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CANADIAN VIEWS OF RACING. Connaught Park Club Official Discusses Conditions in Canada and This Country. Ottawa, Out.. January 15. —Discussing thoroughbred horse racing on the North American continent. a prominent member of the committee of the Con-naught Park Jockey Club has submitted to an interesting interview in which he touches on the conditions of racing in both Canada and the United States, snys the Journal - Press. lie explains at l-ngth the relation of the Canadian Racing Associations to thoroughbred horse breeding through its running tracks, and touches on the mutuel system of betting and its essentiality to the conduct of the turf. "Conditions have materially changed in the part few months. There have been enormous importations of thoroughbred horses from France and England during the year, and these will be a new and unknown factor this coming season. Several of the French horses brought out last year sprung surprises at different race courses, although tiny had but a short time to get in condition. The larger number were brought out by New York stables owned by such multi-millionaires as Harry Payne Whitney and others, who breed horses for the love of the sport and not for the purses they win, which is but a trifle to such men. "Most of the best horses on this continent are owned in New York state, and seldom race outside: betting is not allowed in New York, neither books or pari-mutuels. so that there is none of the gam-bling element concerned. Nowhere in the world is racing now conducted on such a high plane as in New York, but there probably is not another place in the world that could afford it. Horse Breeding in Kentucky. "Horse breeders are not all millionaires and many of thun depend on earnings on the race course to keep going. Kentucky is the most favorable state for horse breeding in America for climatic and other i asons. and many farmers there engage in the business as being more profitable than ordinary agriculture. They could only establish their reputation as breeders on the race track. Clubs were formed in Kentucky at which purses were offered to winning horses. These purses helped and encouraged the farmers in the business and enabled them to establish records and reputations. Lovers of horses resorted to Kentucky for thoroughbreds. New York clubs, especially Saraotga, offered the greatest attractions. Extravagant purses, running sometimes to 5,000 and 0. MM, were offered. How Gambling Developed. "Owing to the great wealth centered in New York, extravagant betting developed, gambling of every sort sprang up on such a gigantic scale that it caused a revolt of public feeling, and the New York state legislature passed a law putting betting and wagering out of business. The law was invoked and pushed, too. by the very men it was supposed to injure most, the horse owners and breeders. "There can be no doubt it was a serious blow to the horse breeders in New York. It left no incentive, no outlet for their ambition, no "sport of kings." Most of them, notwithstanding, kept up llieir stables. They occasionally sent their horses to race in other states and Canada, where better conditions prevailed. Saratoga faded with the disallowance of gambling. The mistake was that racing developed too quickly where there was too much wealth and without proper regulations. Had such rules prevailed as are enforced in Canada by the Canadian Racing Associations, there never would have been prohibitive legislation. It has not been required in any other country. Cant Race Without Betting. "Racing was revived in New York state in 1915 under rules promulgated by the New York Jockey Club, which is the highest authority in America. Public wagering is still illegal, either by books or pari-mutuels. but private betting or betting between individuals is not illegal. Now the fact must be admitted without preservation that racing without betting does not satisfy the public and never succeeds. The prohibitory law crushed out racing in New York, checked horse breeding, but did not stop betting. "New York has returned to racing and to betting on races. They have already realized that although public betting is illegal, the system permitted there, is more pernicious, at least less wholesome. Wagering through the medium of bookmakers was unsatisfactory because open to collusion between bookmaker and horse owner. Advantage of Mutuel System. "The pari-mutuel system copied from France eliminates all poadblity of collusion or tricks. It has not even any of the features of a lottery as is so often supposed. Witii the latter a ticket has but one chance in perhaps several thousands, and neither judgment nor knowledge can be used. In a contest on the turf, one has three chances in six or eight, or as many horses as may be in a race, besides the exercise of judgment and knowledge as to the best horse. Again, in bazaars and lotteries the money is lost absolutely to all but one winner in many thousands. In pari-mutuel wagering, out of every ten dollars wagered by the public about nine dollars and a half is immediately paid back. Clean on Canadian Racing Associations Circuit. "Racing under the rules of the New York Jockey Club and the Canadian Racing Associations is now-purged of all impurities or crookedness. A child can buy a ticket and take chances equally, with the best expert. "So much as to the fairness and honesty of what is termed the Ring. "There are eight clubs in the Canadian Racing Associations all under the most rigid rules designed to foster and encourage thoroughbred horse breeding : s against thirty in. Australia. No dub can appoint its own officers, the associa tions do that. Con-naught Park and other clubs have their meetings presided over by judges, handicappers. starters clerks of scales, patrol judge, etc., appointed by the governing body. The governing body has the power to allow or disallow, to permit or prohibit, to disqualify and put off anyone for infraction of rules or customs, they are absolutely independent of clubs and supreme in their decisions. "The difference, therefore, between data which .ire members of. or affiliated with the Canadian Racing Associations and those outside, is. that the associations are a government imposing rigid and strict rules and conditions on all it- members in the interest and promotion of thoroughbred horse-breeding. Whereas the outsiders are subject to no rules or conditions except such as they make themselves with a view to profit. In other words, they are gambling dubs with racing as an excuse. It is a great pity they are allowed to operate at all. but equally difficult to suppress them by act of parliament without bordering on class legislation. Cracks the "Bullrings." "This is the reason for the clamor for legislation in Quebec recently, a lot of what was called half mile tracks sprung up. whose object is solely to make money and they operate under no rules what u.er. These induce a large gambling element to attend, and in order to get the crowds, tickets are sold at a nominal price of twenty-five cents or fifty leiits and large quantities are distributed free. There is no supervision of their methods, either by the government or the province or by the governing body centered in the Canadian Racing Associations if which Joseph K. Seagram is president and Sir H. Montague Allen, vice-president. "Of course it would be impossible for these small data to either become members of, or obtain affiliation with the Canadian Racing Associations, as the latter limits the number of dubs to the following: Ontario Jockey Club. Windsor Jockey Club. Hamilton Jockey Club. Niagara Racing Association. Dorval Jockey Club and Montreal Jockey Club. Each dab is limited to only seven days in the spring and fall and any dab violating any of the rules would be outlawed promptly."
