The New York herald., 1875-09-26
The Autumn Races.

The season which is now coming to an end
has been exceedingly brilliant in many re-
spects, especially in the interest which has
been taken in outdoor sports As we have
had occasion to show at different times
during the midsummer, the columns of the
HERALD bore frequent witness to the fact
that Notwithstanding the oppressiveness ofthe
season our people found great comfort in
yachting and excursions and shooting at
targets and playing at various games and
attending horse races Some days these
sporting narratives were almost burdensome
in their detail and variety. The meetings at
the various race tracks, beginning with the
Jerome Park spring meeting, continued at
Long Branch and Saratoga, and including
the successful introduction of hurdle races
into conservative, me-honored old New
port, have been unusually successful The
Jerome Park fall meeting is announced
for next week, and all the reports show that
it will exceed in brilliancy anything that has
been done at Newport or Saratoga or Long
Branch. We sometimes think that the au-
tumn at our races will become more attractive
to the general public than the spring, and
that it is a mistake for those who manage our
courses to run their chief races in the spring.
in imitation of the French and English Derby
days. Our month of October is the finest in
the year. brisk, rattling drive to Jerome
Park in October is much more to be envied
than drive on warm, wearisome spring
day. AS we come to adapt ourselves to our
climate and to arrange our amusements ac-
cordingly we shall do more and more
honor to October.
The autumn meeting at Jerome Park
which opens on Saturday next, will be rich
in attractions, not only to those who enjoy
the beautiful scenery of Westchester, but to
those who rejoice in the development of the
turf and in these contests of SKILL which,
whatever we may say of them in our moral
izing moods, have always excited a generous
human interest. There are about seventy
five horses already at the track and the
number is increasing daily. On Saturday,
the first day of the meeting, there will be
five races. On Tuesday there will be
handicap steeplechase, and on Thursday
October 7, there will be grand national
handicap, with the National Sweepstakes,
with the Champion Stakes on Saturday, the
9th.
The horse to-day is as much the object Of
admiration and study as it was when Job
wrote about him in strains of the highest
poetry. Whatever abuses may have crept
into the turf they are no more than what we
see in other amusements and occupations,
and do not detract from the great value Of
that institution as means of improving our
breed of horses and of inspiring our young
men with love of outdoor manly exercises
1t encourages humane feeling to bring our
selves into close relation with animals like
the horse to take pride in their achieve
ments, to encourage the development of
their strength and their beauty. There is no
more honest enjoyment than that which can
be found in standing on the green hillside
and watching the swerving line of straining
steeds as it comes whirling around the
bending track. We congratulate the man
ayers of Jerome Park upon the programme
they offer.