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SOME KENTUCKY FEATURES RESULTS OF NINE YEARS DOMINANCE OF THE PARI-MUTUEL MACHINES. Demand for Young- Thoroughbreds to Be Urgent This Year — Prominent Eastern Breeders Move Studs to the Blue Grass. By T. 15. Cromwell. Lexington. K.v., .I:um:ir.v T Wialatlj has had nine years of racing under tin- pari-mutuel system of betting and the turf in this state is in a highly flourishing condition. It isnt true, as ■was reported shortly after the closing of the 391*! season of rneing. that the Kcnlueky tracks lost money. The four licensed associations in this state, without exception, made handsome profits or their investments. It is quite true that, had not the State Racing Commission fixed the minimum amount to he added to purses at 00 for Lexington and ijjSOO for Churchill Downs. Douglas lark and Latonia. the tracks would have kept much more money and their net returns would liave been as great, if not greater, than in IMS. The action of the State Racing Commission naturally caused a heavier distribution to the horsemen and it was, to say the least, a welcome increase, for the high cost of living early invaded the race courses and laid heavy impress upon the men who pay the feed bills for the horses, that bring the track owner his profit. I.ut the folks who own the Douglas Park and Latonia tracks werent pleased with the State Racing Commissions order and they decided to see what the courts would have to say i. pon the subject. Accordingly a suit was filed at Louisville and Judge Samuel Kirby held that the State Racing Commission lias a statutory right to control and regulate racing in Kentucky and .hat in specifying the minimum sums to be added to purses the body is exercising a lawful function, the case, of course, will be taken to the Court of Appeals and it is expected that body will report a ".• ision before the opening of the spring meeting at the Kentucky Association course here in April. Race Track Dividends Too Lcrge. The bringing of this suit served, for one thing, to draw the attention of earnest sportsmen and satisfied turfmen to the fact that large profits on race track stock is detrimental to racing, inasmuch as it creates a desire within many persons to hold the stock purely for dividends and, finding it un-purchasable, they are are tempted to inaugurate movements for the building of other traces in well filled territory and thereby endanger racing by overdoing the sport. For some time turfmen in Kentucky have been discussing the advisability of going to the Legislature witli a bill placing a limit on lie amount of dividends that may annually ! ,• declared on race track stock. It is rumored that one of the race track* at Louisville lias been in the habit of diverting a large proportion of its p -of its into the salary channel, paying extravagant sums to its president, a general manager, a secretary and a treasurer. The horsemen are not complain ing of this practice, save in the sense that it is not well for the sport that such things be done. It appears inevitable that eventually some form of lranchise tax will Ik- reipiired from the race track associations by the state and that is said to be one reason why the Douglas Park Club is seeking to have the ruling of the State Racing Commission set aside. If the State Racing Commission is by the Court of Appeals declared to have no power to fix a minimum sum to be added to the purses it will be easy to make the horse owners pay the race track franchise tax. but if the opinion of tin- lower court is affirmed, such tax will nine out of the profits of the associations or out Of the pockets of their patrons in the form of increased tariff at the gate. Product of Kentucky Tracks. The aggregate sum of money distributed in the form of stakes and parses at the Kentucky tracks during the nine years of the second pari inutuel era a- ,198 ,889, according to statistics compiled in the office of Daily Racing Form. The nnmlier of days racing during the nine .Mars was 1.003. and the number of races decided was ti.lt;." . Therefore, the ■.venae per race was a fraction more than S9TB.80. The lowest elistributioii was in 1999, tli* year in Which the Latonia Jockey Club, then and How under the same management which is directing the destinies of the Douglas lark track, undertook to do away with the- pari mutm-l system of betting and re-establish the bookmakers on the courses of this state. The I.atonia Jockey Club brought suit at Covington against the State Racing Commission, setting up the allegation t-liat the- act creating it was unconstitutional, but the Court of Appeals up held the law and declared the right of tie- commission t*. regulate the betting as well .is to do other things. That the Latonia Jockey Clubs action in that instance- was short sighted has been amply demonstrated by the prosperity it has enjoyed through the- succeeding sevea years. In 19K» there-were llli days racing. 