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EASTERN VALUES HELD TOO LOW Saratoga and Hew York Stakes and Purses Costly to Horsemen NEW YORK X Y December J G The material decrease in nominations to the twoyearold stakes at Saratoga which closed recently may cause that association to add a little more money to their ju ¬ venile events in the past few years they have rarely if ever had to add a dollar as there was nearly always a surplus from the nomination and starting fees over the guarantee In adverse years this was all right lint 1918 was prosperous The Hopeful Stakes of late years lias been the richest stake run in the United States and for the last three years it has cost the Saratoga Association not one dollar and the same applies to the Flash United States Hotel Grand Union Hotel and the Albany Stakes StakesThe The Saratoga Special is the real sporting event of the year The owners race their twoyearolds for their own money and the association adds a cup of the value of 1000 It is honed the courses con ¬ trolled by the Jockey Club will follow the Kentucky and Maryland lead and have more liberal purses ami more added money stakes the coming year in the State of New York Time Avas when the Empire State made Maryland and Kentucky look clieap in the matter of stakes and purses but things have changed until now the boot is on the other foot Also in the way of entrance money1 the conditions to the Xcw York stakes are far more severe than anywhere else For instance a stake in Maryland or Kentucky worth from 3000 to 5000 would cost an owner about JS10 to send a horse to the post while in Xew York it would cost two or three times as much muchThe The answer of course is that In Maryland and Kentucky they have the imitiicl system and a large revenue is derived from that source while in Xew VTork there iscompariifively ifotlihtfrcamfng to th associations from the orahbooknrakers What a won ¬ derful thing it would be for racing if the govern ¬ ment could take it over hi Xew York State and put on the mutuels as is done in France What would good horses be worth V VLOOK LOOK FORWARD TO CANADIAN RACING RACINGIt It is to be honed that racing will l e resinned in Canada in 1919 It is heartbreaking to see Wood ¬ bine closed for it is a race course controlled by thorough sportsmen and for sport alone and not revenue The stake conditions there too are the easier for horsemen than elsewhere Take the To ¬ ronto Cup for instance There is a r 10 nomination fee and SKI or l li i additional to start This menus n cost of not over S2r to send a horse to the post for a stake to whicli is added from SjOOO to 7500 Canada furnished good sport and good purses and also a good market for fair horses or some not irood enough for the metropolitan courses SJnce racing was discontinued in the Do ¬ minion there has been no mnrket for horses of mediocre class and the breeders have suffered ac ¬ cordingly Owners too miss the big stakes and purses offered at Toronto Windsor Hamilton and Fort Erie The nurses offered in Canada were as large as those in the United States and it is to be hoped that racing there will be resumed for the good of all concerned in the sport both in Canada and the United States StatesIt It would be of great economic advantage to horse ¬ men racing in the Dominion if the laws allowed a ten or twelve days meeting instead of but seven at the important courses But the law limits racing to fourteen days a year and two meetings are con ¬ sidered necessary As it is horsemen had to ship every ten days if they wished to participate in all the meetings Shipping facilities usually were of the best find horsmeii received the best treatment from the express companies Continual practice made shipping nearly perfect but still it was ex ¬ pensive anil cost about SI SO a season for a car ¬ load of horses to take in the racing circuit
