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REVIVES MEMORIES OF THE PAST. Judge Charles F. Price Writes Entertaining History of Racing at Famous Louisville Course. Louisville. Ky., April 16.— A brochure, with letters embossed in black and a horses head printed iu a delicate shade of green on its buff cover, lias been issued by the New Louisville Jockey Club and will be wannlv received by horsemen everywhere. The booklet, from an artistic standpoint, is a thing of lieauty. TyiHigraphically, it is jierfection itself. From thi- viewiHiint of contents, it contains a terse history of famous Louisville race courses, written and compiled by that lover of horses and racing expert. Charles F. Price, presiding judge at the historic Churchill Downs. The little volume will be highly prized by horse lovers ami everybody interested in racing. Its life seems destined to be anything but transitory, as the information it contains is so accurately anil entertainingly written and presented that the book will find a welcome in libaries numbered only by the extent of the edition. The brochure Is illustrated with etchings of Churchill Downs as it looks today: with pictures of famous race horses that have displayed their quality in contests for rich stakes: with reproductions of famous programs, or lather programs that became notable after the horses whose names were on the cards had developed into racers that set the country talking add made turf history. In the introduction. Judge Price has written a beautiful eulogy of the horse and cites authorities showing that horses were raced over thirty centuries ago. "I-onrteen centuries before the Christian era. horses were raced at the Olympian games in Greece — and in the three thousand and more years that have elapsed they have been raced in every land and in every ciime. England, howevoi-. is entitled to the credit of first improving the breed of Ihe running horse- in fostering the turf," says the writer. Following the preface in the fore part of the liook. comes a brief account of the early da s of Louisville racing. Here the reader is informed that racing was first st en in Kentucky |M years ago. As early as 17s5. the reader learns, races were run on what is now Market street and afterward there was a race track at the foot of Sixteenth street, "where horses were run for purses." Away back in 1.H23. the Louisville Jockey Club was in existence, as shown by an advertisement in the Louisville Advertiser anil reprinted in the booklet. One chapter is devoted to the Hope Distillery course and the old Oakland course, two of the early tracks of Louisville. In connection with the two chapters treating of racing In Kentucky, a half-tone of Aristides. winner of the first Kentucky Derby, run in 1875. is printed. The Hope Distilbry track was in operation as early as 1827. The old Oakland plant was at Seventh and Magnolia streets. It was considered large for those days, although it contained no betting sheds or paddocks and its stables had but sixty stalls. The old Oakland track was a place noted not only for the quality of its racing, but a spot where society people of the day wined and dined the old families of Louisville. Virginia and Tennessee and their scions in true Kentucky fashion. As a forerunner of Churchill Downs, the Oakland track was an honorable and worthy ancestor. Tln se were the days of long-distance racing. There were no dashes and sprints, the book tells. Not the least interesting part of the brochure, is the dashing narrative iu which the famous Wagner-Gray Eagle nice is re-run. There is also a description of the scenes attending the running of the Ten Broeck-Mollie McCarthy race, an event of more recent date, yet a memorable one in Louisville and the southland. The official program issued bv the Louisville Jockey Club for the Ten Broeck Mollie McCarthy race anil one for a spring meeting iu lS7:t are reproduced. They make reading that is highly Interesting anil fascinating. Coming down to more recent days, the little btwik-let tells of the beginnings at Churchill Downs; how-it got its name, who owned the ground and the men who were the moving spirits in its establishment. No history of racing in Louisville antl Ketitucky as it is today can be written without mention of Col. M. Lewis Clark, organizer of the Louisville Jockey Club, which became the parent organization of the New Louisville Jockey Club, the corpora t ion which now owns- and manages Churchill Downs. Considerable space is devoted in the booklet to Catena Clark and his labors in behalf of racing. His influence on the turf in this country is regarded as immeasurable. The booklet, among other things, contains a transcript from the original scales book of the ockey club of the starters in the first Perky and the order in which they finished at Churchill Downs awav back in 1S75. A list and description of the notable fixtures of Churchill Downs racing is found in the brochure. There is a reproduction of the program of that June day. in 1X07. when jockey J. Lee rate six winners to victory, a feat which has no parallel in American racing. There is also an official program of the day in May last year when a track record was broken in each of the six races run. There are chapters which deal with officials of the past and present, the old club antl the new. the new clubhouse and its membership nnd the officials of the present jockev club. The book ends with this significant and truthful statement: "Froip the time that Colonel Clark stepped into the judges stand, thirty-five years ago. 4o the present day. Churchill Downs has been noted for its clean racing and the high quality of its sport."
