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j- Here and There on the Turf Exploiting the Horse. Mistakes of the Past. Prosperity of Turf. It is not always possible to readily convince the uninitiated with the value of racing to preserve and improve the breed of horses. For that reason there is a great importance in tests other than those of the race course, for horses. Tests of courage, speed and endurance. The horse with the thoroughbred strain has the opportunity there to demonstrate the advantage of thoroughbred blood and he has done so from time to time. For this reason there is a real importance to the visit of a United States team to take part" in the equestrian games connected with the Eighth Olympiad at Paris. This team is undergoing intensive training under John D. Barry at Fort Myer, Va., and while it is alway-a big contract to .compete with the horsemen of Europe it is assured that this team will be better trained and better mounted than has been possible at any other occasion. Too often it has been impossible to obtain representative thoroughbreds for such tests. This team will be mounted on carefully selected horses and a goodly percentage of them are thoroughbreds, while others have a strong percentage of that prized blood. It is admitted by those that have made a close study of horse production that the thoroughbred is the sire bast calculated to im-- prove the breed, and it is also admitted that the race course is the only testing ground for the thoroughbred. But, then, when it comes to the practical demonstration of the value of the thoroughbred in improving the breed too often horses are put into tests that are in no sense representative thoroughbreds. They may have the blood lines and all the other attributes of the strain, but by reason of infirmity they arc not fitted to exploit the thoroughbred. Any time that a sound young horse is chosen to represent the thoroughbred in these tests, the superiority of the breed asserts itself, but it is not fair to take an eld, worn-out thoroughbred, probably a cripple, and use him for such a purpose. He may be faultlessly bred, he has all the courage for which the thoroughbred is so famed, but physically he is not representative. That is what has been the matter with so many of the army endurance races. Invariably the thoroughbreds that have performed have not measured up in soundness with the horses of other breeds pitted against them. Careful selection is made of the Morgans and the Arabs that perform, while it is hard to remember one of the tests where the same care was exercised in the selection of the thoroughbred representatives. An excellent excuse is the value of the thoroughbred, but if he is to be properly exploited it will be necessary to forget that value for the good that will come to the whole breed. j j For this United States team more care has ! ! been exercised in the selections than ever be- j j j ! ! j fore, and it is probable that real good will come from the tests. This country has every natural advantage for the production of the best horses and here are many opportunities to give convinc ing demonstrations of the superiority of the thoroughbred sire, but the only way to take full advantage of these opportunities is to carefully select the horses that are to make the demonstration. While various revival projects are progressing, racing is advancing steadily in those sections where it is firmly established. The stakes of the various associations in New York, Maryland and Kentucky are attracting larger entry lists than ever and there is every indication that 192-1 will be a banner year on the American turf. The latest stake announcements arc those of the Queens County Jockey Club and the Metropolitan Jockey Club. The Aqueduct man- agemcnt offers twenty-two fixtures for renewal at the spring meeting and the Jamaica spring meeting will be marked by the running of eighteen events with a total value of 0,000. The high point of the Aqueduct spring meeting is the Brooklyn Handicap, which has always attracted exceptional fields. The roster of its winners contains such names as The Bard, Tenny, Kinley Mack, Irish Lad, King James, Whisk Broom II., Friar" Rock, Cudgel, Grey Lag and Exterminator. The fact that the handicap division, after a period of decline, promises to return to its old strength during the coming season lends new interest to the Brooklyn of 1924. Zev, In Memoriam, My Own and others of the threc-year-clds of last season are expected to bring a new and interesting clement of competition into this division during the coming racing year. Then Grey Lag and Exterminator are reported to be training soundly again after enforced retirement which kept them out of com- petition through the greater part of last season. The New York racing dates were assigned as expected, and Aqueduct will have a wonderful spring meeting. The meeting will begin on Saturday, June 14, and run through to Monday, July 7. This will give the Queens County Jockey Club four Saturdays and the Fourth of July. It will also cover the period of the Democratic National Convention, which is to be held in New York.
