Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-06
Agricultural Horse Races.

| Agricultural Horse Races.
On the third day OF September, the annual
fairs and cattle shows, those out-of-door exhi.
billions which arc always looked forward to with
so much pleasure by those who arc engaged in
| agricultural and horticultural pursuits, will be
opened by the New England fair at Lowell.
| This exhibition will be followed by state, coun-
| ty, and town fairs, in large numbers, through
out every section of the New England states;
and agriculturists and horticuturists are now
actively engaged in bringing their stock and
garden productions into the best possible con-
dition, in order to compete for the premiums.
Another class Of men are, also, as busiy en-
gagged in preparing, for these exhibitions, horses
which are TO compete for the highest premiums
offered for any one class at many if not all of
the state and county fairs. In Worcester
county, and we doubt not in many of the towns
in the eastern states, where these annual fairs
are held, it is noticeable fact that there are no
race courses; yet these towns continue from
year TO year to hold their exhibit ions, and the
| result Of every exhibition is to place these So
cieties in better financial condition. To be
sure, the premiums offered are not as large at
town as at county fairs, yet the fact must not
| be forgotten that county exhibitions are held
within an enclosure to which an admission fee is
charged, while at the town exhibitions the stock
is almost invariably exhibited in place free of
| access to every one, the only admission fee
charged being TO the hall, where the garden
| crops are shown, and this is merely nominal
| sum. AT the large fairs the second or horse day
receipts are always greatly in excess OF the first
or cattle day. To see horse race, one has to
wait patiently all the afternoon for the purpose
of enjoying few moments of excitement, and
then to get into the most uncomfortable posi-
lions in order to half of the race, as there is
not single track in New England where the
horses can be seen by the spectators during the
whole of the race. Where tracks and stands
are arranged with a special view to the accom-
mediation of spectators, the judges stand is al.
ways sure to be in the way and prevent dis
tinct view of the entire course. Premiums, as a
matter of course, are offered for horses but is 1t
necessary to have the largest premiums on the
entire list offered for "trals of speed" The
horse is one Of the nobest of animals, but it is
unnecessary that, in order to be useful he should
trot mile in less than three minutes when
htehed to vehicle that is of no earthly use
except upon the race course. Take the horses
used for trotting races and place them in posi-
tons where,they will be used as family or work
| horses, and in many cases they will in short
| time be of less value TO their owners than a
| horse that has never been able to trot mile in
less than Eve minutes. The present high stan
dard which horses in this country have at
tanned may be due in great measure to
the fact that SO many of them have been
bred by men who use them for racing purposes;
and it is claimed that, at the present time there
are more and better horses than there were
twenty years ago; yet there stands the three
mile feat Of Dutchman under the saddle, in
1899, horse taken from string team used TO
cart bricks, uneqnalled to this day. In the face
of this will horsemen contend that there has
been improvement in the lasting qualities of
horses, while to-day there arc racing tracks
| that are much more favorable TO making fast
| time than there were thilty-four years ago? In
1859 Flora Temple trotted mile III harness in
| 2193, and up TO the present time, notwithstand-
| ing all the money expended, only FIVE horses
have been found able to defeat this record, while
there is not horseman to be found that will
admit that the vehicles in use for racing purpos
es thirteen years ago swere superior to those of
the present day. Has the satisfaction afforded
been enough to warrant the expenditure of so
much time and money TO bring about this re-
suit? Agricultural societies contend that the
purses offered are not sufficiently large to attract
the gambling fraternity to their parks and that
mere horse race is not in itself demoraizing.
H. h..
sire for seeing trials of speed" excited by these
purely agricultural horse trots, so that, in time,
the younger portion of the community are
drawn to seek the race courses, already 100 nu.
merous, which abound In the worst elements of
society, and where gambling is openly carried
on2 Does any one ever visit the race course or
gambling saloon and plunge Immediately into
the trials of luckP Or is the novice led on from
bad to worse until he is finally brought down
to level with those who resort to any other
means to get living rather than earning it by
honest labor?