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MR. JOEL NOT TO RETIRE FROM RACING. Humors are current that Mr. J. I!. Joel contemplates retiring from the turf, but I am happily in the position to say that they have no foundation. Presumably they arose out of the sale of his yearlings to go to America, but as I wrote at the time he could not be tempted to part with four of his fillies, which are destined some day to adorn the paddocks of the wonderful Childwickbury Stud. The departure of the youngsters has been the signal for the usual Yankee exaggerations as to price and. following my hint of yesterday, I can say that "six figures" even in dollars is wide of the mark and far in excess of the actual sum paid. Still, it was a remarkable deal, and is irrefutable evidence of tlie extraordinary and world-wide reputation of the stud. Mr. Joels connection with the turf dates back no longer than some sixteen years, and lias been marked by phenomenal success, for, beginning with four brackets in 1800 his victories up to 1913, inclusive, number no fewer than 30G. He has won the Two Thousand Guineas once, the One Thousand twice, the Derby once, the Oaks four times, and the St. Leger twice, the slakes having amounted to upwards of 209.000 pounds. To add to the gratification inseparable from such a record, with few exceptions his winners were home-bred, and the more remarkable for the reason that his purchase "of the Chidwickbury estate was little short of a fluke; but that is an old story, and needs no repetition. An important factor in his success, and another exemplification of his happy relations with that fickle jade, Fortune, was his choice of Morton as private trainer, for to him is due a large share of the work done to build up the reputation of the stud. It would lc strange if in such circumstances Mr. Joel were not chagrined at the sudden turn of luck which has left him without a winner of any sort this year, but he is the first to admit that no blame attaches to Day, and agrees that his horses have not been good enough to win in the class in which they were engaged. Moreover, owing to the restrictions prevailing, their opportunities have been limited, but lie much prefers to have his horses trained away from Newmarket, and never was more content with life than when visiting Morton in the quietude of Letcombe Regis. . Nothing is further from his thoughts than a retirement from racing, but during the war his interest has lessened, for, to quote his own words, "What with n son, nephews and many relations at the front, one has many other things to think about, and takes little interest in racing for the time being." Mr. Joel will certainly race again when times become normal after the conclusion of peace, and in the meantime, if the number of his horses in training is less, his stud is increasing in size, nnd he turns his attention more particularly, but by no means exclusively, to breeding. At the present time Mr. Joel is in indifferent health, suffering from rheumatism, and is seeking for relief at Llandrindod AAells. "Aigilant" in London Sportsman.
