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: . a Here and There on the Turf 1 g b Thoroughbred Values. b The Case of Firebrand. Winter Juvenile Sales. A Growing Demand. 1 a Thoroughbred values and their fluctuations 11 in these days might make a steeplejack dizzy. To reconcile the inflated prices reported to a i have been paid for several juveniles at the Fair Grounds with the ridiculously low prices realized for the high-class stock offered at the Short Grass Stud sale would require a 1 venture into the realm of metaphysics. There 1 are many and diverse factors in fixing the market values of thoroughbreds. The basic economic law of supply and demand is at the bottom of the whole business, but there is also a strong element of psychology which i is especially strong so far as auction sales are concerned. New Orleans is far away from Kentucky r and the flurry of excitement which followed j the recent threat against racing in the Blue Grass state did not carry that far, perhaps. The Short Grass sale was held in the shadow of that black cloud of "reform" and the returns suffered accordingly. Firebrand died at the Fair Grounds Thursday and his passing is not accorded any particular notice. When Jefferson Livingston paid 0,000 for the son of McGes in the spring of 1922 the price was considered an exceptionally big one. The racing season that followed that purchase was marked by a sharp advance in thoroughbred values, and j Firebrands purchase was dwarfed by the 125,-000 paid by C. W. Clark for Whiskaway. Firebrand was a somewhat inconsistent racer, but his winnings in the Livingston colors were far above and beyond the 0,000 paid for him. l. Whiskaway was consistently bad from the time that he left the Whitney stable at Saratoga, and Mr. Clark has realized practically nothing on his investment. The purchase of "Whiskaway for such a price and his subsequent failure might have been expected to exercise a depressing influence on the bloodstock market, but that deal, on the contrary, apparently was the beginning of a new era of big prices. Racing is at best an uncertain proposition. The purchase of yearlings is generally recognized as the biggest gamble on the turf. But the purchase of made horses appears upon close examination to be-fully as uncertain.- The case of Whiskaway is one example. His two victories over Morvich prior to his sale made him appear worth every cent that was paid for him by Mr. Clark. There was nothing to indicate that he would not prove a profitable investment. Yet he failed miserably and has never been worth anything as a racing tool since. At the same time when Jefferson Livingston bought Firebrand, there was another thoroughbred transaction which at the time appeared important. This was the purchase of a 1 g b b 1 a 11 a i 1 1 i r j a j l. a Surf Rider by Montfort Jones from J. E. Madden for 5,000. Surf Rider at that time appeared to be one of Morvichs strong rivals for three-year-old honors in the stakes to which the geldings were eligible. The price paid for him was considered decidedly reasonable in view of this fact, but Surf Rider never raced to his 7, 1 two-year-old promise and was far from a bar- 2 gain. 3 ;j- 4 5 5- The two-year-olds which have brought gen- C C- erous prices at the Fair Grounds may or may not prove their worth after the regular racing season begins. Wheaton was bought 1 l-by J. McMillcn for Stark 7,500. Henry paid 2 2-a reported price of 5,000 for Barney Google. 3 Then Frank Keeney bought Vanidoso for 4 4-5,000. 5 5- Those are not selling plater prices. Either C c these youngsters are far above the winter average, or else their purchasers have paid 1 1- 2 2- stake horse prices for platers. In any case, these three sales indicate that 3 4 the thoroughbred market is still on the up- G u grade, as there has never been such a rush to C C- buy winter track two-year-olds at fancy prices before. 1 2 2 The deal which resulted in the transfer of 3 4 Dr. Clark, Cherry Tree and Wilmer the Wiz-ard C to Baron Long of California, was another important transaction. The prices that Mosc G h Goldblatt obtained for these horses were not 1 1 announced, but it may be safely assumed that 2 2 the consideration was a big one. Dr. Clark is a veteran. He is a good win- 2 3 ter handicap horse, but not a world beater 4 4 in any sense of the word. Cherry Tree is 5 t also a performer of moderate class. Wilmer C the Wizard, a three-year-old, has shown little to indicate that he is of stake racing ability. These horses a few years ago would not have been considered of any great value, but, with the increase in opportunities for such thor-oughLrcds which has developed in recent years, 1 their racing worth has enjoyed an increase altogether out of proportion to their actual I class. t 4 It is inconceivable that the supply of stake j horses, even of moderate grade, can ever ap-proach the demand in this country as long as racing is allowed to develop naturally. The ! supply of selling platers will always be more than ample. These are the reasons, perhaps, for the wide difference between prices for horses of some proved speed and those of the , cheaper sort. The importance of these winter thorough-bred transactions will probably be dwarfed by those which will develop with the opening of the new spring racing season. Ths demand 1 for thoroughbreds of good class has never been 1 greater than at present and the advent of a j number of new and wealthy patrons of the ; sport is an indication that many valuable 5 horses will change hands within the next few months. The back-wash of the anti-racing disturbance E in Kentucky will probably have spent its force by the time the new racing season opens in that state, and it is not likely that the terrific slump in values indicated by the recent Short Grass dispersal will be borne out by later trans actions.
