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I a v li v I ; ■ t t | | , j , t ] j t , , , . | , j ! 1 i HELPED SAVE RACING IN MARYLAND —2- j Legislature Appreciation of Vast Importance of Thoroughbred Production for National Defense. . Col. Matt I. Winn, manager of Churchill Downs and laurel Park tracks, in commenting on the over- , whelming victorv of racing in Maryland, where all , hostile legislation against the sjtort was killed last . week, said that it was the appreciation by the I/cg-islature of Marvland of the vast importance of thoroughbred production for the national defense that won for racing in the bitter fight for the maintenance of the s|M rt in the Old Line State. "The racing and breeding interests of Maryland." said Colonel Winn "put forth the argument ad- -vanced by Maj. Gen. Leonard Wood some years ago, , while General Wood was chief of the general staff, that thoroughbred blood is indispensible in the military horse. We were sup|torted in this contention by Major General Kuhn. the commander of Camp Meade; Brigadier Generals Nicholson and Hero. Col. Raymond Briggs. of the Three Hundred and Eleventh Field Artillery: Colonel Johnson, the commander of the camp .if engineers at Lmrel Park, and other enlightened officers, and we won in tin-House of Delegates a branch of the Legislature in which we feared we might be l eaten. Obviously, therefore, this proposition, which is little understood outside armv circles in this country, brought the House over. To say that was gratifying is putting , it lightly. This recognition of the essential connection between thoroughbred production, the effectiveness of which hinges, inevitably, on clean and successful racing, by the Legislature of Maryland is . highly significant". "It foreshadows a coming country -wide appreciation of the real mission of racing, which, ulti- I matcly. will restore the thoroughbred to his own ■ everywhere. Now that the developments of the great war have made the maintenance of a great permanent militarv force in this country indispensible. the people of the country may depend upon it that the racing associations of the Old Line State, working in harmonv with Marylands sportsmen and breeders, will do their utmost toward encouraging the production of military horses of the right sort in numbers that will be of real military value to tiie nation. WILL SHOW DUE APPRECIATION. We will show the army. in a substantial manner, that the armys support of racing is proiterly appreciated, and we will show the farmers and stock misers of Maryland and other states that horse production for military purposes is a matter of vital importance, in an economic sense, to them. Maryland is in for one of the most attractive racing seasons in her history. The limlico Spring Handicap, the Preakness, the Green Spring Valley Steeplechase and the excellent programs of the : Havre de Grace and Bowie tracks have already brought the Itest horses of the east to the state. The autumn programs of the same tracks will bring down an ever better seasoned band of campaigners of various ages. "Kentucky racing, which will give a matter of 10,000 to the Red Cross this year, will be equally good. The coming Derby at Churchill Downs promises to be as exciting a race as was ever run iu the Blue Grass State. The difficulties of transportation may prevent us from attracting to Churchill Downs in May as many of the formidable eastern three -year-olds as we would like to have, but it is enough, perhaps, that Sun Briar, the biggest two-year-old money winner of 1917 and Unaccepted juvenile champion of the year, is to start. "It looks now as though the Derby might resolve itself into a duel between Sun Briar, representing the east, and Kenneth Alexanders Escoba. representing the west, and this sectional rivalry will have a stimulating effect everywhere. The shrewd trainers at Churchill Downs do not seem to entertain the slightest doubt of the ability of Sun Briar to maintain his speed over a long distance of ground and Willis sharpo Kilmers great colt is training famously under the eye of Henry McDaniel. Nevertheless he has the Derby to win. From what they tell me at Louisville I should say that Escoba is about as good a horse as ever trained for a Derby. He is big. powerfully made and smooth gaited and fast, and he. too. will go all the way." ♦
