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t — — * ECHOES OF THE SPORTSMENS DINNER AND OTHER TIMELY GOSSIP FROM THE EAST 4. New York. Pehraary 2:;. — Now that the Sports mens Dinn r at the Waldorf Astoria en the night ..I the 19th is over, aad the echoes d much that was said there by the scare of speeches base reached to every part of I be Inlted States, a slmii referenci tn s,,u;,. nf tin- wonderfully effective work done preparatory t" the dinner by that human dynamo Harry W. smith of Worcester, Mass.. with the co-operation of scores ..1 well-wishers, is only simple Justice. So complete was the success of thai mam • iraiili- dinner, and so far-reaching may be its effects, thai some stteation in Dally Racing Form to its promoters and supporters is deemed timely. Ii was urn niiiii the 2i«i guests n- participants reached the Waldorl that evening thai anything llki a fair idea of what had been done wan seen. Then it was thai the decorations and adjuncts of the affair were seen. All the well-known racing colors ware shown al points 01 vantage. Many tropbiei-were on riniiiii-n. the mosl notable being the solid gold ". im won liv .lames R. Keenes ruxhali al .s.-. 1. in 1882, and since then the im.st valued racing memento owned by Mr. Keeae. So lii-iib was ii valued thai it has nd for years lie. 11 al his well-known office in Brand street, nai has been in his vault In the Equitable Building which was burned down some weeks ago. Wis a the Indefatigable Harrj Smith went to get the cop to show it ai tin dinner. Mr. K i-ue told liiiii thai it was stili in the nt in-, and men were bard at work digging .111 the debris, so thai the thirty-year-old trojdiy should lie shown to the guests at the dinner, it i the iimsi beautiful piece d work ever seen, and ii .a - im wander thai a t . v yean ago, when the raei for the 1 ii[i was tn be rnn at Ascot, and the trophy for that year waa shown on the lawn tin-re. thai either Its Intrinsic or nrtisctic value tempted some person. Im it is 1 mallei- ..f record that the gold enp •: thai year was stolen aad has never since ! . n s,.,.n. Bnfore tin- teastmaster, Mr, Smith, called the guests to their seata, they spent hours in Inspecting the hundreds of mementos gathered for this 1 1 . ■ sloa, at no litti - expense, and al some risk, which wan, however, offset by Insurance. Among those who, besides Mr. Keene, also sent or loaned trophies, were ol eonrm the Messrs. Augaat am Perry Belmont. Harry Payne Whitney. Henry 1. Peters, A. t. Irail. • •. Hums.-y ia scnlptw Im nine wed MS- Harrimant, Ed Wei,: irk. John E. Madden, thi Coney Island Jockey Club, and others. Mr. Peters collection •.! rare i .»iks and [.tints appertaining to sport ami racing ia declared to be the most com plete of any in this country. The im-si perfect democracy prevailed at the din ner. Everyone fell al home. The famous veteran trainers and old time Jockeys, Charles Littlefield and Jacob Plncus, were at one table, and only a Dew feet awaj were some of the greatest financiers of the age. Men interested In all grades of horseflesh mingled freely in groups nntil seated. Graj haired turf Journalist Hamilton Baabey, sat al the same table wiih his younger turf commentator. Mack-haired Gnraey One. At other tables the entire metropolitan tnri press were seated. Bvery word ottered by the distinguished speakers was .ju-iiyj I listened ■•■■ Thai Gen. Leonard Wood should have been npcoarouslj applanded when he emphasised tin-poverty .-i horseflesh suitable tor military purposes was only natural. Mr, August Belmont was only living up to form In announcing the formation of the "United stat.-s Cavalrj and Artillery Remount Association," to which everyone in the dining hall subscribed, with nominal daaa of S. Horace White, once lientenant-guvernor, and thou for a simrt period governor, who is a well known breeder of trotting li.ns, s. mule a strong speech, but round few to agree with him in his assertion that little progress had been made in the improvement ol the thoroughbred, while the trotter and pacer had mad. wonderful progress, n 1 only in speed, bat in symmetry. No doubt .1 1 i:. Madden and s few other, who love a v il argument and admire the thorough bred are at this moment preparing some statistics which Mr. White will read with laterest. It may interest those who see only the •gambling" reatun of racing to know thai al this Sportsmens Dinner some .d the men down to make speeches were Tbeodon N. Vail president of the American Telephone aad Telegraph Company; Pan! I . Cravath. famous lawyer for the traction interests; Charles W. Bosworth, ■ multl-mlHlonarre hanker of Springfield, Mass. who is an intent mirer of the saddle bone; 1. K. Stargia, who for many years has been closely identified with .1. Pler-poot Morgan: