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Twenty Years Ago Today Chief Turf Events of March 18 1903 Racing at New Orleans and Oakland All entries of Hart Dernham will be refused by the Crescent City Jockey Club and the New Louisiana Jockey Club in the future It must be gratifying to J E Madden of Hamburg Place to have the first Derby of the year won by a daughter of the young stallion Mirthful Mr Madden nominated Witfull for the New Orleans Derby and in proof of his foresight this game filly scored a hollow vic ¬ tory running away from her opponents and winning by eight lengths Her dam is Re ¬ sponse a Longfellow mare and owned by Clar ¬ ence Mackay who will no doubt share Mr Maddens delight at the excellent showing made by Witfull WitfiuTs triumph renews the interest that every American has in Acc full another Mirthful colt sold by Mr Madden to Whitney Duryea and now owned by H B Duryea Acefull will carry the hopes and wagers of every lover of sport in this country in the Epsom Derby His chances for this classic race are excellent With Acefull Mexi ¬ can Skilful Bardolph and other winning rich stakes in their twoyearold form and Witfull capturing the initial Derby of the new year there seems every assurance that Mirthful will this year add new laurels to those already gathered by his sagacious owner J E Madden who stands in the front rank as a breeder and trainer of thoroughbreds One of the foremost trainers on the Jockey Clubs tracks a man above suspicion in the matter of deceptive practices and the small work peculiar to many horsemen had this to say yesterday about the methods of trainers and owners who dope horses A much closer watch is to be maintained this year on the dope doctors than has been the rule in the past Racing rules against the use of opiates and stimulants have bsen dead letters heretofore The fact that the stewards at New Orleans took summary action in the case of owner Fizer is a good sign It is the hard ¬ est work in the world to bring home to these schemers any proof that will land them As a matter of fact any number of horses arc started every day in the week which are liter ¬ ally saturated with drugs before they will run anything like their best races Ths practice of doping horses prevails in stable ordinarily reckoned above suspicion Horses crazed by injections of powerful drugs go past the of ¬ ficials every day in the week on their way to the post and no questions are asked Eighty per cent of the people in the paddock and the same percentage of those on the lawns can tell at a glance when one of these galvanized candidates show up While the system works well at times to the profit of certain owners it is a fact that many good thoroughbreds have been ruined by dope and it is alike a crime against nature and the best interest of the turf that a horse should be subjected to any such treatment Many of the Jockey Clubs rules heretofore only partially enforced are to become fully effective this year Among them the edict against doping horses will be meted out strongly and if the practice con ¬ tinues the season will not have gone far be ¬ fore somebody will be in difficulties
