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Here and There on the Turf Punishment for Poisoners Mrs Belmonts Gift Fairmount Park Opens Failbrothers Offense This poisoning of horses at the Aurora course is one of the most dastardly occur ¬ rences in many a year That some of the culprits have been apprehended is cause for congratulation and it must not end with their apprehension They must be punished to the limit of the law and it is the duty of the asso ¬ ciation as well as all turfmen to insist that they be brought to a speedy award of justice As has almost invariably been the case these men who brought about the death of horses by their cruel poisoning are more or less unknown to the turf They are men who are lower than the lowest criminal when they slaughter horses for the mere purpose of win ¬ ning a wager Sugar is fed these dumb animals They are coddled into taking the fatal doses and doubtless these monsters in human form went to some pains to coax the poor horses to accept the dainty bit that concealed the deadly poison Can there be a more despicable crime Fortunately such occurrences are infrequent Fortunately such men have no place in rac ¬ ing They are abhored by all and it is not r case that can end with banishment from ths sport It is a case that must be prosecuted iu the criminal courts and prosecuted with a vigor that will offer a lasting lesson to any others who may contemplate a like crime crimeNight Night riding when sonic horse has been en ¬ tered in a race and is taken from its stall the night before its running and ridden for hours until it is utterly unfit for the race is a cruel practice that has come on occasions Horses have been doped until unable to race credit ¬ ably and there have been various other acts of inhumanity to injure the chances of a horse but the poisoning murdering of horses is the acme of vandalism and it brings the culprits right into court for a punishment that can hardlj be too severe severeBut But to get back to the original proposition At no time has it been possible to trace any of these inhuman practices to men of the turf They are always engineered by someone outside of the sport They are always the work of men who are practically unknown to racing There is no cleaner sport than racing and no cleaner sportsmen than turfmen and it be ¬ comes the duty of all to use every endeavor to eternally drive out these inhuman monsters by making an example of those who have already been apprehended and at the same time never rest until they all are brought to justice justiceMrs Mrs Eleanor Belmont widow of the late August Belmont one of the greatest of Ameri ¬ can turfmen and breeders and for many years chairman of The Jockey Club has done a graceful thing in the donation of the Fenian Cup as a challenge cup io go with the running of the historic Belmont Stakes It was in 1869 just fiftyseven years ago that Fenian was the winner of the Belmont Stakes for the elder August Belmont at Jerome Park when he won the trophy that has been donated Even without this Fenian Cup the Belmont Stake since its inauguration back in 1867 has been one of the greatest of American races It was a race that had been zealously built up by both August Belraont and his father before him and now with this challenge cup a part of the award it assumes new im ¬ portance This old piece of plate was one of the most cherished trophies of the lafc August Belmont and while it will remain a perpetual challenge cup the winner each year will be presented with a replica while he will be the proud possessor of the original cup until the next Belmont Stakes is run runThere There is a sporting value to such a trophy that is never measured in dollars and lo run for the old trophy alone is a distinction that will be coveted by all real sportsmen sportsmenRacing Racing has come to St Louis The meet ¬ ing of the Fairmount Jockey Club over its magnificent course at Collinsville Illinois be ¬ gan auspiciously with the Saturday racing and the manner in which it was received tells eloquently of the success that is assured assuredWith With seventynine named for the seven races there is an average of more than ten to a race and that tells of the abundance of horses that are to furnish the entertainment Then the magnificent attendance tells of the popu larity of the sport St Louis has proved that it wants racing and in the way it is being conducted by Col Matt Winn C Bruce Head and their able staff of assistants it is sure to grow in popular favor The best stables have been attracted and the values offered are such as to show the sport in its best guise It is unfortunate that Charlie Fairbrother has offended at Woodbine Park This veteran rider was suspended on Friday for the two days of the meeting that remained but what is more significant is that his case was re ¬ ported to the stewards of the Canadian Racing Associations It was announced that his sus ¬ pension was for misbehavior and failure to report to keep his engagements of Thursday Fairbrother is an old time rider who knows what is to be expected of jockeys and for that reason there is less excuse for his dereliction but it is cheering to know that the punishment was for nothing more serious No charge of fraud appears in 1he order of ofsuspension suspension It is regretted that Fairbrother misbehaved to a degree to make the ruling necessary but at the same time this offense is forgiveable while fraud cannot be forgiven It is hoped that Fairbrother can atone for his lapse from grace The fifth race at Belmont Park Friday was one that should be looked into by the stew ¬ ards It is possible that with horses of so low class there can be explanations of the changed form of two of them Rusovia and Lockerbie but these explanations should be forthcoming The races run by these two when Rusovia was so badly beaten while Lockerbie was re ¬ turned the winner were all out of line with recent performances performancesLockerbie Lockerbie has been beaten repeatedly by cheap horses and in her last previous start before her winning race of Friday she was fifteen lengths behind the winner The last time she met Rusovia she carried 109J pounds to the 105 pounds carried by Rusovia and the gelding was an easy winner by almost three lengths lengthsFriday Friday Lockerbie under IDS pounds beat Rusovia fifteen and a half lengths Both races were at a mile and an eighth and while one race was run at Jamaica and the other at Bolmont Park the time for each was identical 1 53 53Just Just how these races can be explained re ¬ i mains to be seen but one thing is certain and that is that horses which show such inconsis ¬ tency do not belong in New York in fact they hardly belong on any race course If the horses are to blame they should be barred from starting If the owners trainers or jockeys are to blame they should be punished but for the good of the sport there should be an investigation
