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AMERICAS RACING CENTER Fame of Saratoga Track Dates Back to the Civil War Credit Given to the Spa as asCradle Cradle of Modern Racing RacingFully Fully Merited Saratoga Springs X Y August 14 The fame of Saratoga as the racing center of the American lnrf dates back to tin Civil war Saratoga was the first locality in the north to undertake racing after that long and bloody struggle In fact the sport was inaugurated there before the war was ended endedThe The credit that lias been given to that fashion ¬ able summer resort as the cradle of modern racing in the east in fully merited Previous to the in ¬ auguration of the sport there the outlook for the immediate future was poor indeed for there seemed tilight prospect of returning to the wholesome condi ¬ tions of affairs existing before the war warThe The wealth and the leisure that had hitherto made the south invincible in pursuit of sports had for the time departed It then developed upon the north to support racing and particularly New York wherein the wealth of the country had become so considerably concentrated and where a large popu ¬ lation had grown up and could be depended upon l give its practical support to the sjwrt Sara ¬ toga Iteing the summer capitol of New York and having for years drawn to it the patronage of wealthy and fashionable folks from all parts of the country the opportunity thus afforded to estab ¬ lish racing among the pines as a fashionable ad ¬ vertisement seemed to be almost providential providentialThere There was an old track in Saratoga 290 yards short of a mile that had been used in a desul ¬ tory sort of way and with that as a foundation the new enterprise that was destined to play such an important part in racing matters during the ensuing quarter of a century and more was in ¬ augurated in 1S 3 3The The general response of turfmen from all over the country to this venture and the patronage of the public was even more gratifying than those who were most active in tin affair had anticipated and the inaugural meeting was altogether success ¬ ful At the outset the stables gathered at Sara ¬ toga won few in nnmlMr when compared with the present day and the horses were not numerous numerousAt At the first meeting in 183 the principal entries were Captain Moores Maniona Mr D E Wcl dons Sympathy and Lizzie W Mr Ilcedys Thun ¬ der Mr Francis Morris Dangerous and Surprise 1 K Watsons Aldebaran John M Clays Lodi and Mr Lloyds Echo This first Saratoga race meeting was undertaken entirely upon the responsibility of John Morrissey and Charles Wheatly the eminent turfman was engaged to act as secretary and manager managerImmediately Immediately after the close of the meeting sev ¬ eral gentlemen of means formed an association for the purpose of establishing racing in Saratoga upon a substantial and permanent foundation Wil ¬ liam K Travers was elected president John II White treasurer anil Charles Wheatly secretary The executive committee of the new association bought suitable land on the southerly side of Union avenue and delegated to its secretary authority to construct the race course Within a year this course was completed to the entire satisfaction of the association and was ready for use at the open ¬ ing of the meeting in the summer of 1SG4 1SG4GREW GREW IN POPULARITY WITH YEARS YEARSFor For at least twenty years the Saratoga course con ¬ tinued on an extraordinary career of almost un ¬ interrupted prosi cri y The modest three day meet ings of 18 3 and 1801 grew in proportions until in 1871 the racing season had expanded so as to include two meetings every summer summerNot Not long afterward it developed still further such was the demand of the patronizing public and the enthusiastic rivalry Itetween all the representative stables of the north and south finally a season of seven weeks sport l ecame one of the features of every summer and the prosperity that attended this protracted gathering of sportsmen fully demon ¬ strated the high standard to which Saratoga had attained as one of the most prosperous and most influential racing centres that had up to that time been established anywhere in the United States StatesAnother Another thing was soon clearly shown and that was the strong and widespread inllucncc of Saratoga upon racing affairs throughout the country In the seventies Saratoga was patronized by such eminent turfmen as Messrs August Belmont I I Withers Leonard Jerome John F Purdy Ogden Bowie Charles W Bathgate John Hunter W K Travers II P McGrath Pierre Lorillard John T Hoffman Harry Genet J G K Lawrence M A Littell O M Bassett II Harding William Turnbull James McGowan and others At the track were the stables year after year of owners of national reputation such as Major Pacon Capt T G Moore Col D McDanicl and Messrs I T Crouse It Wyndham Walden John Harper David McCoun James Thomp ¬ son Wood ford Stringfield Kphrain Snedecer W It IJabcock M II Sanford George L Loriilard Pierre Lorillard John ODonnell Francis Morris and many others othersIn In the course of time changes in the ownership and management of the Saratoga course came about In the later seventies the course with all its privileges was leased to John Morrissey with diaries Iteed and Albert Spencer as his partners No changes were made in the racing which still continued under the control and authority of the Saratoga Association ITnon the death of Mr Travers James M Marvin succeeded to the presi ¬ dency After the death of Mr Morrissey in 1880 Messrs Heed and Socneer became the lessees of the property and continued the business until a sale of the course to G Walbatim and others which took place early in 1S92 Mr Wheatly remained secretary of the association through all these years only resigning his office in 1902 when the old asso ¬ ciation closed out its affairs affairsEarly Early in the eighties the course fell away some ¬ what from its former high estate and its period f decadence lasted for some considerable time The high degree