view raw text
BRITISH RACING OF 1920 Great Increase in Number of Races, Horses and Values of Stakes. BY L. L. Ctil SSFLL. I LONDON, England. Jaaaarj 15. The following ricurex are taken from tie- Annual Volume el tbe Itacing aleiidar for 1989, ju-t lasned: There are two -urpii-ing fact- ahown- the flrat, the total number of boraea that raced in Gi at Britain and Ireland last year was 1,083 whi.h compare- with 8.200 in 1919, L.IM 1 in 1918 1 nil in 1817 and 1.038 in 1818, the second highest total It was impossible to imagine that the shortage of thoroughbred hoi-.- canard by war reetrictfcns could be -o -p.-ediii recovered. Tie- Increases over twenty yeais i- aol -.. noticeable, for in 1900 the number of horses racing was 3.821. There wa- a large proportion .i" Irish horses running in 1017. The second noteworthy fait is Ihat the ■takes ili-triubuled in England i:i flit racing only, which amounted to 92,993,180, was i ie highest total ever recorded. For tile porpose of comparison it is n.ee— an t. ■ g,. back to 1913. tin- iasi fun year of racing before the war. where the amount of stakes c piled Im- was X2,098,36-" . Therefore, in 1920 then was IM advance of 9401,815. Thi- i-all the more remarkable when it i- remembered that oaring to the miners strike there was no racing in England or Scotland between October if, and November 5. Bat for thi- prohibition of racing between the dale- ju-t mentioned tin- ad value would have been over 1398.090. in 1*11 there were 1,888 flat race- ran in Bng land and their average value was 91,358. In lilLO there wcie oniy 1,580 race- and the average value was ,855. In Scotland in 1829 there were 111 ra.es arortb 22,850. The next best wa- 1904, with a total of 8,540. In Ireland last -ea- ii there were 454 fiat race- decided .-mil their total value was 22,220. The next best wa- 1918, Witli 74,510. It i- plain, therefore, that 1890 wa- a record year in each country. Ii wa- in ism t ] 4:i t racing stakes distributed in England iii-i reached ,000,000. In 1902 the total for tin fir-t lime surpassed ,300,000. Put for the sirike th.- ,000,000 mark would have been exceeded in Pen Classifying the races ma in 1939 and in 1811 we obtain tin- following comparisons: 1820 1828 1811 Pip! Kae,-. Slake-. Bacea. Slakes. Handicaps excluding twi.year. hi raije-1177 ,081*485 570 S7:;:i 175 Sidling ra.-es L7l 322,488 :i-"s 242,700 Weight for age races I excluding t wo .Mar .dd events .. .311 785,823 .".:;!• 879,993 Weight for age all rac si 28,813 Twv-ycar-old races... Pis 870v 998 189 731.130 Tin- increases in irM are easily not iccii. There ,s however, one aaaatisfactory feature and that i- the -urn givea lo weight for age rae,-. which in 1820 wa- 4,371 less than in 1913 This is a matter which calls for the m.st sorh us alt. -mi. f the authoritie-. i.r it i- rea,lil reeoguixed that weight-for-age races are the backbone of ti,, tint a- a definite aid lo the horse-breediug industry in every part of the world.
