The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-07-26
Horse Racing and the Race Of Horses.
New York World. [


We are very glad to see quite breeze of
controversy sprlnging up in the press over
the comparative merits of American and
European races, and OF American and Eu-
ropean race horses. However counsel in
such matters may, for time, be darkened
by words without knowledge, it is quite
certain that. if many go to and Fre about
them, knowledge will, in the ED, be in
creased. 1t cannot be long, fo- example,
before the coInbatants will clear their
minds of the curious notion Which seems
now to dominate on both sides of the con
troveTsy, that the keeping and rearing of
race horses is a business pursued by the
owners of studs for the purpose OF enrich
ing themselves by gambling on the turf,
and that the public in general have 80 fur
Their iDterest ia the fortunes of such q body
as the American Jockey Club than they
have, for example, in the fortunes of such
an enterprise ae Mr.. BaEnum's Hippodrome.
The more the question of horse racing is
debated and discussed the clearer will it
become even to the stai& and sooer citizen
who now regards Jerome Park as a sort of
theatre cr circus, owned by joint stock
company, and giving its enterta'n9ents ey
daylight, that the real object of founding
such an institution rs the America Jockey
Club is to enable gentlemen who are dis
posed to beRtow their time and their
thought and their money upon the devel-
opment and improvement Of the breed OF
horses in America to do so without ruinous
pecuniary results to themselves. That it
ia a matter of grave public concern to Sc
cure the development and Improvement of
the breed of horses in America 90 one, we
presume, will expect US to waste time in
proving. Some things the press as we'll as
the Court must be allowed to take for
granted. So long as we need horses in
America, whether for purposes or war or
peace, we shall need good horses, ADD it is
n law in the breeding of horses as we'll rs
of men, that a strain which does not better
must ~orsen. There is no standing still.
Equally certain is it, in order to secure
steady amelioratioR in the strain of our
horses, that breeding of them must be su-
nervised with intelligence and conducted
With incessaat care. To do this requires IA
great OUTLAY If money either on the part
of individuals or an the part OF the State.
Both processes have been pretty thoroughly
tried in Europe, the latter in France, the
former in England. the latter Ivy means OF
Government studs, the former by means Of
the races which were founded by few
wealthy and rnterpriSiug owners of horses
in the last century, and which have grad
ually grown into national INSTITUTION sd
powerful and so popular that Parilhinent
itself adiourus upon the great festivals OF
the turf aud tie Crown intervenes with
it's sanction and its aid to dignity contests
now become almost Cosmopolitan In their
interest and their Importance.
The comparative results of government
and individual supervision in the breeding
of horses have been strikingly set forth
during the last year in two very thorough
and Interesting public documents, one
French and the other English, one devoted
to this subject directly and the other Incl
dentally. One OF these documents 70 the
zepors 81 4 select commis Of the House q