The Portland daily press., 1892-01-25
NEW YORK LETTER.
Sport, Art and Fashion in the
Empire City.
The "Prince of Starters" and His Re-
Observation-Disclosures Racing at Gutten-
burg Jimmy" Rowe's' Career
His Opinion of Luxe Blackburn.
TcoPynIcHT, 1927

[coPyRIcHT, 1892.
When couple of racing associations
can afford to pay an individual S25, 900 a
year for starting" horses at their
meetings it ought to give the public an
intimation that a race track is q Pc
culiarly profitable Institution. This is
the sum which the Hudson county
jockey club and the Saratoga associa-
ton have contracted to pay J. Z. Cald-
well, who is generally referred to by
the newspapers as the ''Prince of Start
crs." The bulk of Caldwell's work
under this liberal contract will be done
at Guttenburg, the hilltop track back
of Hobolsen, where "winter racing"
has for some time bloomed like the
flowers in spring, as it were. The best
features of Sunday-school are wholly
absent at Guttenburg, and some people
have said that.a man is afforded more
fine facilities for losing his money
there than he is in making investments
with the Louisiana Lottery Company or
taking chances with the gentlemanly
keeper of a faro bank The
weather is hardly factor in Gutten-
burg racing. The horses-whether
halt, lame or blind-are expected to
''start," even if ice is being cut on the
track at the time. Perhaps this is the
reason they require such high-priced
s'starter." It isn't every man who
would care TO start horses under such
conditions, and when one is found who
will do it his services command 4 hand
some figure. When gambling con-
Germ like Guttenburg can be one of two
associations to pay ''starter" more
than twice as much as is paid to the
chief justice Of the United States and
as much as the president formerly re-
ceived, it would seem to be time for the
public to hedge in it's bets. Caldwell,
who is nearly go years of age, is a
familiar figure about race tracks and
sporting resorts. He has grown stout
and very gray since he began his pres
ent career at Brighton Beach in 1882.
Since that time he has handled the flag
in every city in the country that
boasts of q first-class course. AS
Mr.. Caldwell once remarked of
himself: Judging by the salary
/ have received, my services
have been appreciated. For some
time after this ''Prince of Start
ers" began to futter the red silk he
would insist upon owning horses that
were to start in his races, and it re-
CURED great deal of bitter criticism
on the part Of the newspapers and the
betting public to induce him to give it
up. Mr.. Caldwell claims that no horse
in which he had an interest ever had
the advantage in race because of that
fact, and l have no doubt this is true.
Still, it always ''made talk" and his
friends were glad when he gave it up
and concentrated his talents entirely
upon the start, unswayed by any posi-
Bile interest he might have in the stop.
Caldwell rides to and fro from the races
in carriage, lives at one of the up
town hotels, spends his money freely,
and Indirectly the betting public ''pays
the freight" He is Kentuckian by
birth and his dialect is that of the in
tense southron. Last summer, when
he wore a suit of gray tweed, patent
leather shoes, gayly caparisoned straw
hat and swung a dude cane, he was
about as pleasant an object physically
as you would wish to look upon.
When Caldwell forsool1 the so-called
legitimate race courses in this vicinity
and went over to the Guttenburg crowd
his place was very soon filed by "Jim-
N.Y. Rowe. 1t isn'tvery many years ago
that Rowe had charge of cigar stand
in hotel in Fredericksburg, Va, where
he was born. Like most boys in Vir-
ginia town he had q laundering for the
race track. His widest dream has no
doubt been more than realized. as he
has now risen to the height of a trainer,
owner and starter, his salary in the
latter capacity being 500 day. To be
sure, he does not receive this for the
year, but the compensation he will re-
ceive for his services with the flag will
net him much more for the year than
any but the ablest lawyers or most
skillful physicians can earn. Rowe's
success on the turf has been as train
er. For three years he was trainer for
the late August Belmont, and devel-
oped some of the best horses of that
famous stable. Among these flyers
were Raceland, who carried off the
suburban stake in 1889, Prince Royal,
Primrose, Fides, Lady Margaret and
La Tosca. Rowe has rubbed against
some very good horses in his time and
has had much to do with developing
their greatness. Looking back on all
of them, he gives it as his opinion that
Luke Black burn was the grandest race
horse he ever trained or had any lznowi-
edge of. There is no doubt that Rowe
will make success as a professional
starter. He has oficiated in this capac-
ity before, and has got along creditably
with some very difficult fields.
S35, 900 Year for Trainer.
All the big money on the turf does not
go to the starters and the men who
hold stock in the associations. Take
Wyndham Walden, for instance, grave
and judicial in aspect, who during the