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IMPERATIVE NECESSITY OF HORSE RACING. Maj.-Gcn. Wood and August Belmont Show Why Sport Should Be Encouraged, New York. April 10.— In a letter written to August Helmont expressing regret over the burning of the Belmont Park plant. Maj.-Ucn. Leonard Wood has come out in favor of racing as a means of maintaining the standard of horses necessary for military purposes. He expresses the ho|M that the buildings will be reconstructed promptly. Oeaeralf Woods letter iu full follows: A "I regret exceedingly to learn of the destruction** of the buildings at Helmont Park. I fear this miy tend to still further interfere with the .development of the horse, in which we were both interested I refer to the thoroughbred of the right type 1 hope the park buildings -ill be r •constructed promptly. "There never was a time in the historv of the country when we were more in need of the right kind of horses for military purposes than at present. If you had seen the horses which we bought last summer you would have realized that breeding was a lost art among the general run of our farmers and stock raisers, at least they have lost touch with the gaBopiag Heed and gene daft ou lra ft strains. The horses which we got for the cavalry and field artillery were most of them mongrels " and would have gfeea p,M,r service in war. Racing Will Be Maintained. In his reply to Majar Qaacral Wee*, Mr. Helmont paid tribute to the trotter as well as to the that oughhred. and expressed the opinion that barsea of both these types are needful iu order to miii tain the endurance re.piirod in animals Baud for war service. a Thai racing will lie maintained in spite of the w r is made evident by the statement .ff the ohainmn of the Jockey C Int.. who consolers it a public dutv to keep ,,p the sport. He also assures ,|„. boldina 01 the meeting at Befaaaat Park after temporary re-pairs have been made to tin- buildings. tf, awi. tU ;"""ial W""rs 1,,, " ■ " " bl as follows- "My Dear General Wood: of"l,„a!Vio "-*" f-nl:t,i1"" *» ecive your letter "f Apnl PI. in which you Madlj express your re «Trt to learn of the deatTUCtkw it the buildings at Betuaea! Park. "I feel it is „f the utmost importa.ic to niaintain i-.-.c.ng at this time, not as 1 atertalaaaeat and sport .or our community, although that is not 1 wholly negligible reaaea, but hecauae, as y,. -tlei-- ivgl.tly say. ,,,,,-r v -.,s a time in the history of the country when we were more bj need of the right kind of horse for military i.urnos.s than it present. "Von and I know that every thoughtful man mast realize the importance of stamina and courage in hors.s used to,- the army, whether for artillery or •avaliy. ami that there should be a lairlv ftm average ,. endurance. For this the trotter -rid than ughbred are both ,,t augnaau laapactaace. Draft Horses Usurp the Field. "I he drafi horse is in sit.-ii great commercial de inaml that he has driven out the troth r ami gallop tag horse as well as the rraeeea of these 1 ds Tlie show ring, the baattag field and sola u« wholly insufficient t keep alive the type of borne Which, as you say. is solely needed. "We. as a people, have no more right to pat our young men on an inferior horse than we bare to st nd them forth with an inferior rifle. "That the use „f cavalry has not become obsolete, as so many good citizens are satisfied t.. think is shown iu the t nt drive su the western front in Ihirope. The moment army operations I. ie mobile cavalry conic; to its own. "We •. uniet. of course, reconstruct our buildings at 1.. Iinont Park for some time, hut hop., to mike such temporary repairs as will enable us t., ,„,id OUT spring meeting. We will have to trust •. the indulgence of the paWln "Some people have expressed a doubt as to whether racing ought to continue in the face of war. bat most of us feel that it is a public dutv not only to ghre more attention than ever to oar activities as breedera, but 1,. keep up public interest in the bane through raring. "So m.-.eh damage has al-eady been done to the breed r light horses that I fear you will bare to go outside of the rutted States to obtain all the horses you will reuenre for the army, notwithstaud-iag that we have tweiuy-two millions- .,! barsea within our borders, much the major pari of which are draft bar at a with cold blood, without stamina, speed or courage."
