view raw text
TOO MUCH JUVENILE RACING Says A. J. Joyner, Trainer of . International Prominence. Suggests Less Money for Two-Year-Olds and More Long Distance Stake Events. "Every racing mnn in this country, and in England as well, knows Mack Joyner .by name," writes II. A.. Buck in last Sundays issue of the New , York Herald. Continuing. Mr. Buck says: ".Many know him personally, and lie is everywhere popular and highly esteemed. His ability as a trainer has been demonstrated both here and , abroad for many years, and his judgment is generally conceded to be free from narrow prejudice and based on wide experience and deep study of the sjiort to which he lias devoted a lifetime. Therefore, his views, not often expressed except to his intimates, on racing, its problems and its future in tills, country should prove of great interest to the racing public. "Asked How he regarded the present racing situation, Mr. Joyner answered: Most encouraging. The general public is once more keenly interested in racing and. now that the war is over and the people of the country as a whole have begun to realize Hie great value of racing, as a testing ground for the improvement of our future cavalry and artillery service, I look for a remarkable and thoroughly legitimate revival of the sport provided, however, that certain matters of serious importance to its welfare receive due consideration, and that the necessary action follows. EXCESSIVE TWO -YEAR-OLD RACIHG. - first, ofiul.uere should be some restrictive I regulation of ou? now excessive two-year-old racingr otherwise the future of the sport is more than dubious. In racing matters we should not be ashamed to learn from the experience of others, and from Iwth the English and French we can and should take home to ourselves some valuable object Wsons. In England, through the fact that stakes are restricted in value to S1.000 until the Epsom Minimer meeting under the English Jockey Club Utiles of Itacing. the high-class youngsters are not started before that date. Moreover, owners and trainers do not, as a rule, start their high-class two-year-olds more than three or four times during their first year on the turf, reserving them for the three-year-old "classics" and later valuable events. Mich as the 5,000 Jockey Tub Stakes, Iriucess of "Wales Stakes, etc. In France no two-year-old is allowed to start in any race until Augiist 1. As a natural result, in these countries a much larger number of speedy, well-proportioned and developed two-year-olds, with their vitality unimpaired, are seen at tiie close of the season each year. " We In this country dont, expect our school-hoys before entering college to contest continuously in track, rowing and football events, yet we frequently see two-year-olds sent to the post fifteen to thirty times during a short six months season without any consideration for their undeveloped strength or future welfare. Many of them as a consequence break down, others losing their strength anil vitality become selling platers. An extremely large percentage never have a fair chance to show the stuff thats in them. Their possibilities as a race horse are destroyed and quite frequently their reproductive powers are permanently weakened. Not only in racing injured in class but in the number of three and four-year-old contestants upon which, after all is said, we must depend to keep up the Mandnrd of the sport. Once more I say, let us restrict our two-j car-old racing. The best way to do tills is to limit the value of all two-year-old purses and stakes to ,000 up to July 1 of eacii year. INCREASED DISTANCE RACING. " Another matter that requires immediate and active attention if the future turf welfare of this country is to be considered is an increase in .the distance of the races carded by the various associations. The Westchester Itacing Association, supposed to be the fountain head of thoroughbred sport, ran off a days program last spring May 28 in which the longest of the races carded was at a mile, the others being at four and a half, five and a half, seven, six and a half and four and a half furlongs. This, at first thought, might be considered by some as a specially selected "horrible cxiunple." but, as a .matter of fact, during the same spring meeting there were several other days programs differing only slightly from it, a steeplechase adding "tone" to the curd, but not actually improving the standard of the days sport from a flat racing point of view. " Unless we restrict excessive two-year-old racing anil at the same time increase long-distance racing, and the latter cannot be successfully accomplished without a restriction of the former, where will our fields come from and what will be their classV And certainly the improvement of the breed of horses is not a mere figure of speech. " To accomplish anything serious in tiie laudable purpose of securing increased distance racing legislation by the Jockey Club or a spirit of co-operation upon the part of the associations is essential. A series of events stakes as well ns handicaps should be inaugurated, beginning either in Maryland or Belmont Park, starting at a mile and increasing in distance as the season advances, until a climax is reached with the Bowie Handicap at one and a half miles and a cup, two and a half miles distance, event at Pimlieo. The ioney so largely given to the two-year-old stakes should le added lo these long distance races. This would make them of sufficient value to make it wortli while for owners and trainers to point their best horses for these contests. , " In mv opinion, contrary to that of several other students of racing, the average American thoroughbred of today has deteriorated from his predecessor of ten to thirty years ago. Certainly as a stayer, and I am not convinced that even the sprinter of fifteen years ago was not a better all round horse, making due allowance of course for the faster records shown owing to the speedier tracks of today. To my mind Firenzi, Commando, Salvator, Lthelbert, Henry of Navarre, Imp, Kingston and David Garrick, of the older days, and Colin, Sysonby, Ieter Tan, Fltr. Herbert and Beldame of more recent date, were letter stayers than any of our present day recognized long distance horses, though I should class Johrcn, Cudgel, Suu Briar and George Smith close to them. . " As to the sprinters of ten to thirty years ago, 1 rides. Geraldlne, Civil Service. Voter, Dr. Has-lirouck, Lady Amelia und Koseben certainly corn-pan- favorably witli Flags, Motor Cop and loly-jinlian. the best unquestionably of today. " However, I realize that comparison of the horses of today with those of past decades is in a sense impassible, but taking into consideration the faster tracks of today, and the weight carried not so many years ago as an offset as -an illustration, Lady Amelia, nothing lint a sprinter, but a great sprinter, won with 154 pounds up, a weight never carried these days, and taking a line through Salva tors and Roamers mile record-breaking performances, there does not seem to be the improvement of which we hear so much. " That there has not been the improvement justifiably expected with our recent importations of high-class foreign sires is due to excessive two-year-old racing and the iilmost total elimination of long distance racing. " Today we have in the east only three important long distance events the Belmont, at one and three-eighths miles; the Saratoga Cup, one and three-quarters miles, and the Realization, one and a half miles. Minor events are the Municipal Handicap, value ,500, at one and a half miles, and Belmont Park Autumn Weight-for-Agc, ,000, at one and a half miles. Ten years ago the Coney Island Jockey Club alone gave such stakes as the Century, at one and a half miles; the Coney Island Jockey Club Stakes, at-one and a half miles, and the Annual Champion at two and a quarter miles, ay well us several others at one and a quarter miles., including the Suburban, Commonwealth and Tidal Handicaps. The Brighton Bench Bacing Association, at its meeting, usually held in July or August, was credited with the Brighton Handicap at one and a quarter miles, the Brighton Derby at one and a half miles and the Brighton Cup at two and a quarter miles. " A fact which will surprise many is that there were at least fifty-four stake races at one and a quarter miles and over run for in this country twenty years ago, as compared with less than ten today. " Undoubtedly there arc a number of horses in this country which, though considered sprinters today, could be trained to stay if long distance stakes were announced of sufficient financial attractiveness. A revival of distance racing mind, I do not say long distance racing will bring back our stayers, und at the same time add greatly to the general public interest in our racing. " Incidentally us well as improving our thoroughbred longer distance racing also will improve our Jockevs by giving them opportunities to acquire Judgment of pace and generalship. The trainers, too. will be benefited in the sense that the incompetents will he eliminated, for almost any one without any ability as a horseman t.an train a horse to run three-quarters, hut to prepare a horse to go a mile and a quarter is an entirely different mutter. "
