George Saportas Will Try Again.: Undaunted by Lack of Success in France, He Plans to Return There with Better Horses., Daily Racing Form, 1909-06-15

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GEORGE SAPORTAS WILL TRY AGAIN. Undaunted by Lack of Success in France, He Plans to Return There with Better Horses. Paris. France. .Tnne 14. — George A. Saportas. a well-known American breeder and owner of race horses, is on his wav hack o bis home at Saratoga Springs. N. V.. Mr. flajISI ISs raced fifteen steeplechasers on the French turf this season, taking for the parpeee an establishment at Maisonx-Lattitte. which he put in charge of his friend. W. J. Hayes, at one time known as a gentleman rider in England. Mr. Saportas had little luck with his venture, for not only were his American horses unsuccessful, but they met with a series of accidents in training, which finally decided hiiu to dispose of his lot and shut down his stable. To a reporter for the New York Herald, before leaving. Mr. Saportas gave his views of horse racing in America and France. "My first object in coming oyer." he said, "was to try my pet horses. Simon Pure and Alfar. against the best to e met in Europe. The former is a great horse. I left htm In charge of Percy Woodland at Maisons-Laffitte. "My ex patience In France lias in nowise discouraged me. 1 shall bring back other horses on my return which will be trained by Mr. Woodland. "Apart from my ill-luck my sojourn has been most pleasant. Racing over here is a nice, clean game. 1 found the Stewards most courteous. "I believe my trainer made the mistake of running my horses too soon after they eainc over. I train for myself in America, and consider that the American horse requires a year here lie fore he is thor onchly acclimated. With the exception of Alfar. none of say horses ran. I simply brought them over as companions for my two cracks. "It is useless to bring American jumpers over, for in America the obstacles are like those in England — very much stiller than the French jumps. It Is, of coarse, easy to school a horse to jump higher, but very iliilicult to accustom him to run fast over the lower fences. "Races here are run much faster than In America, for horses practically take the obstacles In a stride, i propose to bring some good American flat racers over and school them in France, for my pet ambition is to win the Grand Steeplechase at Auteuil and the Grand National in England with an American horse."


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