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PASSING OF THE AUCTION POOL. Louisville, Ky., November 15. The recent passing of the auction pool stand on the Kentucky tracks, owing to a rule of the Kentucky State Racing Commission putting this mode of betting outside of the pale of the law, ends the oldest form of wagering on running horses known to the American turf. Price McGrath claimed to bo tho originator of auction pool selling on races In America, and ho Introduced the system at the close of the Civil War on the Eastern tracks. Dr. R. C. Underwood, an English veterinarian, then took up the business and made a wonderful success of it. ne was, perhaps, the greatest pool seller known to racing, with the exception of Robert Cathcart. of the firm of Watts. Hughes and Cathcart, of this city. Bookmaking finally forced the auction pool stand off the course and It was only restored when the poncilcrs passed from Kentucky race tracks by rulings of the Kentucky State Racing Commission. Perhaps the biggest auction pool ever sold in this country was knocked down at Saratoga in 1S07 by "Doc" Underwood. The ticket called for 5,000 and Ruthless sold as the first choice for ,500. R. C. Colton buying her In that pool. It was the Saratoga Stakes and tut daughter of Eclipse was left at the post. A colt named Redwing won the race. In the big pool he sold for ,500. H. G. Bernard buying the card. The biggest ticket Mr. Cathcart ever sold was on the Saratoga Cup in 1S75. It was a 0,000 pool and Springbok, the first choice, sold for ,000. The race proved a doad heat between Springbok and Prcakness, and as the stakes were divided, so was the big pool. Rufus Hunt, of New Orleans, bought Preakness in that ticket for 10. The biggest auction pooling at Churchill Downs was in 1830 on the Kentucky Derby, won by J. B. Hagglns Ben All. None of those tickets, however, approached in size those noted above.