of prosperity that had attended its earlier years had much to do with bringing about this result Largely affected by the influence that went out from this famous summer resort and Moved also by a consideration of tiie success that Lad elevated Saratoga financially and socially as veil as from a sorting point of view followers of the turf elsewhere naturally saw no reason why tjcy should not establish other courses that might rival this parent of modern racing in the north Continued ou second age AMERICAS RACING CENTER Continued from first page iely into the prob ga had made for fortuersi tuersi of the first class had rapidly increased the i i ii i towers to cart for them unas unass s were needed to make racing racingproiuanit proiuanit u inftu is and owners anil also to meet the growing interest of the public especially was this true of New York City and vicinity Thousands there who did not always find it practicable or desirable to go to Saratoga to follow the races joined in the demand for courses nearer home Something of this feeling as well as the desire for social prominence moved the projectors of the famous American Jockey Club in their building of the Jerome Park course a few years after Saratoga had iHen started Similar reasons with perhaps less of the social side brought into prominence led to the establishment of the courses at Monmoiith Park Brighton Beach and Sheepshead Bay BaySome Some dissatisfaction with the management of the Saratoga course l egan to be felt and for a time riniTiiiv iuptotii in account of the undue prom ambling element there the thecourse course was somewhat under a cloud With tlje establishment of Monmouth Park and its subsequent purchase by some of the leading racing men of the east several of the great stables upon which Sara ¬ toga had depended the llancocas Westbrooke Brookdale and Chesterbrook were withdrawn This reverse was but temporary however The Brooklyn and Preakness Stables still continued to patronize Saratoga Aristides Welchs Erdeiilieini Stable also came to the front while numerous stables of the west and south added their forces Saratoga soon started on a career of renewed prosperity in which it has continued ever since with only such inci vverses as seem to be inseparable from the in in of all great race courses coursesFor For the season of 1SSS the officers of the Sara ¬ toga Association were Edward Kearney president John T Kagan treasurer and B A Chilton secre ¬ tary Joseph J Burke was the judge M N Nolan steward and Matthew Byrnes officiated as starter The course is one of the most picturesque in its surroundings of any in the country It is bountifully laid out and all its appointments are in perfect style Tin tourist season extends from late in July until the first period of Septeml er some of the most historic events in American racing annals have been connected with Saratoga Those that are most prom ¬ inent in recent times are the Flash the Travers the Alabama the Merchants and Citizens the Ken ner the Hopeful Stakes the Beyerwyck Steeple ¬ chase the Saratoga Handicap the Saratoga Cup Spinaway Stakes Saratoga Special and other rich stakes wellknown to all presentday patrons of racing racingLOST LOST PRESTIGE UNDER WALBAUM WALBAUMTinder Tinder the Walbaum administration Saratoga Saratogalost lost caste and gradually fell off in popularity as a racing center Walbaum had made a fortune as promoter and controller of the noted CJuttenburg track and naturally conducted Saratoga racing on i Sutteiiburg basis Some of the stake races intimately associated with the earlier fame of Sara ¬ toga racing were abolished and the values of others were greatly reduced As the years drifted by Saratoga racing dwindled from bad estate to worse The place seemed moribund when in 1S02 William C Whitney It T Wilson Jr and other wealthy wealthyjand jand influential men intervened and bought the property These sairacious men jwrceivetl What could be done to supplement the splendid natural advantage of Saratoga and set about doing it on a broad and enlightened scale scaleA A great organizer Mr Whitney loyally backed up bj his associates promulgated a program of stake races which immediately enlisted the inter ¬ est and quick cooperation of the united turfmen of the United States and Canada It was not given to him to witness and enjoy the fruition of his broad minded policies but after death claimed him all that had been devised for the regeneration and re establishment of highclass WIIB at Saratoga was effectively carried out by his successor K T Wilson and the other gentlemen associated with him In maintaining the peculiar present position of Saratoga as the keystone of the American turf Partly through force of contributing circumstances largely by common consent it has come about that in all this broad land racing ceases elsewhere and tht whole month of August is surrendered to Sam toga so that the pick and flower of our thorough ¬ bred horse can assemble there to measure strides in thrilling competition in which Kreat and noble feats in racing are daily recorded recordedReminiscently Reminiscently and going fur back to the early seventies John Morrissey had a reat idea of what lie deemed the proprieties of the race track and enforced them rigidly One of his rules was that people in the grandstand should remain seated while a race was in progress He was always there to see that they did and they did The sight of that formidable blaekbearded giant of a man pa ¬ trolling the stand was sufficient to quell the most mosti i excitable spectator The perfect order in the Saratoga grandstand thpn was a marvel to see It would bo unbelievable now In his young and lusty manhood Morrissey was a champion prize fighter But for all that he was much of a man and highly respected It is somewhat in the line of coincidence that another man who was a star fighter in his day Billy Myer should have haveibis ibis name intimately associated witli the Saratoga track as its rebuilder into its present admirable condition
