Englishman Describes Argentine Racing, Daily Racing Form, 1912-03-28

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, 1 I i I i f i i i 1 s ENGLISHMAN DESCRIBES ARGENTINE RACING j An Engl ish visitor to the Argentine Republic has j mnch thai is laterestlng to tell of the advancement in thai prosperous coaatry, where horaes perhaps i have a higher value than anywhere else In the world, i At any rale, the yearling market is highest there. ] These are some extracts from his story: I ••We arrived at Beanos Ayres n s Saturday, and on every Sunday there is racing at Palermo, s,,. of course, are w-ni. Palermo is the Newmarket of the Argentine. The park is four miles from the city, and you -an £• either by tram-ar. by private motor car there are no taxis i. or by cab. The admission to ih- chief enclosure is $:;.." i. They do not charge for race-cards. The thing that struck one most was the intense silence. P.ookmakcrs are not allowed here— only totalizators. The writer has attended race meetings in Frame. India. Belgium, Johannesburg, Germany, Cap- Town. Austria, and Natal, all I i which countries pride I In mm lias on having ex changed bookmakers for totalbtators, but there is not on one of these ra— courses such ■ silence : s prevaila al Buenos Ayres. The horses seen , n this particular Sunday were of no great sccotmt. Ii was ih- tag end of the season. The Jockeys all carried number cloths. :is under National Hunt rales la England, the cloths iK-iiis, a* liht as s feather and the ■amber being in scarlet. The horses when they com- back fn m ■ me. . ere pat Busier s nose pi| -. Thi- is played all over them. There are Ive hose pipes in the paddock, an.i as soon as their Joek?y« have weighed in the horses race for them. "1 had a letter Of introduction to a fam,, us sportsman in the Argentine, and when I called upon him in his oilic- in itai thohin-w Mitre he sain: You have come at the wrong time of the year. Bvery-bodj worth knowing In the racing arorU is at the seaside. You will - away with a poor Impression of racing iii the Argentine, but it will not !«• ■ cor reel Impression. Anyway, i-t me show you tie Joekej Club. The clubhouse of the Jockey Club is the most a i-rful clubhouse anybody has ever set eyes on. There Is no question roan rnlng this and no ezag geration. Everything la its scale ia gigantic, but this w-uld be merely to say thai the frame of an Academy picture i- composed of good gilt. The place is rather ■ museum, li i- a palace holding treasures which have been collected regardless I east from the capitals of the world. There ;.. Gobelin tapestries which are priceless. The pictmvs are originals which are known everywhere. The taste of everything K exquisite. My friend, who is on- of the original members, s.ii.i quietly, We ire going to make ■ present of thi- building, Including everything that i- la It, to the Government, and go- lag t , build soother for ourselves. He went -:i •The revenue of the club i- enormous. The entrance fee Is ,250, and there ere 3,000 members; are can ii-t do with more, so the eatraac fe. i- to in-raised. The subscription is 0 ■ year. Practicallv everybody who has any status in the Argentine N a member. The club takes ten p-r cent, of the money , paid Into the totalizators, ana also takes the profits from the race meetings, except in Thursdays, when Hi, percentage from the totalizator is devoted to , charities. ••The people ih-in — l-s ar- unquestionably keen oa i racing, and the attendance on the ra— course oa the . Sunday I was present would have don- credit to any of the I loii etlnga oa a Saturday afternoon. We drove oat to Pslermo one morning and went round the majority of the big stables. There aras , net i trainer who ..s not delighted at an English man coming t.. look al his horses, ami one could not help contrasting the situation with what w-uld have happened in England. Picture to yourself a stranger finding him— If in Newmarket on a summer ;i ii no.. ii and desiring to •_.. round -n f the stables. If he bad introductions from the King hi u self be would be mad. to feel he was not warn-. I and in the majority of cases he would be asked i i write and make an appointment for a lab r da; . Her. then- was nothing but welcome."


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1912032801/drf1912032801_1_5
Local Identifier: drf1912032801_1_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800