872 races and 68,213 dis-tribule-d in stakes and purses. In 19M there were 107 days rae ing, 748 races and S070.439 distributed to the horse-men. The average- per race in 1981 was 9941 and in 1918 it was 9L29. U 1918 the average per race was 9191.19, so that the lacrease in 191ti over 191o was 04. r 0 per race-. The racing season of 1910. comprising 107 days, were- the short st during the- nine years of the- pari-mutiiels. In 1811 there were llO days racing, and that was the longest period for any of tie- nine years. In fixing the- dates for next spring, the State Racing Oahuaisslofl continued its poUc] of curtailment, the aggregate- for the spring of 1917 being fifty-seven days against sixty -two days in 19D5. High Horse Prices Predicted. Prosperity attends the production and marketing of thoroughbred horses in Ke-ntucky. like-wise in other s-ctions of the country. The return of racing t - "opular favor in Other states and the ol the field for occupation in Can.-. da ami a the south, lias created a demand for racers such .is tii.s ne.1 been known for many years. The produi ii.ii h, the United States and Canada be-ing inaele.i" it,. buyers turned to England for their ne- eK le.i those now in that country or homeward ImiuiicI haw- written that they found it practically imiM.ssilile tc buy what they sought, or, at any rah as mai j as they wanted. Any trainer will tell fiat the demand is in excess of the supply Hi d one who cannot see that the coming spring ami mauaer will establish record prices for the heat-bred and best-looking individuals in the Juvevi . -ions, to say nothing of the tried racers, must, indeed, be a confirmed pessimist. There isnt a large crop of yearlings— foals of lOKi — far offering to the market from Kentucky breeding farms in 1917. The percentage of slips in some sections of the Blue Grass region last spring was very heavy. And just here let it be said that a woman holds the record for saceess in rearing foals in this section. She is Miss Kliza-beth Daingerfield. the excellent manager of Wick-liffc- Stud for .Messrs. Corrigan and McKinney of Cleveland, at Kingston Farm. She reared every foal that came at that establishment last spring and lost no horse by death. One bora deformed, was destroyed by a veterinary surgeon, after he found it would be impossible to straighten its Ilose. The breeders in this section are to have a meeting shortly to discuss better marketing conditions. They are not satisfied with the- manner in which the- sah-s were- conducted ill the east last year, and they are going to see if they cannot bring about an arrangement whereby they can get better ;.e e iimmoilatioiis for their horses and the men they ■cad witli them and better service at the sale ring. They may come to some- agreement to se-11 during a stated period at Saratoga next August, holding at home only each as are- not in sale condition. Eastern Studs Come to Kentucky. The recognition given to Kentucky this year by Messrs. Harry layn. Whitney, John Sanford and R. T. Wilson, Jr., three of the better known eastern breeders and sportsmen, is a farther testimonial of the efficacy of the Blue Crass region in the matte-r of horse production. Mr. Wilson took a lease on Kirklevington Farm and enlargeel his harem to Olambala afte-r Campfires aehiee-nionts. Mr. Whitney sent Peter Pan and a company of twenty mares from his Brookdale Farm in New Jersey tee bring him Kentucky foals under the eye- of Charles H. Be-rryman. who has aehi ved listinc-tieeii as the- manager of the late James B. 1 biggins Kbnenelorf Farm and other intere-sts. Mr. Saiilorel sent hue tanunila and several mares from his Hurricana Stud at Amsterdam, N. Y., the stallion going to Sanford Lynes Larc-hmont Farm anel the mares to F. D. Knights place close by. K. R. Bradley expressed his faith in Kentucky by making a 300-acre- addition to his excellent Idle Hear Farm, and Kmil Herz. whose home is in New York, gave- token of his confidence by arranging to have- Short Grass make his initial season in the stud at Idle Hour Farm, and he will have his domicile cen the newly acquired portion of the place-. Messrs. Corrigan and McKinney during the year increased their band of WieklifTe Stud mares, and John K. .Madden, who owns more mares than any other breeder in this country, eliel UkewiM at Hamburg Place-. Hal Price lleaelley, the young master of Beaumont Farm, and his eastern partner. W. B. Miller, who maele a fortune- in the rubber business, expressed their confidence by buying the crop of lili Star Shoot feabj treat Mr. Madden after they hail disposed of their crop of luck- yearlings. Accordingly, they now have- more yearlings — foals of 191 K-— for market, than any firm ill this section. John W. Schorr of Memphis, recognized Kentucky l.y buying a half interest in the marcs owned by J. O. and G. H. Keene anil selling those brothers a half interest in Luke- McLuke. thereby establishing a first class sire at Keenelanel Farm. The organization of the Thoroughbred Horse Association was one- of the- important happenings of 1918 in Kentucky. It had its birth in Lexington on April 15, and already has become a power on the turf. In the bi-giniiing its purposes and movements were not well understood and it was looked upon with suspicion and resentment by some of the race Irack owners and managers, and more than trim it had to resort to its strength to prevent practices which were making for unharmonious conditions, but it has succeeded in convincing the racing public that its purpose-s are pure and its conduct fair, and already there are in the hands of the secretary, who happens to be the writer, an unexpectid number of applications for membership, whie-h will be acted upon at a meeting of the directors early in January.
