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Racing in France as Seen by an Australian Sportsman I went to Paris fcr the Grand Prix. Tl.. trip is an easy one, taking only seven hours from London. The Channel has a reputation for occasional roughness, but it was on its best behavior and the hour and a half taken in crossing frcm Dover to Boulogne did not bring trouble to anyone. The customs inspection at Boulogne is only a formal affair, the officials evidently being as anxious as the beat passengers that it should be disposed of as quickly as possible. After the smooth-running English trains, those of France are not altogether a pleasant experience. They travel fast, but sway and rattle in great style. The English contingent vas not a heavy one. It seems to me that the average Englishman is not greatly interested, in racing in any other country than liis own and as Coramond, the solitary English runner for the Grand Prix, was not supposed to have much chance, Frances big race did not hold out much attraction to British followers of the game. On the other j hand, Paris was full of Americans and Canadians. They were not .there specially to see the Grand- Prix, but were taking it in as a portion of the sights on a continental tour. Longchamps is within easy distance of Paris and the drive is interesting. First through well-kept and tree-lined city streets and then along the thickly wooded banks of the Seine, where picnic parties and anglers were numerous. Paris, by the way, has a full share of keen fisherman, many using rods from the banks of the river where it runs through the city, while others prefer to anchor in boats in midstream. The first tiling in connection with racing to catch my eye was a long string of motor horse-boxes. Evidently most of the horses had been brought to the course in these, and they certainly do away witli danger from traflie. Admission to the paddock at Long-champs is 25 francs. At normal rate of ex-chance that would be one pound, but is eo.uivalent to about G-6 in English money at the present time of writing. The "race book" is ti very simple affair, being merely a strip of stiff paper about the size of a .sheet of foolscap, and printed on both sides. The cost of it leaves nothing to grumble at, being about three-halfpence. Nor is there any fault to be found with the information it gives. All that is necessary is there. The stands at Longchamps are two-storied and very line, there being three in" the paddock, and one in what is equivalent to the Sydney leger. Unlike England, where private boxes practically crowd out everything else at the principal courses, nearly all the space on the stands is for the general public. Large as they are, the overflow was tremendous, and it is certain thousands saw little, if any, of the Grand Prix running. As the course is about a mile and three-quarters in circumference, the flat is naturally large. There were more people on it than 1 have seen on the flat at Fleniington on Melbourne Cup Day, and there Avas also a great gathering of spectators Avho got their view of the racing from the outside of the iron railings on the far side of the course, as well as from the wooded -slopes a ; little further back. j Although there are plenty of trees and 1 flowers in the paddock, there is no lawn in front of the stands, and practically none behind them. You walk on gravel or, to be really corect, on pebbles ranging from the size of a pea upwards. It is almost unnecessary to say how tiring that is ! At one end of the paddock, there are splendid stables. There are about CO boxes altogether, the walls being of brick and cement, and the flooring apparently of brick, while on the door of each was the enameled name of the trainer Using it. There is jio railed-off parade ring at Long-champs. In the paddock there is a sand ring, and to go roiind this, the horses have to thread their way through the spectators. As a whole, I thought the horses looked lighter-trained than in England. I was not alone in that opinion, either, as an Australian prominent in English racing circles remarked to me : "They dont run them as big here as in England. They have more the cut of Australian-trained horses." The fact of there being so many long races in France may be in a measure responsible. Still, the 20 runners included some good-looking horses, though the forward position at the finish of the English moderate Coramond, somewhat discounted their form. The stands were packed some time prior to the start of the race, and I was afraid that I would see little of it. Fortunately a row between a couple ot" Frenchmen near where I Avas standing created a diversion, and, while they and their friends were threatening what fearful things they would do to eacli other, I managed to work myself into a good position to view the race. It is unnecessary for me to give a detailed account of the running, but halfway down the straight, which is about three furlongs in length, six or seven horses were still possibilities. Eventually the outsider, Trans-Aaal, Avon by a head from Lo Gros Morne, which similarly beat Uganda, while Coramond was only another head away, fourth Four others were within a couple of lengths. The first and second were ridden by French jockeys, but Childs was on Uganda and Smyth on Coramond, Carslake and Donoghue also had mounts. The time for the mile and seven furlongs was a record for the race, being a tick over 3:il and Transvaals "Tote" dividend of 1,214 irancs for 10 was the greatest ever returned over a Grand Prix. His backers on the place machine received at the rate of SO to 1. The favorite. Pot au Feu, was at slightly less than 2 to 1 against on the straight-out machine, and lus failure to cut a more prom-nent figure at the finish Avas due to meeting witli