New-York tribune., 1891-03-01

salc is NOT wildly exciting The exchange Is
a low. whitewashed building, enclosing circular
track. and set amid deeper mud than ever Buhyah
dreamed Of Here gather these raw mornings
ranchmen in broad brimmed hats, trim agents
from New-York and California some pinched
rustics, a whilom prize-ring trainer Win ue-
mendous shoulders, one man on crutches, and
lone woman All have red noses, and thrust
their hands in their pockets and huddle about
the glowing stoves among the benches whne ,he
chill blast blows the steam from the waiting
horses and flutters the legends of spawn specicS
nm the walls. The auctioneer, gray-eycd, eager
nan noounts his red dais with a shiver, and calls
out huskily
An together, gents. Come to the front this
morning" -,
The crowd obediently snugglc up around him.
a slv brute with paper labels on his haunches' Is
led up by a mounted groom, and at once IrlcS u
brain the onlookers with his heels.
"Uo,v mich. to start in, gentlemen says
.bo rrav-evcd man. after reading from the
catalogue. How much for this grand lnulNI"-
ual?"
The grand individual" essays to chew piece
ont of q Texan's ear. How much to start that
colt? Now let's have it lively and quick
The spcctators glover warily at the caperlhs
candidate. Then, amid wild cOmmotlon, he SUD
denly bolts off at top speed chased by mouhte"
rufian with a whip, and swoops back again.
nearly killing the wealthieSt buyer, ana daShnls
mud into the auctioneer's eyes
Il tell you he's a dandy says that "oi'nS'
usinr his handkerchief "Orange blossom pS
Norman. out of Copper Bottom: she OUT oil rauuS
p,,rns own sister to Biddy McGee Now. how
much money for him! :! ,.,.;
The ex-trainer and the rustlcs sldle ulploui'i-
huto avoid
Riddvs frolicsome relative.
4Sav. will you start that colt? We'll, we'll
ot,or a nause. "if you won't bid, we take
him away" o,o.
Fifty dollars pipes little IOwan, with chat
tering teeth.
.Fiftv dollars. echoes the gray-eyed man.
soornfnlIv. aThe idea of getting blood like that
for less than hundred"
The colt is finally knocked down Tor siAuS-n>e
and vanishes with q hostile snort Inc gray
owed man buries his face in a huge water-pilcn'i,
sbouts to the boys TO bring on the next, anu
Tho scene is repeated with slight variations
throughout the day.
The thoroughbred sales come OIL III oie IAN
lust now thoroughbred yearlingS are at inc lIoN''
There never were so many good stalllohS III NoN-
tuckv before One farm near Lexington H"Iooi'
first cousin of The Bard and seven other I"iiio''
sires among them our old frlend hahoNVi' VI"
hoo+nr nc a 1wo-ycar-old invincible at three,
GREAT racer in his old age, the greatest money
winner ever seen on the American tuTl anu 'ne
holder of an important record. Nearly All 'ne
hest time in the last fifteen years IS tTaceaoe u
blue-grass blood, and every breeder oil Iepu'e can
sbo,v Won the dam of a $4,000 flyer or the sire
Of twenty stake-winners. Henry Nl"S Hi'h'o1'
was breeder of fast "gallopers." Ills grandsons
ND
nroud heads and shapely bodies and taperlng legs'
ond the Claws are a celebrated family OF trot-
tors with a thoroughbred cross At this season
eorcr rroups discuss around blazing hcarths ana
open stoves the prospects for the spring meetings
The list of entries is already imposing. The horses
have already recovered from last seasons epldem-
ics and competent authorities predict sensational
events" Last year all the great winners were
of Kentucky origin OF descent 20 were faIl 'he
great stations, and their offspring carried away
nearly half of the immense sum offered In STAKES
Yet the kentucky thoroughbred IS not all II
should be-
WHY do YOU advocate such short heats IN run
ming races ?" l asked well-known producer
Because &c don't like long ones.
ADO YOU mean that the horses lack endurance ,"
81 mean that we don't see the fun OF training
them for hard wOr.c when they can win big money
on short dashes in the two-year-old form.
This is the whole case in nutshell. TIE
thoroughbred interest is by no means thing Of
the past. The sales are extensive. Outside OF
the "blue-grass," three men can give you the
nediqree of Proctor Knott for one that knows any
thing Of Maud SIS ancestry. Around Louisville
,bere are hardly any trottng stables and the trot-
ting meets have been abandoned. The daily
papers print twenty lines about runners for every
line about a trotter. But the quality of the thor
nucbbred is unquestionably falling off. What should
prevent it? There is no encouragement of careful
breeding The heavy purses have been placed
within the reach of youngsters the distances have
BEEN conveniently shortened, and anybody VINO
reserved his nag for aged" performances would
be laughed at for his pains breeders have no
time 70 study mick" or strain. They can make
lust as much money without. trotter must
show form and action. But any thoroughbred
with four reasonably sound legs and not more
than a year old, they know will sell at profit
The imported stations are well built, brawny
creatures q little deficient in speed, perhaps, but
full of fire and reserve strength. They not only
represent a century and half of care and study
they have been allowed to mature at leisure. Nc
trainer" has gOaded them TO desperate bursts
over short stretches, and they have never raced
against the stOp-watch But the defects fol
which England discarded them are not accounted
a drawback here. A Kentucky breeder is content
with "curby' stallion or a "roarer" and takes
no pains to eradicate these faults by thoughtful
matching His sole concern is TO get the colt
"halterbrokc'' as soon possible and in training
for the track at LatOnia.
The truth is, thoroughbreds are raised to sell
Kentucky has no longer any nabobs to collect choice
"gallopers," like orchids and peachbow vases, for
their own sake. The ancient amateurs, like
Price, McGrath and Colonel Abe" Buford, have
passed away. The old families that reared and raced
their own animals ard made the meets occasions
Of splendid festivity, part with their racers to
New-York and California and spring foals are
Judged BY much the same standard as the hemp
or tobacco crop! The change, TO be sure, has