Oaklelgfa Tborne, also a greal banker-sportsman; W- A. Hazard and Deverens Mil am. noted polo players, and others, while of the 2iii guests it was a notable fad that the so-called "professions]" racing nun were so feat and the amateurs so largely in tin- majority, that ..id race goers commented "ii it Ami yet it is a hopeful ~;_;.i of tin- Letter days dawning for the bom thi! such was the case. Ii 2 n representative men from various parts of the oaloa fail t" interest the ;..v-ernment. national and state, hi the perl] that .oil t: .nts iii, breeding of the horse, then the caaac is bopeh m. it is an insult to the intelligence nf such influential nun to think that they ean remain -passive after they had realised the fall effeel of Mr. Belmonts all-embracing figures that In tin- last five years certificates ••! export had been issued for 2.2U2 thoroughbred horses, all driven oat of America by tin- :int i racing laws. That the BOSfl work of the Breeding Bureau was 1. arlug fruit was seen by the statistics read by F. K. Stargia, one of the found ra of tin- .1. .key Club, to wit: "Produce ■■ Breeding Bun in tallions now number 1885, in the si.. 11 period of four years, to say nothing of bun li its lost siehi of w hi. ii hid never been reported I,. t;.i bureau. - many as sixty nine different thoroughbred st-dijons had done duty in the stati in tli past rear yearn at a nominal fee." Mr. Sturgis, who is a devotee of the four in-hand, Ipcl dentally stated lhal In- bad himself brad from a trotting stallion and a thoroughbred mare kleaL ■ borses for am in the army of Hie very type which General w- "i had declared necessary. Terry Belmont, .1- is well known, is really the originator of the race for militarj horses which are now so frequently seen at all hum meetings. He long sgo foresaw such a iiccesslfj as now confronts the arm and thought that the most practical way to prove That tin- thoroughbred was the ideal for th. army wis t j having them raced in public ami the best Of 111 m s!:,,v p t0 the v. Aa tin- evenings proceedings advanced, the toast master lad thrown upon a screen many pictures, among them thai of Persimmon, the bite King Ed wards Derbj winner; the renowned trotters The Harvester, and Hamburg Belle; various seem al the H-ai polo games last June; s.- bI Piping Rock and 1 1 I.i ttkllm 1.1 which well known young society women and girls were seen riding ra.-. s. , picture of Lord Sorth, a fainoux English bunting man whose advice to his grandchildren was on the first page ■•! ih. souvenir of the occasion, and pi. tares "i three generathma of the Belmont famifj the tiisi Augusl Belmont, the second Augusl Bel in Mi. and bli si: Raymond BelmonL. who is s,.,.|, winning a race for gentlemen riders. Incidentally, Mr. Smith paid a aell-earned emu plimenl to the chairman •■ the Jockej Clnh when In- said that ju-i bow mueli . f his raluable time Mr. Belmont gives t. tin- welfare of all kinds of sport no one uia.t over knmv, imt it is 1 uouruious. I ■ * To this the pre Seal writer ran also testify. That ai l.ast en. of his aons is destined to follow in his io.-tst.ps in his tastes for sport is well known, for Raymond Belmont is an indefatigable gentleman rider, a real lover of the home for himself alone. 1 don fancier, has ju-i been elected a director of the lie is.- show Association, is his fathers la-separable companion, and :s one of the mast popular 1 the aianj young New York men interested in sport. "It is a pity thai this sportsmans gallery or exhibition of trophies .s not pcimancullj located in some place where tin- populace can he brought into close t. mh with it." he said to tile writer. One of the breeders of thoroughbreds i saw at the dinner was Henry T. Oxnard, owner of a stock farm in Virginia which is rapidly looming up as one ..f th. largest and mosl Important in America. It is only simple Justice to Mr. Oxnard to say that, while many other breeders have felt compelled t.. "sho ten sail" ami redace the number ol tbeir broodmares and stallions, Mr. Oxnard. on the eon trar . has steadily Increased his until now he is one of tin- most liberal nominators in the Futurity. which cloned recently. One of his stallions i Fayette, which .io. in I-:. Madden mi Monday night said was a great stayer and better race borne than gen . rally regarded. Mr. Madden, by tin- way. declared that he is in a position to answer or nun radii any n -marks made by English critics upon ih.