interference. He made amends a week later by easily winning the Prix du President de la Republique from La Capucin and Filibert df S.xvoie, two good four-year-olds. Transvaal is by Tracery from AVilfreda, by William the Third from Free and Easy. M. Mantaeheff bought AVilfreda in England for 1,000 guineas when she was carrying Transvaal. The winners share of the Grand Prix camo to 51S.150 francs. At the old figure of 25 francs to the 1 sterling, that would havo been nearly 22,000, but owing to. the depreciation of the franc, it represented only about JCC.750 this year. In getting away just before the last race in order to avoid the crush, I missed one of those scenes for which French race courses are noted. The stewards, on their own initia-ative, took the race away from the Avinner, Creditable favorite, on the score that she crossed Cadum. "When the decision Avas announced the backers of Creditable shouted "Thieves !" and crowds of people from the flat dashed across the course into the paddock. The mounted Itepublican Guards were then hurried into that enclosure, and other troops and the police lined the course between the flat and paddock. On yells of "Let us start a fire !" being heard, the firemen were called out, and immediately connected their hoses with the water mains. Finally, the Republican Guards were ordered to clear a way, and the demonstrators were gotten off the course. I was outside Avhen all this was going on and the only part I saw was the firemen going into the paddock on their engines. From the foregoing it will be gathered that Paris racegoers, as a Avhole, are not good losers. As English people get their idea of the Totalisator or Pari-Mutuel from the way it is run in France, it is not surprising they are opposed to it Nothing could be much more primitive. In groups of little sheds they are nothing better--seattered over various parts of the paddock, tickets are rung on the wall under the racebook number of each runner. On one portion of the wall are the straight-out tickets, and on the other, the place tickets. A backer asks for a ticket, either straight-out or place, and it is torn from the book on the wall, stamped with the date, and then handed him. All this takes time, and in order to ascertain how his hrose is fancied, the aAerage punter has principally to rely upon noting how many tickets have been torn off the sheaf representing his horse. They are numbered from 1 upwards. I believe that at intervals approximate totals were to be obtained for a small payment, from men who made a specialty of that business, but I did not drop across any, and anyhow, with the issuing booths all over the ground, the work of keeping in touch witli the figures would have been very difficult. Tickets were also issued from booths in the basement of the stands. Each issuing booth had its pay-out booth alongside, and they were similarly numbered. Dividends had to be collected from the pay-out booth, whose number coreaponded with the one at Avhich the ticket was bought. I cannot say exactly liow many booths there were for the sale of tickets in the paddock, but they must have totaled well towards 100. The majority were for 10 francs, and there were always long queues at these, but there were booths at which the minimum ticket was 50 francs, while at others you could place 500 or 1,000 " francs in one bet, and not less. As the returns from all the booths had to go into the head office, dividends took a long time to compute, and were then written on various boards, but I did not once see an announcement of the total investments on any race. The Totalisator, as run in France, would have short shift in New Zealand, or any state in Australia. English racegoers are easily satisfied in the matter of comfort, but not more so than the French in respect of Totalisator betting. They have to take quite a lot for granted. In the minor enclosure at Longchamps the minimum bet is 5 francs. In the paddock the runners and jockeys are displayed on fine boards on the back of the stands. There are four of these boards, and as there is no part of the paddock from which at least one cannot be seen the arrangement is excellent. The flat is also well catered for in a similar respect, a four-sided tower giving the runners and riders on each side. Immediately after the race the winners number goes up on various small boards, and in some matters of detail Long-champs will stand comparison with race courses in any country. The weighing-in enclosure is near the back of the paddock, and, in reaching it, the horses pass through the spectators. I doubt whether more than the respective riders of the place-getters Aveighed in for many races, though possibly all may have done so in the Grand Prix. The starting time of each race Avas given on the card, but the first was late, and for the remainder of the afternoon it was a case of losing ground. All races are run on the round course at Longchamps, and the walk-up start is permitted. In the Grand Prix the competitors lined up such a long way back that, after moving off at a walk, they were galloping when they reached the barrier. Still, the start was an even one. Despite the fine course and stands, racing at Longchamps did not greatly appeal to me. France lias many good owners who put a lot of money into racing, but somehow or other, Longchamps gave the impression of a hurly-burly lacking in official control, and at which comparatively few people took interest in the horses other than as a medium fo-Totalisator speculation. Betting is the main factor on race courses everywhere, but hero that fact was a little too evident to be pleas-ant. Many Australian racegoers who really have a keener eye for a pretty and well-dressed woman than for horses would have found Longchamps much to their liking.
