud would have won the Futurity as our filly High Degree, which ran second for the stakes, formerly won by our trio, His Highness, The Butterflies and Requital was pounds inferior to the colt. You see," he continued, "Jean Beraud was not eligible as, by a clerical error, the nomination of his dam was omitted, and in her place appeared the name of the colts granddam. They say we sold the colt too cheap, but really I am glad that he went on and won 0,000 after Mr. Whitney bought him, for what the turf needs is high class men like Mr. Whitney willing to invest in good race-iiorses. "This year we shall have from the Holmdel farm some twenty-three two-year-olds, a fair average for our thirty-four broodmares. His Highness I consider the best stallion in America. He is a splendid looking horse, now eleven jearsold. He stands over 16 hands. Our policy will never kill him as he is stinted to thirty mares, all our own. We have some seven two-year-olds outside those bred at Holmdel. Of course one cannot tell how the youBgsters will turn out. The trainer says that ail are doing well. I know that at the farm the season is two weeks behind that of 1898. I dont believe any one can predict what a certain two-year-old will do. My theory of training is the common sense one of taking good care of the animals and never overworking them. Some trainers favor early fitness. Others follow a waiting plan. One man likes to have a race or two in his horses before he bets on them, while equally wise men send theirs to the post ready to run at their be9t the first time out. But tho true racing of the east comes in midsummer. In that season form is truest. "With the advancement in all kinds of securities the resultant prosperity must be favorably felt on racecourses "and we all look for a good season." In a general talk on racing matters Mr. Gideon said: "Tod Sloan is the best rider simply because he is patient and knows how to wait. There is nothing in any corner of business or life that equals the little bit saved for a sharp emergency. Tod is boys size with the brains of a man. This season we have engaged H. Martin to ride for us. If I can cure him of his hurry up Bystem may be he will be valuable. We have Spencer too. I fancy him to be our best rider. There is a good deal of difference in jockeys, as one may judge by the disaster that befel John McCafferty, a horseman, who would wager large money on his horse, ride him himself and lose simply because the other jockeys were more skillful than he. "I am a believer in cash stakes. Over the i three Futurities that we won there is still unpaid some 0,000 in forfeits. I do not bet much . money nowadays, the highest wager last year being ,000. The public seems to fancy my colors, as I rarely get better than 6 to 5 against my own horse. May be this is because of the gen-oral knowledge that my system is to weed out worthless stock. It costs just as much to feed 1 and train a crab as a good horse, and we dispose of animals not showing well. Of course we get fooled sometimes, as in the case of Sal-vable, sold to Sam Hildreth for 00."
