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I " " J 1 * 1 1 | s t i , g r f 1 1 ■ i 1 i- I a MAY RESTRICT TWO-YEAR-OLD RACING. New York. September 0. -The meeting of tin- Jockey club, which i- scheduled for September 0 at Delmonl Dark, should be one of the most import ant of the year, for besides other busines- the new rule fathered by Capt. E. B. Ca-satt. which would put a ban on all two-year-old racing prior to April 1. will come up for consideration. The premature racing of two-year-olds has been a vexing problem, not only to the racing authorities, but to those who have an eye to the future of the turf and indirectly to horse breeding in tin- United States. talking upon this subject recently at Saratoga. Herman B. Duryea, noted American sportsman, who has been racing his horses in France and England for some year-, and who now has upwards of one hundred head of thoroughbreds interned in the former country, -aid: "lu France no two-year old is eligible to race until Julv 1. the French government, in it- wise eon-1 trol of the sport, ruling that the early racing of tWO-year-olds is injurious, and that the influence of such a course is bound to be harmful wherever it is practiced. Baring calls for the most supreme effort the horse can give, and it would be quiet as sound for us to argue that an immature youth could do the work of a man whose muscular and nervous powers have reached the maximum. I have long claimed thai the early and too frequent racing of two-year-olds has given us a lot of cripples and sprinters." ••Isnt it a fact that this plan has been eu-r Couraged by some of the breeders and owner- them -r selves, who -aw a quicker turnover for their in -. vestment ." Mr Daryea was asked. "Unquestionably." was the reply. ••Those who conducted racing dining the winter months found that the public, alwa.y- -coking novelty in the way of a program. Were eager to see the "babies. as they were called, and the practice of having eon-tests for youngster- in March finally became Ox tuns In February. From that it was onl] a stop to January, and in some localities rare- for two e.u l.|- were held on January I. the very day the undeveloped thoroughbreds became technically two year-olds. As a matter of fact. none, or lew, would be fully two years of age before February sr March — in sonic cases aa late as June. By this process the breeder had the keep of a yearling for but fourteen or sixteen months in addition to the other fixed charges of his stud to meet, and the saving appealed to him. The purchasers of ihe yearling had the color- up within iie or -ix months, and so the evil grew. Voangsters bought for a Continued on second page. MAY RESTRICT TWO-YEAR-OLD RACING. Continued from first page. j trifle perhaps started right la to *h races, and j oftentimes changed hands tot as many thousands as tii. j- bad eosl hundreds. The glamor ahd profit of thh sort of thing appealed to the cupidity or main- who gave no though* to the future, and our ; whole turf fabric lias suffered as a consequence. "The earlv races are usually at a quarter of ■ a mile. What a travesty!" continued Mr. Duryea. "In France the two-year "bis start right in ai dis-tanccs equivalent to six. furlongs, and they have what the foiled States must strie to produce if progress is io be made in the matter of horse breeding- a lot of thoroughbreds than can stay and carry weight Those who operate plants where winter racing is conducted should be the lirst to approve of Captain assarts plan, its sdoptioa will meau sounder and better horses, and they will 1«- avail sble for racing much longer than under the present , system, where saythiag over s 9ve-year-old Is deslg naied pass... i hare heard it said that there was g duni 1 1 ion t side-step the issue because i opposition in certain quarters. Kentucky would scareelj waul lo run any two-year-olds prior to April 1. and certainl] the Canadians, whose sp. it is generally In-sugnrated around Victoria Pay May 24 should be in accord with ih - Jockey Clubs policy. Bj all means lei as have it. and latei when the benefits are plain, il will be ill line to make in.- dale May l. mil i the day it it is .Inly 1 will spell progress far the American turf." Winn asked shout liis own success abroad, which Included i Derby and the Two Thousand Julneas in England with.I»urbar II. and Sweeper II.. respectively, horses ol bis own breeding, besides other honors on the continent, Mr. Duyrea "as. a usual, modest, though In- was enthusiastic in speaking of Irish Lad, the big. brown smi of Candlemas, which turf follow .is will always admire for bis speed and courage, particularly In the memorable battle with Br u stiek In the record-breaking Brighton Handicap, In which be broke down. On that Baton be gave Broomstick a lot of weight, and though be finished ..ii three legs, he was at the little gamecocks tboal . latch at the wire. II is lilting thai both the •■ geod horses should have made goad in the stud. "Irish Lad has in-en a success," said Mr. Duyrea, "and be bat sired some g 1 horse! for me, nol m Blarney and Shannon. The former was considered tt f I m cell as there was in France. Had I not kepi Irish Lad Ms a private silo sis reputation would have been much enhanced II was ■ Mistake, and 1 regret it deeply.
