view raw text
WAR MAY NOT AFFECT RACING MUCH. Believed the Sport Will Continue on Its Scheduled Lines This Tear. By J. R. JelTery. Washington. D. C. April 4— Just what effort the rapidly developing international situation will have upon American racing is a subject that is arousing some speculation in racing circles nowadays. The iteneral opinion prevails that unless the country is m called niton to face a much graver situation than" that which now exists, racing schedules already arranged will be adhered to and the sport will In-carried i | just as in more trampii! times. Those well informed as to the intentions and poli.ie-s of the governing bodies of the- turf in the- cast and in Kentucky, expect no deviation whatever from the program that has been laid out for the pre-se-nt yar. F.ven should the Inited States become seriously involved in the great war. it BhjM be considered advisable, to lentiniie racing, both for the sake of the moral effort of such a ib-cision upon other countries and on account of the necessity of rendering all possible encouragement to the horse breeding industry, the Importance of which will iw-come more apparent than cvr should the country engage in war. The- breeders of the country are only just now regaining the ground lost as a result of the r-pressi,.iiary legislation growing out of the "reform" erusade of a decade ago and to be deprived of a market for their produce, which they assuredly would be should racing be suspended to any important de-gree. we.uhl be a Maw that some of the breeding establishments would not survive. Even tin- riih man who breeds fine- homes only for the pleasure and satisfaction to be derived from the praetii-e. woubl naturally curtail his operations. temporarily at hast. Of what purpose would it lie to him to continue brooding unless be could determine the wisdom of his theories by recourse to the only possible proving ground--the race track, where the stamina and other qualities of his produce- are subjected to the acid test of competition. It is r.-cognizeil that if war comes, there will bo a great wastage of horses and to keep oar army sii| plied with the proper sort of horses will become a great problem. Horses of Ste.rr.ina Needed for Army. Military authorities have come to the- eaaekestsa that horses with tin- proper infusion of thoroughbred blood are highly desirable in various branches of army service ami fe.r this reason, if few „,, ether, it is not likely that racing, without which thoroughbred breeding would decttae to the disappear-ing poict. will be- permitted to cease, even temporarily. There- Knt a bit of doubt that many luce ehrs, of which olis-, Mr. Aagast Belmont. Capt. B. .. Cassatt. Marry Payne Whitney anil others that might be named are- conspicuous examples, are interested in breeding epiite as much for patriotic reasens as for tin- personal satisfaction they derive from the exploits ,f the horse-s that e -,ni • from their establislmnnts. After all is said and ilo ice. it is the influence of area of thir. stamp that keeps tin- American turf alive and there is every reason for bcBcviag that sach influence- will be thrown in favor of keeping the sport going as long as possible- for the sake of the- practical bene-fit the country at large will reap from it. if for no Other reason. Some of the horsemen who are wont to race in Canada an- naturally i-omeraed over tin- racing situation in that country, but meat of them are proceeding with their plana for shipping there at the close of the Maryland season next month en the strength of atlviees from Canadian soiirees that it is safe- to do so. The whole sabject of racing in Canada is in the hands of a social eommitti f parliament, which is expected to make a report when parliament reconvene! this month. Me.-ca-while. on aecount of the impracticability of deferring their announce -meats until the matter lias been definitely disposed Of by parliament, the var lows racing associations of the- Dominion are going ahead with their armngeaaeata for this seasoas racing as usual. Canadian racing has grewa t- important proportions in recent years, especially at the tracks which deiive the lions share- of tl"-ir patronage from American soarees, of which the Windsor courses are n.dabl • examples. Wine!-, .r will be- tie- scene- of some glorious equine contests the earning summer if tin- racing aaaoi laliunn established there- are permitted to carry out tie- ambitious programs they already have anneaaeed. Maryland Racing Full of Contention. It is cpiite evident that there is to !..■ pi n!y of racing contention on the Marylaad rircail this spring. Pacing secretary Joseph McLennaa reports that the Bowie and Penning stalls an- filled to the overflowing p.int and that owners are anxioaa to get int.. ncttoo with as little delay as possible-. Naturally, it is to be expected that for a time-th.- harden e,f rilling the daily programs will largely fall to the lot of the hordes that has. been engaged in winter racing. The Bowie track has been in its usual excellent condition all spriag and this has given tin- liorse-s that have been qaartt red hen- an advantage over tho-e that wmt-r under less favorable conditions. Anions; the stabl.s from the winter tracks that an- expected t-. cut asase figure in tin- racing at Bowie is that of William Walker. Thin stable arrived hen- recently from Tijuana, whew it vas campaigned saccessfmfly during the winter. The-string is made- up of Baser, Bellas. Ilarweed, Kyle. Ada Aline. Lady Spirituelle. «.. W. Kiske-r and laqaleta, all of Which were winiii-rs at Tijuana. except Lady Bpiriteelle. Tin- speedy mar.- Silvey Shapiro, owneel by J. Charles, made- tic- long trip from tie- Parifht coast with the Walker horses and is being trained with them. M. l..-e. who has been naarrft ii with the Walker Stable for some twenty years in the capacity of agent, has been exercising general supervision over the preparat ion of the-horses for their Bowie engagements in the temporary absence of Walker, who went dire-ctly from California to his home at Toronto to arrange- for the taking up and training of tin horses that hi wintered at his home place there. These horses are mostly of his own breeding and are eligible to the races for Canadian -bred and owned he.re s, ,,f which so many are run on tin- Canadian track-. Stanley Fays Promising Son. Among them is a highly promising two-year obi that will appear in the records of racing a- Stanley-Fay II. As indicated by his name, he was shred by the good horse Stanley Fay. whuli won more money for Walker than any other horse he ever owned, and which he is now using in the stud with Sateen. Bthtl B. is the dam of Stanley Fay II.. and it is no secret that Walker will be kc-e-nly disappointeil if the colt fails to develop into the be-st of Stanley Fays get to date. Dandy Fay, Princess Fay. Miss Fay and Mona O. are among the horses which will carry the Walker colors in Canada this year, in addition to the division of tin- stable that is quartered at Powe and which will be shipped to Toronto at the close of the P.owie meeting to await the opening of the Canadian Pacing Associations season at Woodbine May 19. Arthur Casey, a colored lad. who rode with a fair measure of success at Tijuana during the winter, is the stable jockey. The aged mare Kyle, in the Walker string, has one of the most unii|iie records to be found in connection with the annals of American racing, in that she was winning races after having become a grand -dam. As a young mare she won frequently in the Walker colors and, several years ago. Ipsa retirement to the stud, she produced Ethel G.. which in turn has produced the promising two year-old Stanley Fay II.. to which refereme already has been made. Last year Walker concluded that he would not keep Kyle in the stud and so she was returned to training. She made such an indifferent showing during the summer that efforts gpad the part of her owner to dispose of her at the end of the Canadian racing season proved futile. M. J. Daly, of Claude fame, was one of those to whom she was offered for M out of the first pane she might win, without acceptance. Finally Walker offered to sell her for 0. and still there were no takers. So she- was shipped to the Pacific coast with others of the Walker string and there she won two races and was placed any number of times in fairly good company. Race-goers at the Lower California Jockey Tubs course came to regard her appearance at the starting neat with much interest and doubtless the same condition will prevail here. Former jockey Carl Mitchell, who will be remembered by patrons of the Chicago race courses, and other western tracks, is now a full-fledged veterinarian and is also interested in the ownership I of several horses that are quartered at Bowie, where he is practicing his profession.
