view raw text
PURPOSE OF THE BIG RACE I International Contest Planned to I Bring About Better Feeling. Hope for Closer Bond Between Onr Sports- S men and Those of Foreign Countries Popularity of the Match. 1 NEW YORK, N. Y., Oct. 27. The International race, won by Zev at Belmont Park t on Saturday, October 20, was promoted by r the Westchester Racing Association in the I hope that it would add to the popularity of a the turf in the United States and bring about a a closer bond between our sportsmen and b those of foreign countries. li That it will not fail of its purpose in the s first instance is assured by the expressions s of approval that were voiced by the throng which filled the huge grandstand and club- 3 3. house to repletion and occupied every foot t of space within the confines of the inclosure. 6 In that assemblage were many persons of both sexes unfamiliar with racing, but to r whom the promise of a contest between a J winner of the Epsom Derby and American champion three-year-old exerted an irre- sistible appeal. i Those with a knowledge of racing in all its aspects found their appetites sharpened 1 by the unusual offering, while in between s these extremes were thousands of men and women, who, while only occasional patrons of the turf, were familiar with the thorough- I bred in all his fields of endeavor, whether i they embrace the race course, the hunting field, horse show arena or polo. i For all it was an inspiring spectacle, breathing eloquently of the popularity of the horse of blood. New York is familiar with tumultuous gatherings at championship football and basketball games and there have been scenes of exuberance over the outcome of contests of this character, but it is safe to say that none has surpassed that displayed during the running of the International race. The demonstration began in the paddock, where Papyrus appeared to have as many friends as Zev, and it increased with the progress of the horses to the course, to be intensified a thousandfold when the start was made and the race was on. UNRESTRAINED ENTHUSIASM. The cheering was continuous, the climax coming when the American champion moved away from his opponent at the top of the stretch and galloped home to victory. The cheers which were wafted wave on wave across the plain, the huge roof of the grandstand acting as a sounding board, must have been heard for miles. Everybody seemed to have thrown off restraint. Hats and canes were silhouetted in the blue haze as Zev splashed through the mud to the goal. While the cables from abroad since the race would appear to be against a British three-year-old challenging for the Cup, there is always a chance of Ben Iris or some other .good sportsman getting possession of a first-class colt and issuing a deli. The bulldog - determination of men like Irish and Lipton forces them to persevere. Then, too, there is the promise of Basil Jarvis to come back as soon as he finds a horse good enough to compete with our best. The announcement of Harry F. Sinclair and Admiral Grayson, the respective owners of Zev and My Own, that they will send their colts to England to run in the Ascot Gold Cup next year, should have a good effect . on public opinion abroad. The stisfaction of English racing people has already been voiced and if either or both of the horses should make the journey under conditions similar to those encountered by Papyrus, the glory of an American victory in the classic, which is a test of two and a half miles, would be greatly enhanced. It will be no new thing for American horses to go abroad to race and many of them have made the journey to England under less favorable auspices than Papyrus, which came to this country practically as a first cabin passenger on one of the most luxurious liners in commission. If the message which 1 the Jockey Club sought to convey when it : sponsored the recent race is interpreted aright, a better feeling will be promoted all around and more of our horses should be i seen in the future in the British classics, i With this country taking the lead, foreign 1 sportsmen will undoubtedly yield to an in- fluence whose disinterestedness will be unquestioned. That any course, proprietary or otherwise, in England will ever offer a special prize of the richness of the International race is unlikely. The stake features of England, i such as the Derby, Two Thousand Guineas, St. Leger, Ascot Gold Cup. Eclipse and Champion Stakes are fixed events and it is ! in these that our horses must contest for J supremacy with all comers. ; Great interest is being taken in the pic- tures of the International race and because of that interest it is well that the public J should know why they show Stephen Dono-1 ghue taking Papyrus back to Zev in the first few strides of the contest. Papyrus was not schooled at the American starting gate and starter Mars Cassidy was fearful - that the Derby winner might refuse to break, j He explained his desire to get the colts away t slightly in motion to both Sande and Dono-5 ghue, visiting the latter at his quarters in the Cosden cottage. jj After listening attentively to Mr. Cassidy a Donoghue said: "All right, sir, I understand, 0 and if my horse gets the best of it Ill take 5 back to Zev." D That he kept his word and displayed in his 0 own way sportsmanship of the highest quality history will attest.
