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AN INCENTIVE TO BREEDERS Latonia Championship Stakes a Stimulus to the Industry Increases Yearling Prices and Helps Repay in a Measure Expensive Upkeep LOUISVILLE Ky August 9 At last the tlior oushbred breeder is lo have his big inning and the 50000 Latonia Championship Stakes is responsible for it This was the comment of Walter Hopkins for years manager nf George J Longs Bashford Manor place near this city and who for a long ¬ time was associated with Middleton Jungbluth when that firm owned Tiie 1icket and other groat horses In his time Mr Hopkins has looked after some of Americas greatest r ce horses from their infancy until they reached the race tracks where many of them made turf history and he says tiiat lie has longed for the day when breeders would have something to look forward to in the way of finan ¬ cial reward for their efforts like the coming big event next autumn at the Covington course courseFew Few persons realize the vast expense attached to H thoroughbred breeding establishment con ¬ tinued Mr Hopkins and I want to say that it is enormous not only in these high cost of living days but under any conditJansA Manv times u liorsp does not pay for itself until it is three years bid as was the case of Sir Barton winner of tills years Kentucky Derby and often tiiey BO even bpyond that age before they produce any ¬ thing for their owner or breeder Of course there sire other instances like that of Eternal and Billy Kelly where they more than pay for themselves UK a twoyearold twoyearoldRAISING RAISING OF ONE HOUSE HOUSEI I will illustrate the labor and expense attached toithe raising of just one horse from the time the stallion is mated to the mare It costs anywhere from 200 to 500 for stud servive unless a man happens to own both stud and mare and most of Hie time the latter fee is the rule The mare car ¬ ries the foal for a year during which time she must be looked after carefully Then the foal is dropped and is a suckling for a year making two years labor and expense for the breeder After that it is a yearling and remember this is the Iliird years work to say nothing of the expendi ¬ ture of money by the owner Breaking and school ¬ ing the yearling preparatory to going into active racing the following year is a big task in itself nnd requires the services of the most expert horse ¬ man manThen Then conies the twoyearold year making the fourth since the sire and dam were mated and for Hie first time the breeder or owner gets a chance to ram some money witli the foal Some breeders and owners are lucky and get good results with two yearolds that as yearlings were rated as only ordinary while on the other hand some of those which were unusually highly regarded fail their owners completely and they have them on their liands as dead expense for another year The lat ¬ ter not only do not pay their way but they stand their owners a big extra expense because of the fact tiiat as a rule they are nominated in any number of stakes and these entry fees are just tslmply tossed off offWith With such a race as the Latonia Championship Stakes lo run in a man has ample time to remedy defects in twoyearolds if it is possible to remedy them and have them in their best form as three yearolds It is realiy at this age that a horse lias its golden opportunities to earn money especial ¬ ly in Kentucky witli the Kentucky Derby Kentucky Handicap Latonia Derby and Uie Latonia Cham ¬ pionship Stakes to run in their combined values aggregating in the neighborhood of 100000 to say nothing of the numerous other stakes none of which is wortli less than 4000 added addedWELLBRED WELLBRED ONES BRING THE HONEY HONEYThese These stakes naturally stimulate the breeders to greater efforts as they breed better and more horses because of the chances they have to win liig sums with them Not only this but they realize a far better price if they sell them as yearlings as there are any number of prospective purchasers who do not worry about price if they can KCt suitable representatives to carry their colors in such big stakes Of course ns I have said be ¬ fore wellbred yearlings may not turn out as ex ¬ pected but it is the wellbred ones that will hring the money and a 50000 stake is an incentive to i lie breeder to try and get only the best in the breeding line lineIt It was tliH breeders who fanned the spark of possibility into the flame of reality of a 30000 etake in Kentucky as they put their shoulders to the wheel from the time it was first conceived and they did not rest until 471 nominations Lad been ob ¬ tained many of them from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean It was stipulated in the original conditions of the race that there must be three Continued OB ilztb page AN mCENTIVE TO BREEDERS Continued from first page hundred nominations or the event could be called off and the breeders saw to it that this goal was easily attained in a comparatively short time After this number was reached they continued their ef ¬ forts until a few in excess of half as many more as1 required were1 received receivedTo To further show their interest in the big stake some of the most extensive breeders who are mem ¬ bers of the Thoroughbred Horse Association clubbed together and in the name of their organization do ¬ nated 1000 to be used to purchase a gold cup i which will be presented to the winner Such a spirit on the part of men who raise thorough ¬ breds could not result in otherwise than a great race and the day on which it is run at the La ¬ tonia course jwxjtjiutumn will no doubt mark a new ejmch in the annals of racing racingEASTERNERS EASTERNERS AFTER THE RICH PRIZE PRIZEEvery Every eastern owner and trainer with good representation in the big stake told me that he would go after It said general manager M J Winn who paid a flying visit to this city follow ¬ ing three weeks sojourn at Empire City Sam Hildreth assured me that only an accident will prevent Cirrus from being sent to Latonia while J Wl McClelland said that he will devote the greater part of Ills time between now and next October haying Eternal prepared for the race From what I learned in New York Eternal and Vindex the latter owned by Harry Payne Whitney will be seen in action seldom jfat all at Saratoga both being saved for the Latonia Championship Stakes It was this stake that prompted me to put on the Lexington Cup Handicap 5000 added at one and onehalf miles and the Twin City Handicap of the same value at one mile and fiveeighths at La ¬ tonia as I want to give the owners of the horses which favor long distances plenty of opportunities to earn money and these two races will lead right up to the stellar event which will be over the route of one mile and threequarters threequartersTrainer Trainer James Rowe evidently had fall racing in view when he let up on yindex after the Whitney colt dqyejoped such a sour disposition in the early spring In the Kentucky Derby the son of St yictrix Bellefontainl showed an ugly mood when he suddenly refused to extend himself after being in a contending position in the early nmning and he wound up in Iast place In the Preakness at Pimlico he was even worse as he was left at the post Since that time however trainer Rowe has Inten going along slowly with him and according to advices from Saratoga where be is training for the Latohia Championship Stakes he has seemingly lost his mean traits He has been sent miles in the vicinity of 142 recently and Rowe still has two months in which to get him at his best for the Latonia stake V WAR PENNANT A STOE STARTER STARTERWar War Pennants recent victory caused trainer H G Bedwell to announce that he will immediately Ixgiu the task of preparing1 him for the Latonia Championship Stakes It was a lucky break for Commander J K L Ross that War Pennant recov ¬ ered from an injury that kept him on the shelf for a long time as quickly as he did as he is the only eligible that the Canadian sportsman has in the race Bedwell will use the intervening time be ¬ tween now and October to fit him to go a long route and he can be depended upon to have him good and ready when the day of the race rolls around aroundNot Not much is being heard of the Kentucky repre ¬ sentatives in the big event and if any of them fiope to Vope succdssftilly with the easterners tliey will have to show vast improvement over their efforts of last spring However the blue grass owners and trainers always can be depended upon to furnish plenty of contention in stakes and they are sure to uncover a few horses which will make it a good contest
