The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-31
GOSSIP OF NEW YORK.
Starter Caldwell and His Salary
of $4,000 a Year.
WINTER RACING AT GUTENBERG.
Thirty-Five Thousand Dollars . Year
for . Trainer-Robert Boomers
Faith in Famous Names.

NEW YoRK, Jan. 19-TSpecial Core
spondence. When a couple of racing as
sociations can afford to paw an individual
S25, 900 a year for Starting horses 81 their
meetings, it ought TO give the public an
lntimation that a race track is peculiarly
profitable institution. This is the sum
which the Hudson County Jockey Club
and the Saratoga Association have con-
tracted 70 pay J. F, Caldwell, who is gen.
orally referred to by the newspapers as the
prince of starters" The bulk of Cald-
wells work under this liberal contract will
be done at Guttenburg, the hilltop track
back of Hoboken, where the winter rae
ing" has for some time bloomed like the
flowers in spring, as it were. The best
features of Sunday-school are wholly abb
sent at Guttenburg, and some people have
said that man is afforded more fine IA
cliltles for losing his money there than he
Is IN making investments with the Louisi-
ana Lottery company or taking chances
with the gentlemanly keeper OF a faro
bank. The weather is hardly a factor in
Guttenburg racing. The horses-whether
halt, lame o. blind - are expected to
start" even if ice is being cut on the
track at the time. Perhaps this is the rea-
son they require such high-priced start
er." 1t isn't every man who would care
TO start horses under such conditions, and
when one is found who will do it his serv-
ices command handsome figure. When
gambling concern like Gutenberg can
be one of two associations to pay start
er" more than twice as much as is paid TO
the chief justice of the United States and
as much as the president formerly received,
it would seem to be time for the public to
hedge in its bets. Caldwell, who is nearly
60 years of age, is a familiar figure
about race tracks and sporting resorts. He
has grown stout and very gray since he
began his present career at Brighton
Beach in 1882. Since that time he has
handled the flag in every city in the coun-
try that boasts of 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 starters
began to 1utter the red silk he would in
sist upon owning horses that were to start
in his races, and it required great deal of
bitter criticism on the part of the news
papers and the betting public to induce
him TO give itup. 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, 1t always made talk" and his
friends were glad when be gave it up, and
concentrated his talents entirely upon the
start, unswayed by any possible interest
he might have IN the stop. Caldwell rides
to and from the races in carriage, lives at
one Of the uptown hotels, spends his
money freely and, indirectly, the betting
public pays the freight" He is a Ken
tuckian by birth, and his dialect is that of
the intense Southron. Last summer, when
ne wore suit OF gray tweed. patent leather
shoes, gayly caparisoned straw hat and
swung dude cane, he was about as pleas
ant an object physically as you would wish
to look upon.
When Caldwell forsook the so-called
legitimate race courses in this vicinity
and went over TO the Gutenberg crowd
his place was very soon filled by Jimmy
Rowe. 1t isn't very many years ago that
Rowe had charge of the cigar stand in a
hotel in Fredericksburg, Va, where he
was born. Like most boys in Virginia
town, he had a hankering for the race
track His widest dream has no doubt
been more than realized, as he has now
risen to the height of q 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 COM
pensation he will receive for his SER
vices with the dag will net him much
more for the year than any but the ablest
lawyers or most skillful physicians
can earn. Rowe's chief success on the
turf has been as trainer. For three years
he was trainer for the late August Bel
mont, and developed some of the best
horses of that famous stable. Among
these flyers were Raceland, who carried off
the Suburban stake in 1889, Prince Royal,
Lady 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 great
ness. Looking back on all of them he
gives 1t as his opinion that Luke Black
burn was the grandest race horse he ever
trained or had any knowledge of. There
is no doubt that Rowe will make a success
as a professional starter. He has officiated
in this capacity before, and has got along
creditably with some very difficult fields.