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ROCK SANDS DEPARTURE FOR FRANCE EMPHASIZES DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS IN THIS COUNTRY New 1orU November 2 Rock Sand the noted English staliion winner of the Epsom Derby Two Thousand Guineas and St Leger arrived here yester ¬ day from August Belmouts Nursery Stud Iu Ken ¬ tucky aud sailed for London ou the steamship Miiiu waslM tottay Uock Sand was purchased by Mr Belmout for 125000 several years ago but has been sold to a syndicate headed by a wellknown French breeder for 15JO30 He is insured by the Lloyds for that aimmut With him went two of August Bclmuiits high class mares Topiary and Gulden View From London they will journey to Folkstouc and thence to France FranceTbe Tbe departure of Rock Sand is another result of the legislation against racing and betting iu this country Mr Belmout Iniitorted the stallion at a time when lie sport of kings was enjoying gobleu prosperity ou the Jockey Clubs tracks in the State of New Vork and the American breeding industry centered In Kentucky was yielding handsome profits Itock Sands foals at Nursery Stud exceeded fory iu number and included the famous Trap Rock Flint Itock Tracery Bock View and other colts and fillies of undoubtedly high class classWhen When racing was killed here in 1910 Mr Bel mom had 110 idea of disusing of Bock Sand and be re maiard nf the head of the Nursery Stud together with the stallions Fair Play Hastings Singleton and others Last spring it sippears Cher Raymoud Ilalbronu of Paris organiser of the syndicate which includes leading American French and English turf ¬ men asked Mr Bflmont for an option on Rock Sand Mr lielmont named a figure which he considered prohibitive and Mr Ilalbronu purchased the stallion Bock Sand was brought to this country for the sol puriwse of improving the breed of race horses to increase the stamina of thoroughbreds M that thv might shJw greater racing quality sit long dtetanivs dtetanivsContrary Contrary to general belief among enemies of the trrf racing under legal fcouditiOisiVils not the men running of horses around a track but consisted of tests of speed and stamina to bring out the bst qualities of thoroughbreds of different ages T Ti i provide for such tests the various racing associations hung up rich stakes and liberal purses which In ¬ sured profits for breeders who brought blue blooded yearlings to the sales rings Iu tills country the quality and number of good horses have gradually decreased until present condi tions are aliirming A large majority of the best stallions nnd marcs have been sent abroad Last year 1112 mares were registered in or near Lexing ¬ ton but the number has been reduced to S9C Fivr vears ago 4100 foals were registered with the Jockv lub In a single season Imt this year the number is slightly iu excess of 1800 It is a fact that many of the broodmares are growing too old for stud service while practically all the ybunjrrr matrons have been sold to Euroiiean breeders breedersTo To have retained Rock Sand woald have been a losing venture it is shown for there was little or no demand for his services at the high stud foe charged When Mr Belmout was asked about the shipping of Bock Sand and the causes thereof he made this statement statementI I regret the departure of Rock Sand keeny Nothing would have induced me to part with him had racing bera permitted a career for him and his get getThe The United States no longer affords to the thor ¬ oughbred an opportunity for exhibiting conspicuous merit ou a par with the thoroughbreds of England or France or for that Juattcr Of any European country even the smallest smallestWith With the exception of a few really important stakes iu Kentucky no racing associations In this country are financially able to offer events that would furnish conclusive guides for breeding great horses horsesHence Hence they are all leaving us stallions mares and the best of our active nice horses youngsters and older ones With them go most of our best trainers jockeys and many of our biggest owners who covet serious honors of the turf turfFew Few stallions of merit are left Iu the country outside of those that are too old to be sold and whose usefulness will soon end Likewise those mares which are in their prime have goue or are still going to foreign lands landsRacing Racing is not merely the running of horses around i track It means more than that and un ¬ less Jt has for its object the improvement of tJiu breed of horses it fails in Us purpose If purposeIf racing is not conducted so as to effect the Im ¬ provement jf the breed it ceases to lie genuine rac ¬ ing and this can only be accomplished through breeders stakes and future events for the different ages of horses whose entries are open long Iu ad ¬ vance of the events and which by their impor ¬ tance from the standpoint of the interest of the public and as guides for the horsemen as well is their value tend to bring the best horses of this or any competitionIt other country together for competition It is encouraging to observe the growth of out amateur meetings and tha lively interest of such a substantial number of keen sportsmpii in racing but it is heartrending to fwl that to them is be ¬ queathed the necessity of being satisfied With medi ¬ ocrity in thoroughbred horsnllesb horsnllesbMere Mere contests for any kind of horses for purses degenerate to the level of the Kaine of petit chev caux and no Intelligent lover of the thoroughbred for a moment wishes racing to remain only this Itacing thisItacing sis such iu Ihis country can only hi successful if It ba a popular sport as it is iu Eug laud and ou the continent I for one do not care for fewIt it as mi exotic for the exclusive few It is quite a different matter may I say to the critics of the Jockey Club ant of the racing associa ¬ tions of this city for them o give a race meeting than giving a few days of racing at club courses protected by local support and protected by sub ¬ scriptions scriptionsOur Our friendly unthinking neighbor does not seem to realize what It means to have races within reach of the New Xork public To be accessible to the heart of New York means n course withlu twenty or twentyfive miles from Its center ou lines of transportation transportationThis This means a sjjot scarcely beyond the limits of this vast citys territory Consequently a race course for New Yorc involves very expensive pcop erty and its population demands good and comfort ¬ able accommodations accommodationsThe The future of thoroughbred racing in New York State remains in doubt If conditions arise by which directors of racing associations see their way clear to open the tracks uext year two obstacles must bo overcome the financing of meetings and the revival of public interest The ouality of horses necessarily must be far below the former standard until the breeding industry can be rehabilitated if stakes of reasonable value should be offered It might l e necessary to provide financial guarantees in the shupo subscriptionsThe of private subscriptions The question of speculation naturally would cut an Important figure It is not against the law to bet individually That point already has been liv termiied by several court decisions But there can be no return1 to the business of nookmaking so called The recent decision of Supreme Court Jus ¬ tice Scudder relieving racing directors from criminal liability for betting carried ou without ther knowl ¬ edge and defining the legal phase of private spec ¬ ulation is now before the Appellate Division If the decision is finally nlllrmed by the Court of Ap ¬ peals it is believed that there will be racing at some of the New York tracks next year though it will be conducted on 8i comparatively smnll scale It will be a long time however before racing here will prove sufficiently attractive to induce many American turfmen now iu Europe to return home
