The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-09-21
NOTES OF THE TURF.
Aftermath of the Sacramento
State Fair Racing.
Quite Falling Off in Class and Number Of
Horses in Training-The Question
of Betting on Heats.

Now that the hurly-burly of the State Fair
| is over aud the racing season has passed its
! zenith, it must be candidly admitted that
| the racing this year in California does not
compare favorably with that OF the past.
| The class of horses. both in the harness and
running divisions now on the track, fall far
short of that of previous years. At Sacra-
mento, although good purses were offered,
a fine track provided aud the public attend
ance was greater than ever before, only one
event that could honestly be called race to
harness was had. This refers. of course, to
the great 2:1S trot on Saturday last won by
! Sas Skinner.
| II was one of the finest fOught-out battles
that has been seen in California for many a
year, and although Frank NJ and Wanda
were beaten. their defeat is not dishonor-
able one. Still it was only one race, and
one good close out-for- blood race out of an
eleven days meeting is not much to crow
about. One such contested race daily is
| not really too much to expect by the public
The cause of this falling off is owing to
the fact that there are not enough of
| ciaSsed horses, either runners, trotters or
PAGERS, now in training in the State to make
up good fields. That there are not is prob
ably principally due to many accidents in
| training before the circuit opened, throwing
quite number out of their engagements.
Then the larger amounts to be raced for at
the East is another factor to be considered.
sCANT RACING MATERIAL.
The scantiness of the racing material TO be
| drawn on is perhaps more strongly felt in
the running events than In the harness
racing. At Sacramento Ia runners were
originally entered. yet not over forty came
to the post. This prospect is not very
favorable for the success of the fall blood
| horse meeting.
1t might pay the Directors of the Blood
| horse Association to at once ascertain il no
entries could be had from the East to fill up
the gaps. If sufficient inducements were
! held cut couple of carloads of horses
might possibly be shipped here either from
| Chicago or the middle racing centers. The
| absence this year OF such stables as Palo
| Alto. Baldwin, Porter Ashe, Colonel Thorn
| ton, Matt Storm, Rancho del PAso-although
this latter interest has retired from CalifoT-
MIA racing for some time past-Still, con-
sidering the herds of thoroughbreds raised
only five miles from Sacramento, at the
| Haggin ranch a few entries at the State
Fair would not have been very expensive.
| The loss has been keeply felt throughout
the circuit this year.
HEAT-BETTING.
Harking back to the State Fair meeting,
| it was further very fully shown that either
| the sale of Paris-mutual tickets on heats
must be stopped or better regulated. or else
stance be viewed with suspicion by the pub
! lie, and all interest in them lost. 1t cannot
| be denied that heat-betting is simply offer
| ing premium to scheming drivers
to lay up heats, and thus de-
closely no estimate of the amount of heavy
betting in the mutuals can be made But
| with the exception OF such a race as that
won by Skinner, when probably $4,000
went into the auction .pool-box, the rev.
| enues from the mutual boxes in the way
| of commissions exceed those from the
| auctions. In the mutuals a commission of
! per cent is deducted, while only 3 per cent
| il taken out from the auction pools. or
| these first commissions the State Fair
| Society drducts clear 66 per cent commits
| sion, leaving the booksellers the balance of
| 81 per cent as their share, out of which the
| booksellers also have to nay all expenses for
| conducting the sales Naturally, no aSSo-
| citation likes to give up the chances OF get
| ting such good cash returns as heat mutual
| betting affords, but still it is q serious ques-
ton TO consider whether it is not better
policy to stop heat mutual betting than
&C ept money which has been dishonesty
taken from the public by fraudulent driving.
The matter has become n crying evil, and
the public calls loudly for protection.
RACING JoBBERY.
Naturally with such a long programme of
racing some jobbery was bound to be at
tempted. In few instances. despite the
watchfulness of the judges, the attempts
were successfully carried out. In these adj
yanced days OF track fiHesse 1t takes close
scrutiny TO prevent trickery. There were
few cases at Sacramento where greater
strictness and stronger punishment would
have not been out of llace at all.
THE KITE TRACK.
Tomorrow the Stockton Fair commences
its racing, alternating running and harness
events. Though the Directors promise to
have the new kite-shaped track in order for
the racing, some good Judges who have Wis
tied it within the past few days state that it
looks hardly possible that the promise can
be kept. The dirt is very loose. and it Will
take a winters rain to fit 1t for record
breaking performances, so say these experts.
DIRECTS SPEED.
George Starr is authority for the state
ment that the mile paced by Direct at In
dependence in 2:06 is not the limit of the
horses speed, but that lie is capable of GO
ing over the track in 2:05. A proposition is
on foot in the East to arrange u race for
Direct, Hal Pointer and Roy Wilkes.
Among race-goers Hal Pointer is the favor
lite, but If he beats the black son of Di-
rector he will have to 90 three faster heats
than he paced in his great race with Yolo
Maid.
WINNING OWNERS.
The latest Eastern returns place NJ. F.
Dwyer at the head of winning owners
With stable Of nineteen horses he has won
altogether in stakes and purses S14S, 63j
Second on the list is the stable of Messrs. j.
A. and A. II. Morris. They opened the sea-
son with a stable of fifty-two horses some
of which have been sold. The others have
won Sl3S.025. David Gideon, with fifteen
horses, has won Sl37, 26j. OF this amount
His Highness. the Futurty winner. alone
won $4,000 f. c. McIewee g. Co., with
eighteen horses, have won S66 1870. P. j.
Dryer s. Son, with TWENTY-FIVE horses, have
won s59,395. Father Bill DAILY has won
S5S, 1876.
Nancy Hanks. the great Kentucky five
year-old, has tr0tted five miles better than
2:13 this Sc ason-2:12A at Rochester; 2:12A
at Chicago, and 2:l2. 2:12A, 2:12 at Inde-
pendence. Iowa.