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i t I f ; t !! j: is J t :l e J 1 3 1 1 1 1 j i J i s j I 1 : : 1 POPULAR OWNERS OPINION. President R. T. "Wilsons Statement of the Attractions and Benefits of Saratoga Racing. By Christopher J. Fitz Gerald. Saratoga. N. Y., July 29. Richard T. Wilson, the president of the Saratoga Association for the Improvement of the Breed of Horses, is confident that the meeting which opens Monday and runs for twenty-four lays will be one of the most successful in the history of the organization over which he presides, and his reasons for the prediction are sound. "Saratoga lias always been a health resort," said Mr. Wilson, "and the great number of Americans who formerly visited the German Cures will not go abroad this season, and the fact that the war still raging is not the underlying reason for the change in their plans. Since the springs at this point have passed into the control of the state experts from abroad have demonstrated to the satisfaction of the authorities that these waters possess all of the qualities which have made Carlsbad, Bad Nauheim and other German resorts so popular, and with treatments administered along the same lines as at foreign spas the self-same results are being obtained. "Much of the popularity or foreign resorts was attributable to the manner in which the pleasures of visitors were catered to .and it is safe to predict that Saratoga during the month of August will be better equipped in this respect than ever before. Civic pride has been aroused, and where once lethargy existed I find an enthusiasm that is bound to make the people at large better acquainted with tin? city and its charms. "The Casino, which achieved such popularity last year, will again be a feature of tlie season, while for those that are fond of music the band concerts at the various hotels and parks will be an attraction. There will be golf for the morning and polo for the late afternoon to fill the gap between the races and dinner. With every box sold and the hotels besieged with applications for accommodations, we all look for a season of unusual brilliancy. "Naturally, the great attraction which Saratoga holds for the average visitor is the racing," continued Mr. Wilson, "and the quality or the sport furnished year after year has been such as to attract sportsmen from all parts of the United States and Canada. This has always been a meeting place for those who love a good horse, and all such consider the season incomplete without a visit of a week or more. The salubrious waters benefit man and beast, and animals which are tired and worn out after hard campaigns improve in wonderful fashion. "That term in our title relating to the improvement of the breed of horses means something to every man in the organization," resumed Mr. Wilson. "The members are pledged to accept no other return for their investment other than that which should come from an ordinary business venture, and the policy of the organization is illustrated by the fact that several of the prizes to be contested for during the meeting are of much greater value than in 1915. For example, the Hopeful, with a guaranteed cash value of 7,300, is one of the richest stakes in the country. It is our endeavor to make Saratoga the proving ground where East and West may test their best yearly. This season the presence of a number of two and three-vear-ohls of proven merit from Kentucky and other points will render our stake features much more open than they seemed to be a month of so ago. "Then, bv way of an additional hazard," said Mr. Wilson", "we have the foreign contingent to deal with. The public performances of Short Grass and others and the private trials of highly bred specimens that have yet to make their bow in public in the United States compel us to hold these new comers in great respect. This international aspect is one of the best things that could happen for the turf, as it is bound to stimulate breeding, and anything which does that is along the lines of progress." When asked if he had not found an additional thrill through the victories of Campfire because of his having bred the handsome son of Olanibala and Nightfall, Mr. Wilson said in conclusion: "We all like to do something on our own initiative, and when the soundness of our theories is demonstrated there is undoubtedly an extra degree of compensation. Money is capable or securing a horse that can win races, but there is a different feeling when a colt, or filly, whose every movement you have studied, outstrips his eompetitiors. Every man who races must get some pleasure from the pastime or he wouldnt be engaged in it, but the man who races thoroughbreds of his own breeding exclusively has by far the greater return."
