, 1876-12-16
CALIFORNIA OAKS"
THE GREAT RACING EVENT
OF THIS YEAR.
BLUE BLOOD UNDER BLANKETS!

where the Huguenot fires have been
diligently kept up with fidelity wor-
thy of Charleston in its palmy davs.
The brilliant exploits OF such horses AS
Thad Stevens, Katie Pease and Foster,
are portion of California history and
that they may not become traditions of
the past, organizations for their encour-
agement are kept up at great expense.
The great diff Guilty has hitherto been a
want of thoroughbred mares. Of sires
there has been no scarcity since 1868,
when Lodi was imported; since which
time Norfolk. Langford, Lodi, Hercules,
Rifleman and Woodburn. have been the
most successful stations. To these
have since been added Wildidle, HUB
bard. Joe Daniels. Bayswater, Grim
stead, Rutherford and Hook Hooking,
so that the very best blood of America
and England is now concentrated in the
breeding hards of the Golden State.
The want of
MOTHERS OF RACERS
Has been perceptibly felt for years,
however. 1t is not every man who has
sense enough to know that race horse
must have dam. as we'll as sire, to
win long and obstinately contested races.
The ownership of Maria Downing (dam
of Owen Dale and Miami) and LIZ Civ
ens( dam of Bonnie Belle and Langford)
gave the Williamson brothers the supre-
macy of the California turf for fully ten
years. even against far more proficient
than fhav v>lora1 nf
late years. the great wealth of Theodore
Winters and the large annual earnings
of his horse Norfolk averaging IS, 200
per year-have enabled that gentleman
to buy up what few thoroughbred mares
have come to that State. He now owns
Bennie Farrow. by Imp Shamrock out
of Ida by Belshazzar, with her daughter
Ballerina. by the English horse Balrow-
ME; Ballinette. by Young Eclipse out of
Ballerina ;Mollie Mccarthy, by Monday.
out of Hennie Farrow; Malgaretta by
Lexington. dam by Imp. Margrave;
Maggie Dale. by Owen Dale out of
Margaretia; Ada g. by Revenue, out OF
Sally Morgan by Emancipa'ion; and
Lou Barnes by Belmont. ou. of Evadne
by Winnebago. All of these save MolIie
Mccarthy and Bellinette are breeding
coles to Norfolk every year and with the
produce of these six mares Mr.. Winters
has won an average of
THREE RACES OUT OF FIVE,
During the past three years. OF course
the natural spirit of rivalry existing in
Califor MIA, will not brook any such
doings as these. There are men in that
State who have more money than Mr..
Winters and who paid more for their
stations than Norfolk cost him; for it
must be remembered that he bought
the enchanted horse" during the
second year Of the war and paid SIS, ,0O1
for him; but greenbacks were worth but
3S cents on the dollar! On the contrary,
Lucky Baldwin gave $1,000 for Gnn-
stead with greenbacks worth SO. SO that
horse of the two by about So, 200. And
MIR. Baldwin is a man who loves excite
nent of any description. He has there
fore originated a scheme to induce
thoroughbred mares to be brought to
the Pacific coast by their Eastern own
ers. This is accomplished by the agency
of stock company os which Mr.. Bald
win is President, called the
CALIFORNIA OAKS ASSOCIATION,
The other directors all being wealthy
San Francisco gentlemen. They give
SIC, 900 purse. the entrance on which
is 81 600 added to the purse and five or
more entries required to fill the card.
This makes total of SIS, ,0O0, of which
the first mare gets 81. 800. the second
$4, 900, the third 50, 500 and the fourth
saves her entrance Of 1000. While we
are fully aware that there are not, as
far as heard from, any such mares in
America as Fashion, Reel, Omega.
Sfrah Braden, Nina, Miss Foote, Molly
jackson, Idlewild or Fanny Washington,
yet we believe the contest will be spir-
tied one from the fact that none of the
seven entries named have ever run
above two miles. The great number Of
horses participating in the races at
Long Branch, jerome Park and Sara.
toga, forbids heat-racing as it would be
impossible to decide heat race, if the
heats were "broken" by horses winning
heats alternately.
THE DASH SYSTEM,
So prevalent IN England, has therefore
been introduced at the East, to enable
several events to be run for on the same
day. California, however, has so few
horses that she clings to the old repeat
ing system and preserves the fame inau-
gurated by Attila, Nebraska, Owen Dale,
Langford and Ashland. The California
Oaks race therefore is a race of four
miles and repeat, for mares of all ages;
while its English namesake is dash of
~ miles, for three-year-olds. A good
Inauguration has been made by the
California enterprise, there being seven
entries, three of which were brought
from the East for that purpose and will
be probably left in California to breed
from. 1t was matter of regret that In
spiration, the great strapping daughter
of Warminster, did not enter the lists;
also that Arizona, one of the best
daughters of Lexington, should have
gone 80 lame as to throw her out OF
training. First come
THE THREE EASTERN MARES,
Matte A. Midnight Bell and Josie Z.
The former of these mares is by Imp.
Australian l(the sire of Joe Daniels.
Wildidle, Rutherford and Springbok)
ont IF the dan, Of Katie Paasa and Hnh