Streett Plans Return to the East: Can Do Better There with a Few Horses than with a Big String in the West., Daily Racing Form, 1907-02-03

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STREETT PLANS RETURN TO THE EAST Can Do Better There with a Few Horses Than with a Biq Strinq in the West. New Osteons, La.. February 2. — "I think I will go east next season. said "Doc" Streett a few days sgo, in his slow, ruminating way. "The west is all right. I have msde money out here, but in my opinion a man to be successful in western racing, where the purses and stakes are not as big as they are in the east, ought to have only a small stable of workmanlike material. He eannot afford to carry a great deal of dead timber. As I have been situated. I have been loaded up with castoffs from Mr. Beetles stable, most of them cripples, and I have ball to rtirry along a big lot of horses, twenty to thirty of them, on the Off chance that after a long period of waiting I might get two or three into winning form. That takes aw ay a good bit of the scants when you really do get hold of a good one. For example, during the past year there has been no time when my stable has numbered less than twenty head, and from that op to thirty-one. Yet Toboggan OMt of all this bunch is the only winner of anv consequence that I have had. I befieve that a man siislit do better with one horse like Toboggan out east than he could do wish a stable full of possibilities here. In fact I think I made a mistake that I did not go east with Big Ben. after I got him patched up and when he was at his best, as I believe that I could have won some of the sprinting handicaps with lim out there." Strcetts idea of going east recalls to mind that some of his greatest turf triumphs were earned on the eastern turf. Twenty years ago he was a factor in eastern racing, usually managed to have one or more good bouts in training, and it is needless to say also managed to win good mes with them. Among a long list ,,f smart performers that Streett raced in those days were Maroon and Niagara, both of which were just short of handicap form. The story of the beginning of the interest which James B. Kecne has had in tftreott in the last dozen years, to the extent of letting hiin have the culls of the wisieni stablo to r-aee in this section, is an interesting one. It dates lack to Dominos Futurity. Of all the horses that Mr. Keene ever owned, and be has owned a lot of high class ones, from Dan Sparling sad Spendthrift down the line. Domino was nearest his heart. This son of Himyar and Mannie •rey was one of the fastest horses that ever need on the American turf, anil Mr. Kecne, thnu whom there are very few better judges of thoroughbred quality, early appreciated his possibilities. In Dominos Futurity the contention was naturally expected to be between Mr. Keenes colt and Dob bins, Mr. Crokers representative, and for which the Tammany chieftTiin paid ?20.000. In this Futurity Streett started a little bit of a runt of a colt. C.alileo, by The Bard. As is well known, the trio finished so closely together that the Judges could scarcely separate them. Dobbins had Hie rail. Galilee was in the middle and Domino on the outside. Sims, who rode Dobbins, apparently I ad tiie race won a bundled yards out, but Galilee and Domino both closed on him with tremendous rushes. Galilee was so much smaller than the other two contenders that he was lost to view between them, and many of the spectators thought that on this account a Futurity which ouglit to have gone to Stfeett went to Keeue, but of course the matter of the size of the horses in judging a finish cuts no hgure and thure is little doubt but the placing of the officials was correct. "Mike" Dwyer, who was in partnership with Mr. Croker at the time, and Mr. Croker, were both dissatisfied and wanted a return match, to which Mr. Keene, with the sportsmtmship in racing that has always characterized him, was agreeable, but the details of the match could not be srraagsd satisfactorily all around and it was dropped. That Streett with a colt considered to be little more than a selling plater should have come so near to "upsetting the beans in the platter" appealed strongly to Mr. Keene, ever ready to appreciate merit either in racehorses or knowledgeable men who handle them. He went out of his way to congratulate Streett, and from that time on has had no little confidence both in the "Doctors" judgment of horses as well as his training ability. If Streett does take Toboggan and one or two other fair performers east next summer, he will not be there long until ravegoers will know that be is aliund.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1900s/drf1907020301/drf1907020301_1_11
Local Identifier: drf1907020301_1_11
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800