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A ; - L , 4, I SARATOGA MEETING HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL ALTHOUGH BAD ! CONDITION OF TRACK CAUSES CRITICISM i By J. It. Jeffery. : Saratoga, X. Y., August 24. While the Saratoga Associations meeting. How "entering upon its last lap, has been highly satisfactory in its general aspects, there are some respects in which it could have been improved if public opinion may safely be taken as a guide. The foremost of the cause for criticism arises from the condition of the track, of which there has been much complaint, both on the part of trainers and the general public. Some of the leading trainers have gone so far as. to decline to race the stars of .their strings here because of the conviction that the condition of the track would not only invite defeat for their horses, but probably take the edge off, for future engagements. A notable case in point . is that of Harry , Payne Whitneys great mare Regret, which trainer James Rowe is reserving for the Belmont Park meeting, simply because he does not care to risk racing the mare here under existing track conditions. Regret is in the pink of condition, it may be mentioned. The Saratoga track has- not been in good condition for several years, but is probably in poorer condition this year than hitherto. At any rate, there has been more criticism of its condition this year than at any previous time. The trouble appears to be that the top soil of the track is too loose and the cushion too deep, especially in close proximity to the inner rail. It is a trying track indeed, for horses with troublesome tendons and quite a number of horses afflicted in that manner have gone wrong here. On the other hand, it just suits horses with such infirmities as ring bones and similar afflictions. The public has been kept guessing from the opening of the meeting , as to .how particular horses would acquit themselves under the prevailing conditions and that .explains why the criticism of the course is by lio means confined to the men who are most, intimately concerned in the matter. The general opinion of. those who have given especial thought to the .subject . is that nothing short of a resoilihg of the track, will completely remedy the objectional conditions. That would be an expensive undertaking, of courne. Largo Fields Another Cause for Complaint. . One other cause for general complaint grows out of the unwieldy proportions that so many of the fields are allowed to assume here. Under the rules of the Saratoga Racing Association, twenty horses are allowed to enter for an overnight race before an overflow list of horses also eligible to start in the same race in the event of withdrawals is established. There is a growing feeling among racegoers that no good purpose is served by allowing so many horses to start in any race, and that, on the contrary, there are many reasons why the limit as to the size of the fields " should be materially reduced. Xo one can successfully contend that races with fifteen or Uventy contestants are conductive to formful sport. And there have been many, races with fields of that strength during the present meeting. Several of them have been attended with accidents, which, fortunately, escaped serious phases. It is inevitable that there will be much crowding and jostling when so many horses take part in a race. Usually in races of this sort, about half of the contenders lose all chances of winning before the race has fairly begun. . It seems likely that more than the usual difficulty will be experienced by owners in getting their stables transported from here to other racing centers at the end of the meeting: There has always been considerable trouble in obtaining sufficient cars for the purpose in previous years and .some stables have usually been obliged to remain here for a longer period .than was figured out. The situation is complicated this year by the requirements of the government in connection witli war preparations. The exodus from Saratoga will come : : at a time when important troop movements will be under way in this section of the country and this will so severely tax the facilities of the railroads that the express companies are making no definite promise to horsemen as to what they will be able to do in the way of moving their s,tables to other racing points. The representatives of the transportation companies will go ijo further than to say they will do the best they can under the circumstances and that the horsemen will have to be satisfied with that assurance. It is only fair to note that the vast majority of the horsemen are accepting the situation gracefully and in a patriotic spirit. Edward Cebrian of San Francisco has repurchased two of the yearlings he sold at public auction last Saturday. The Cebrian yearlings brought miich less than they were worth, in the opinion of their owner. Those that he repurchased are the brown colt by Von Trump .Rosegnl and the bay colt by Rey Hindoo Si union. The former had been knocked down to the bid of J. E. Whyte and the other to E. J. Tranter Mr. Cebrian unsuccessfully tried to repurchase others that went for less than what he regarded as their value. Tlx; Von Tromp Itosegai colt, together with two of the yearlings that were passed without a bid, will be turned over to C. J. Casey to be broken and developed at Gravesend for next years racing. Mr. Cebrian is by no means discouraged by the result of his first invasion of the eastern market and will return next year with another consignment of yearlings by Von Tromp. Trainer Hoag to Break Sanford Yearlings. II. W. Hoag, a well-known Pacific coast trainer, who has b?en entrusted with the task of breaking the yearlings at John Sanfords Hurricana Stock Farm at Amsterdam, was a visitor here yesterday. He renewed many old-time friendships among turfmen, who were accustomed to race in California when the sport flourished there. He came from California some six weeks ago to assnnie his present duties at Amsterdam and has made good progress with the breaking of the yearlings, of which there are no less than thirty-five at the Hurrieana Stud :jt present. About a dozen are home-breds and the bulk of the remainder represents Mr. Sanfords recent importittions from France. A Considerable number include those purchased by Mr. Sanford at the recent public sales. Collectively the band represents a great diversity of fashionable blood lines aiid it would be strange indeed, if there are not some high-class horses among them. Mr. Sanford is using no less than six stallions in his breeding operations at Hurricana nowadays, in dluding two horses. The Curragh and Macdonald II., recently, brought to this country. The old Hurricana favorites, Clifford and Isidor, which gave so many good horses to the American turf, are s.till doing duty, although the latter has reached a rine old age. The other stallions in service are Mohawk II. and Roekton. Hoag left two horses belonging to himself at Tijuana when he Came east. . II. Perkins and J. B. Goodman have engaged a car for the shipment of their horses to, St. Louis for the racing revival there next Wednesday. The former claims East St. Louis as his home and is especially anxious to do what he can to help the movement for the restoration of racing in the Missouri metropolis. Among the horses that will carry his colors at St. Louis are such good ones as Dick Williams, Phocion and Bob Ilensley, to say nothing of several of lesser renown. Another Missourian who intends to do his part in helping along the good cause at St. Louis is Barney Schreiber, whose noted Woodlands breeding nursery at Bridgeton, in the suburbs of St. Louis, brought Missouri into greater prominence as a thoroughbred producing state than any other similar establishment the state ever possessed. Mr. Schreiber lias a host of friends in St. Louis who will doubtless be glad to see him on. a Missouri race track once more.
