view raw text
€ — — $ Here and There on the Turf The Widener Amendments. On Racing for Business. Changes at Arlington. Record of Stefan the Great. c _____ — _ f Joseph E. Widener can take his annual trip to France this year with the satisfaction of a good work well done for the American turf. Mr. Widener has seen his no scratch rule tried out to entire satisfaction at the present Belmont Park meeting. He has seen the advantage of having the horses programmed in their position order and there is cause for congratulation on the amending of two of the other rules. One of these was the antiquated regulation for which there never seemed to be any good reason, that voided all nominations on the death of the nominator. This is a rule that was adopted from England and there never seems to have been any good reason, at any time, for its enactment. Mr. Widener had that rule wiped from the books during the winter, and it is known that in England, from whence it was taken, there is a general desire to have it wiped out. Another was the doing away with the bar against geldings in races other than claiming, that had a closing within seventy-two hours of the running. Mr. Widener argued, and rightly, that the gelding rule should be a track regulation, rather than a law of the sport to take in all the tracks. He pointed out that racing secretaries, at any time, could bar the geldings, but a sweeping rule that barred them from such races was not a good rule. He was heartily supported in this stand, as he was in his other regulations, and altogether through his efforts more was done tc» advance the turf of New York, at least, during last winter, than at any other off-season. Mr. Widener never before so richly earned his French holiday that will keep him abroad until the meeting at Saratoga Springs in August. There can be no regretted interruption of the Smithville meeting among those who have the best interest of the American turf at heart. There seems to have been no reason for the Smithville meeting at the beginning. Everything pointed to its being purely a business enterprise, and, like a business enterprise, it came to an interruption when it ceased to be good business. It would be well for racing if all such meetings met the same fate. There is no reason why racing should not pay its way handsomely, but when horses are invited to race around a ring for no other purpose than to fill the pockets of some promoters, then it ceases to be sport. From time to time there have been such ventures. Race meetings organized and conducted by men who have no interest in the thoroughbred beyond a commercial one. No care for the future of racing beyond their own selfish ends. Some of those meetings have prospered for a time, but most of them come to a sad end. It may not be until these promoters have done the sport a real injury in showing a brand of so-called racing that brings the reputable sport into disrepute, with those who do not know, but there never has been a race meeting, with gain for the promoters as the only object, that endured. Just now horsemen have been invited to ship horses to Delaware for a meeting that has been proposed in that state. It looks like one of those ill-advised racing ventures, and until there are better assurances of its sporting character, it cannot attract much attention among the real turfmen. Racing must be kept a sport and there are turfmen enough who are willing to devote their time and their dollars to that end to prevent the unscrupulous promoters from bringing disaster. And that gets back to the old question of the crying need for a nation-wide governing body that could outlaw these undesirable racing ventures, and bar the horses and the horsemen who patronize them from the courses of reputation. Announcement has been made that the American National Jockey Club, which conducts its racing at the Arlington Heights course in Chicago, has reopened its American National Futurity, with a second closing on June 15. The original closing of this race, which is to be decided September 8, was March 1, and on that date there were 358 nominations shown. At that time the entrance was 0, while for the second closing the fee will be 00, while the starting fee for all nominations remains at 50. With the 5,000 that is added by the association, the race becomes one of the rich opportunities for two-year-olds. The re-opening of a stake that has been closed is an altogether unusual procedure, but it is probable that several owners, who have recently developed two-year-olds, may avail themselves of the second closing. Such a closing, of course, assures that few of the top-notchers will be missing from the nominations and with the liberal added money it is easily understood that such a race should have a net value of more than 0,000. When Stefan the Great was brought to this country it appeared that a big thing had been done for American blood stock. Now that is open to debate. Thus far Stefan the Great has not made the impression that was expected. He begets dazzling speed, but most of his sons and daughters on this side of the Atlantic seem to lack the ability to stay, and that is a serious bar to any degree of greatness. Kiev, in his first year, gave high promise, but thus far this year all he has shown is a flash of speed that he is unable to maintain any reasonable racing distance. Mologa, the maiden that was raced Thursday at Belmont Park, showed becoming speed, but quit badly before three-quarters were completed. Boys Preferred may be a good two-year-old, but early speed is about all that she has shown, and little ability to maintain it successfully. Others that could be mentioned as not having raced to what should be expected from the sterling blood lines of Stefan the Great are Kopek, Stephanus, The Tartar and Tantivy. There are still others that cannot be brought to mind at this time that have added nothing to the reputation of the big grey stallion. It is possible that other crops will race to better advantage, but the records thus far would indicate that Stefan the Great begets little other than a temporary flash of speed without the stamina that is so essential to any great success. I
