Gossip of the Turf, Daily Racing Form, 1902-12-19

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GOSSIP OF THE TURF. Reiff, the American jockey, has been awarded 00 by the Ninth Correctional Tribunal of Paris France in his case against the Vie Au Grand Air, arising from that papers charges that the jockey palled St. Saulge. The manager of the paper was ordered to insert the judgment in its columns. The judgment is also to be inserted in ten other papers, to be named by Beiff. A number of owners and trainers testified that they had employed Reiff as a jockey. They said they had examined his English references before doing so and had found them to be excellent. They never had cause to complain of Reiff s riding, and said they did not believe he-had pulled the horBe in question, The trainer of St. Saulge declared the horBo to be unreliable and said be never trusted him. He ran very badly the day of the race because he was ill. St. Saulge had boon raced against the advice of the trainer, who testified that he could not understand how Reiff could be accused of pulling the horse, as he had ridden him energetically and accordidg to orders. The owner of St. Saulge said he was surprised "the horse Tiad-los?, as he believed he nad""a good chance of winning, and he had been ridden by the best jockey in France. The owner said he had investigated the reason why the horse lost, and bad come to the conclusion that Reiff had ridden him too hard at the start and had used the whip too much. He testified also that he did not think St. Saulge bad been pulled up, and that Reiff had ridden for him subsequently. Tb ese days of winter idleness for racegoers are days of care and anxiety for owners and trainers. Now the trainer must make his stake selections-name the horses to be entered in the important events of the season to come. To do this intelligently he not only must have been a close student of the form of his own horses but of the form of horses in other stables as well. He must have noted what horses evinced a disposition to go on and what horses in his judgment never would develop into anything more than sprinters or be anything more than sprinters or be anything more than selling platers. A selection wisely made now meanB much in the future. Nothing contributes so much to a stables success as do big stakes. Nothing eats up a stables earnings so quickly as do the forfeits attached to these rich stakes. Therefore it is that the trainers judgment at this time is of inestimable value. And therefore it is that this is a time of much worry to him. His nominations made, he has a brief respite which merges into the actual work of preparation, and then his days of rest and freedom from care are no more. These days of preparation are days of revelation and disillusion. Too often the idol of gold proves to be no more than an idol of clay dross of the most worthless kind. And then there always is the constant fear, warranted by the no less constant danger, of a good horse breaking down before the running of the race that is to bring glory to him and honor and wealth to his owner. The great public, which graets horse and jockey uproariously, little dreams of the months of care and attention lavished on the horse, and seldom, if ever, gives a thought to the man who makes victory for horse and jockey posssible. That man is the trainer, the man behind the racing gun, the man who develops the race horse and let it ba said the rider of the race horse as well, for the American jockey the best jockey in the world is the creation of the American trainer. The officials of the Western Jockey Club are not displaying the amount of diplomacy in the Newport race track case one would expect from n on in charge of so powerful an organization. Instead of lying low and taking no cognizance of the independent meeting, pnd thereby loading the public to think that the mpvement amounted to nothing, the Western Jockey Club people are doing more to advertise the meeting and its promoters than whole corps of press agents. While they are telling the public that the meeting will amount to nothing, they are wiring horsemen warnings not to join ranks with the independents or outlaws, as they are termed, and threatening suspension for life. The thinking public must naturally come to the conclusion that the great Western Jockey Club fears competition, if such it can be called. It would be wiser not to make so much ado about the Newport meeting. A quiet tongue would have given the Western Jockey Club much more dignity Ryan, who is behind the fight on the Western Jockey Club, makes no claim for dignity, but he has the reputation of being a fighter to the last ditch. When he starts -into anything he never quits, is the reputation he has with men who know him. best. That he proposes to make a fight on the Chicago tracks there is not the slightest doubt, though the Chicago people will spurn the threat. Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. By way of comment on the foregoing, it may be said that all the Western Jockey Club has done in relation to the Newport meeting is to issue a plainly worded statement to7 the effect that men who now voluntarily outlaw themselves must expect to remain outlaws. In reality it is the Cincinnati newspapers that, by daily giving columns of space to the proposed outlaw meeting, are doing most to "advertise the meeting and its promoters." As to the owners of the Chicago tracks, it is probable that they can take care of their own interests. According to an eastern exchange Hawkswick, the St. Simon stallion Henry J. Oxnard bought in England last week and has brought to this country with the Childwick stud consignment of thoroughbreds, will stand next year in Kentucky. Mr. Oxnard has made arrangements with John Ewing, the proprietor of the Willamette stud, near Lexington, to take care of the horse until a permanent home can be prepared for him. Mr, Oxnard has not yet decided where to locate Hawkswick permanently. B. H. McCarter Potter, the proprietor of the Pequest stud, the home of Knight of the Thistle, Buck Massie and Flambeau, is anxious to have the treasurer of the beet sugar industry of America establish himself in New Jersey, and other well known breeders are extolling the advantages of Maryland, Virginia and Kentucky. Mr. Oxnard is considering the matter carefully and will, within a year, buy a farm somewhere. He has entered racing for good and, with his big assortment of high class mares, needs a farm somewhere. Mr. Oxnard has no special preference as to a location just now. Hawkswick never raced in England or anywhere else. He was healthy and sound always, but an accident when he was a yearlingmade it impossible for his owner to get him to the post. Since his arrival in this country the St. Simon stallion has occupied the best stall at the New York American Horse Exchange. He will remain there this week and take the train for Kentucky next Monday or Tuesday. Horsemen who have seen St. Simon say that Hawkswick more nearly resembles him than any St. Simon stallion imported to this country. The likeness is most striking about the head and neck. He is seven years old and stands sixteen hands on his shoes. He has superbly muscled shoulders and quarters, first rate middle piece and beautiful legs. Although he has seen two seasons of stud duty and is carrying a deal moro flesh than a horse in training carries, he is as nimble on his feet as a two-year-old after a special preparation for the Futurity. His sprightlineBS and the other ovidonce he gives of nervous energy has been much admired by the many horsemen who have inspected him. " Those horsemen who believe in taking an active part in racing during the summer only are now taking their vacations," says the Daily America of December 17. " They intend .to rest until racing begins at the metropolitan tracks next spring. "Julius Bauer has gone to the A. Featherstone establishment near Lexington, Ky. He has twelve yearlings and a number of old horses to look after, and he is going to keep them going bo as to be ready when he returns to the east next March. "Joseph Vendig is at Mount Clemens with his family. He may take in New Orleans and Hot Springs, and probably visit J. E. Madden at Hamburg Place, Ky. Colonel Lambert is in New Orleans and will take in Hot Springs on his way home. Joe Ullman has charge of the Southern Club at Hot Springs, which is doing business on the New Orleans and California races. Pittsburg Phil, David Gideon and others of the ultra talent from the east are there, and no end of sport is expected. "Trainer Thomas Welsh, who guides the paces of the Julius Fleischmann string, says: I will leave for a trip to Ireland with my family on the Celtic. It is a vacation that I have long been anxious for, and the trials and tribulations of training a string of horses will be forgotten when I visit the country in which I was born and in which Galteo More was foaled. " Farmer Bill Bcully ie making his homo at the White Owl Villa, at Homecrest, N. Y., and looks after the string he has at Sheepshead Bay. His nephew, jockey Bert Mulholland, has been engaged byThomas Mannix at New Orleans, and has gone to fill Mb position. Many will travel during the winter. Several are attending the New Orleans and San Francisco meetings, and a trip abroad to foreign lands has been planned by others." Chinn and Forsythes yearlings are a fine lot and a credit to the Blue Fountain Stud, near Harrods-burg, Ky. Among them are several Futurity possibilities. Some of the most choicely bred are relatives to South Trimble, Dare II., Goodwin II., LAlouette and Duelist, The lot is as follows: Bay colt, by Oddfellow Ella Duke, by Bramble. Chestnut colt, by St. George Ethel Thomas, by Himyar. Bay colt, by Oddfellow Annie Clark, by Colonel Clark. Black colt, by St. George Little Hopes, by Onondaga. Chestnut colt, by Oddfellow Leonatus mare No. 1, by Leonatus. Chestnut colt, by Ogden Moya, by Inverness. Bay colt, by Oddfellow Juliette, by Stonehenge. Bay colt, by Mars Owlet, by Rossington. Bay filly, by Oddfellow Kinda, by Bonnie Ban. Bay filly, by Oddfellow Josie 0.,by Iroquois. Bay filly, by Oddfellow Mary Linn, by Tom Martin. They will be raced first the coming season at Washington Park, Chicago. They will then be sent east, first to Saratoga. Lncion Lyne has refused the very flattering offer of Durnell and Herz, the Crescent City turfmen. Ho says that he would accept no offer to ride for any one but his regular employer before leaving to fill his European engagements, and that no amount of money could induce him to leave his home at Lexington, Ky., at this time. He sails for England February 1, and will remain home until then.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800