New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-12-23
RACING HERE And ABROAD.
SOME NOTES BY AN ENGLISHMAN.
HIS OPINIONS OF THE SPORT IN AMERICA AS
COMPARED WITH THE BRITISH TURF

HIS OPINIONS OF THE SPORT IN AMERICA AS
COMPARED WITH THE BRITISH TURF.
An ardent alabsorbng worship OF the slm-legSed,
attenuatcd long-neckcd mass Of perversity ana way
| warlness called by the name OF race-horse may 10
,,tcn rs prevailing eccentrcity of Engshspeakins
| Humankind; whether the love OF the race morse as
such arises actually from the desire TO make the AMI
! NAL run AZ fast his legs VIII carry MN vi us
rider can make him. OF whether It's origin is to be found
| IN the common weakness for losing ones own or win
ming somebody el5c's money, the fact remains ii
there were only two English speaking men left IN inc
world and those two men had two horses W ha'.n
against each other, a would be the certain iesi'
and money would change hands over the issue "he'er
the man who talks English be born on Br'sh UT
American or Australian SOIL the love OF the race o
and tb love Of transferring his neighbours cash 10
bis own rockets by means Of his our-fooed dcceNcr
arc forever fighting for the mastery in MS preas'
. mart of Kings as some bitterly ronical philosopher
onco dubbed It, Is rapidly becoming the sport Oh 'ho
treat American Republic In Britain, horse lacis h
Tor tvo centuries accepted as the nhiohh squirt
In America It Is rapidly attaining to that posuoh' anu
the close of another decade Will see deVeiopno" VI
racing I'm this country such as the turf enthusiast Vi
cntv wears back never dreamed Of even In his wdes1
flights OF fancy. -
potc,oer racing IN America and racing In England
,bcre are however certain strongly marked and pc
cuiar points of difference, worthy OF mentloh mere
The first thing that strikes the English sportsman OH III
FIRST visit 70 Monmouth Park or Shecpsheah Bay IS he
absolute perfection of the working arrangements do"
20 t,c bumblest detail and the evident anxiety to make
tine accommodation and comfort Of visitors 'he h's'
consideration The managers Of an English raceccurse
-, hr, ono end I'm view-that OF drawing the sheKeis
,-, thc nockcts of the racing man, atter "hich Dc
, loft to shift for himself In America there Is cVihcc'
not only an honest desire 10 give the SPORTSMAN III.
roney,s worth, but TO name MN aware
II the fact. In America man may
take his wife, his daughter, his sister or MS s"oo,'
to the racerack and feel sure that her peary sur'u"
, not be pollutcd by the metaphor OF the boohhaAoI
in the ring below the grand stand for he knows 'nH'
flo man with lungs OF brass of steel ana tongue
- corr,ntion has been carefully slowed away III
huge non at remote part of the enclosure "'oto "'
ran indulge 10 his hearts content In Whatever ''''
vorIcty of cxplctvc blasphemy may De'' P'"s'
his euIcurcan fancy. Here, also, the Ellgi's'a"' "
siincflvely casting sharp, suspicious gances aro"n'
a., Ia crters the betting ring, notes the absence OF
tbc ~Iumbcrer' the brief snatcher'" the ~ais,
COAT apper.p the ~ramper,7 the "Weishcr''
tbc forelmana the "tac-pItcher,' the snide-
faker7 and other timo-honorcd ana re-
vcrcd institutions Of the English race-course WIN
perhaps a mild surprise and a sudden ieenns "a
lonelness-quitc natural and proper uhder th' '"'
cumstances But in place of his Oh acquan'@"'1'
there ar, certain silent. stcalthyfootcd, hawk-eyeu'
portrait gallery stored In their minds VINO VII,
quickly have the owner Of that face comfortably seated
fn the bomcward- bound train If by any chance nc
should be bold enough to venture near thor 'icl''S
I'm search Of an afternoons diversion
Then again. there are women-rows upon rows VI
them seated in tlr grand stand-women with thh hps
and hungry eyes each with notebook and pencil III
band-and the Engllshman accustomed to the charni
ing ngenuonsness and delicious ignorance In all that
appertains 10 the horse his rider on the part vi
the homebred maid or matron, learns Win Soihe-
thing like a shock that the majority OF the women no"
before him have the whole science oil racing al ther
fingers ends know the form to ounce OF every |
horse in training calculate odds to the hundreu'h
part of fraction and may. in fact be seen at any
race meeting held between the months of April and
November and II hot favorite happens to get home
he will how completely the bass IS LETT by the
soprano I'm the matter Of cheering.
Then with regard to the actual racing, compare the |
perfectly graded and level oval tracks
nj Monmouth Park and sheepshead Bay |
or that beautiful, wide, sweeping turn
into the homcstlctch at sheepshead with the
dear old picturesque opsldcd Cambrdgeshrc Mile, or
the Criterion FIN that has broken the hearts OF
countless heavy weighted good ones, or the chester
soup patc7 the EPSON mie-and ahaii Derby |
course and terrible descent around Tattenhan Cor
ncr into the straight homeland then let the |
Brton reflect at his leisure upon the pecullar,beaues
Jockey CLUB. The question of track versus turf has
long ago been hreshed completely out, but II the turf
has its advantages in immunity from accident to horses
and jockeys during wet and slippery weather the use
of track insurcs strong pace from end to end with
out the risk of injury or distress TO the racer AS to
the horses themselves, 1t may be said that the breed
neither better than that On the other side
Of the water. In Iroquois, Foxha and Parole Amer
lea had three capable OF beating the best English
blood that could be brought ont In opposition to them,
while in Fenz she possesses one of the grandest as
well Of the dain est pieces of racing machinery
that ever trod track grass. race between FL |
renz Mlntlng and Bendigo would be sight worth a |
Journey across the Atlantic to
In conclusion, Mr.. the Englishman' will probably |
reflect that only two things stand in tho way Of Amer
icas becoming the future racing centre of the world
Il lack OF good trainers and jockeys. With few
ceptons, American trainers do not appear to under
stand the condition of their horses, aud are not able
afford any and valuable information to |
their employers concerning them. The natural re-
suit fOllOwsn- and-Out running and often unjust
pclon OF a perfectly honest owner who. relying on
his trainers falac0us assurances told all his friends
back his horse when IL was beaten OIL In the hrst
furlOng and carefully kept them off II when It unex
for the most part ride with the Judgment and skill OF
butcher boys Fitzpatrick has good seat and a
pretty style OF riding, but lacks the necessary
for tight finish Garrison Is good hnisher. but |
his bad judgment OF pace and distance viii always
prevent him from taking rank a. hrstclass horse
man Mclaughlin and Barnes may be regarded AS |
The pick Of representative American jockeys. Barnes
matters ot this mundane sphere, the stars and
SlPcs uohllhc W ~. le' D ato an WIN
TO fight like grim death II she TO preserve her
ancient supremacy the racing centre OF the world.
FASHIONS ~ WATCHES
watches have fluctuations IN style well ladies' !