- eligibility of American borses to the English Stud Book. "It is aboard," be said, "to think 1i1.1t a horse by Hamburg— Blue Girl should nol in- eligible to the Stud Book there. Tin j are ii"t eonsiste.it. anyhow, because some years ago lb in.il no objections to certain horses taken to England at thai time being included In the Stud Itook. If the] tarry out the idea to its logical con elusion ami we keep on exporting to England, the time will come when s man who buys the English Stud Book will be purchasing an incomplete publication because so many American horses will not be included." Mr. Ma hb n was asked the reason why none of his mares entered in the l.il t Futurity wen- mated with Plaudit, sir" of King James and Plate Glass. lie said tiia*t be had leased the stallion to .1. X. Cam den for lull ami io Catesby Woodford again tor .M2. and that Mr. Camden had failed to enter any !:.;.- ;. th. 1 ituntv. Speaking about his recent siie ,-f ti. two-year-olds to Lord IH-.-ies. Mr. Madden mid that w 1 en he was approached by an agent of the gentleman named, he asked "Who is Lord Deeies?1 "Why." replied the agent, "haveat yua _ .t a Barkef Peerage?* You will lind out all about I. oni in-i.s in that publication." "Well." snawcred Mr. Madden, "hes Lrot nothing on SBC. lb- can lind out all aboul me iii Bradstreets." The sale was made ami since then Mr. Madden has purchased a "Burkes Peerage," for in- says ii may 1 a,, in very useful, as he is ready ho sell the product ef Hamburg Plact to any nobleman in Great Britain. Speaking of Lord Decies, he has every riht t" develop raciag tastes. He has inherited tbem. Not im- ..;;.. In- married a daughter of George .1. Gould. Long before thai he hail raced in India and Greal Britain. His scarlet Jacket had been frequently in fr..nt. Pickering, his trainer, is a brother to the Pick* . in who some years ago rode for L. O. Aim it h and Loots Stuart, and had the mount in s. in ■ races on their Brooklyn Derby winner of is.ij. Patron, which, however, was ridden by H.ivward in thai greal contest. Lord Decies came in for some property not long ago. fie is nephew to Lord Marcus Beresford una ager of King Georges racing stable, ami the bite I. o:il William Beresford, the latter being the one man except himself j to whom "Tod" Sloan owed SO im Ch of his success ,,n the English turf, for it was i.ord William who jiave him so much riding Im the Raneocaa-brcd borses which Pierre Lorillard annually hied in New Jersey ami raced in England with noteworthy success. No doubt it will he recalled thai 1... id William married tin- Huchess of Marlborough, who died not long ago ami who was an American girl Lily Price before she married .Mr. Hamersiy, who left her a fortune. The duchess was fond of racing and was frequentlj ai Newmarket when John 1 1 - - i 1 n - trained there for the confederacy of which she was an Important mem hen. John Haggles coald, if he would, till many interesting stories of those great days when he dominated the English training world by his astound-big successes with borses bred not only in England inn in America. Because In- and Jacob Piacai are the only two Americans who have ever trained the winner of the Epsom Darby, I thought it a proper thing for Harry W. Smith t.. Invite them to he Sportsmens Dinner. Mr. Hoggins is in Texas, but Jacob Plncus was at the dinner in c pany with his sprightly friend, Charles Littlefield now seventy-seven years old, wh... because hi rode the winner of the first Kings Plate in Canada more than fifty yeara ago, I thought was also a lit 111.1:1 to see honored with an Invitation. Both Messrs. Littlefield and Plncus now reside a; or near the Sbeepshead Bay course. As ■ matter of fact, Mr. Pincns lives in one of the small buildings .1 tew feel from tin great stable which shelters Fits Herbert, Zeus Novelty and the other Ii is, s on ned bj i barles Kohler. The latter was .In,- to arrive here today from England. As you already know. Hildretb has asked to Im- released from his engagement to train in England for Mr. Kohler. It Is expected bv shrewd turfmen thai If racing is re-established In New York state. Mr. Kohler may conclude to !:• -. his string oi borses lure. In which case they would no doubt be trained and rlddi n by Hildretfa and Shilling, which would nol he the case if thi horses were seat ebn sd. As a matter of fact, Mr. Kohler. who is extremely practical in a business way. would be doing nol only a sensible, hut a patriotic thing h keeping hi- stable here i; racing i re-estah lisle. 1. Th.- drawing attractions of good horses musl I to ii,. - who own lie race .-..in-sos. and wh. a Mr. Belmont. Mr. Wilson, Mr. Miller, Mr. Dwyer iiid Mr. Butler gel ; •■ Mr. Kohler ami ask him nol io deprive America ol s,, -,„„i :; ntalde, be is v. rv likely to yield, even though his •preliminary expeudi tares Incidental to his contemplated racing paign abroad have already run nt. in the thousands, counting his forfeit monej In various stakes, the cm p.u-.s oi Hildretb t.. Englsnd last November, and his own in his effort t" locate tie- stable in the b. st available place there. JOSEPH I. BURKS.
