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TURFS GREATEST LOTTERY French Writer So Characterizes Yearling Buying in Article. Cites Case of St. Simon, Which . Was Not Nominated for Epsom Derby Because Appearance as a Yearling Was Unimpressive. The yearling auctions each year are characterized as the greatest gamble on the turf, but Viator, writing in Le Jockey, cites a number of interesting examples to illustrate this point. His article in translation follows: It is strange how a turf legend comes to be accepted as fact. It has been repeated so cflen that everyone has come to look upon the story as fact that St. Simon did not win the Epsom Derby because the death of Prince Bathyany, his breeder, had rendered his nomination void. The fact of the matter is that he was never . named for the Blue Riband. His appearance as a yearling was not impressive. He looked too high slung and the prince chose another Galopin colt, a son of Penitent, as hip only representative in the Epsom clasr sic. This colt was named Arbaces and he won a couple of cheap races for C. Wood later on. St. Simon himself was not named lor the event LESSON FOR YEARLING BUYERS. This bit of history or rather this correction of a bit of history would be a good thing to repeat each year at the time of the yearling auctions to encourage the more modest bidders who are not able to compete for the youngsters of fine conformation the ones that are bought by the pound, as someone has said. Morion was another champion of his. year which was without important stake engagements because ho had been an ugly yearling and Cyllene had no engagements because he was considered too small at the time when the entries closed. But this question of yearling buying is extremely complex and will always remain the greatest lottery of the turf. One can talk about it forever without reaching any sound conclusion. An English millionaire for a number of years continued to buy every yearling that attracted the highest price at auction and never succeeded in obtaining a horse that amounted to anything. The Aga Khan, on the other hand, following the same method at the end of two years had accumulated the strongest stable in England. A "WISE" HORSEMAN. One horseman used to be considered the wisest of yearling buyers because every year he brought out a good winner which he acquired for a song. But he had a system of buying every yearling that went for less than 00. Out of these purchases, it is true, ho occasionally developed one that was worth something, but for all of them he had expended a really big amount, not only the purchase price, but the cost of training and feeding his innumerable good-for-nothings. It is more or less like those who have a habit of claiming winners of all the selling races. We are always hearing about some obscure horse that has developed into a crack, but we never hear anything about the cheap stablemates that have eaten up all the profits accruing from the performances of the star. Happily there is no rule or axiom which can serve as the key to the problem of assembling a stable of winners. Racing would have died out long ago if there were, or at least racing would hold no more charm than a grocery business.
