The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-03-02
RACING IN OLDgN TIMES.
1t Was Ever the Sport of Kings
and Mobiles.
In the Misty Days of Ancient Egypt
the Horse Was Valued for His Speed
and One Roman Jockey Left His Son
a Fortune of 81, 100000.

amusements since the earliest dawn of
civilization, says the HorSeRuR. 10th
mes l., OF the eighteenth Egyptian dy-
nasty, has left papyrus letter telling of
his conquest of Mesopotamia and priding
himself upon the acquisition of the horse
tthe Arab, and being the first to intro
duce him into Africa. About 500 years
aiterward, Homer tells us, King Aga
memnon, in order to appease the wrath
OF Achilles, offered him twelve horses
that would win great riches for their mas
ter by their running. Somewhat later
we find King solomon buying horses
from Egypt, and paying as much as
$1,000 for some of them. And still later
we find the Roman emperors had ac-
qulred the fashion for racing. According
to Tacitus, the Romans under the Caesars
were as fond of racing as the English are
to-day. TacituS says that Nitellus put
the care of the riders before that of the
Governments, and that Caligula spent
most OF his time with the jockeys, riot
ing with them until late hour of the
night. Juvenal says that the whole of
Rome has locked to the Circus MaXimus
to-day. and the uproar can be heard miles
away" The above author also asserts
that, one jockey could make in q short
time one hundredfold the income OF a
celebrated lawyer. That they amassed
prodigious fortunes in two ways first,
by getting the stakes established for the
different races; secondly, by taking their
share in the betting.
RICHES OF ROMAN JOCKEYS.
In Rome, May 20, 1873, there was dug
up pedestal dedicated to a Jockey OF
African extraction IAN ancient Isaac Muir
ply, named Cresceus. According 10 the
lnGprlDtlnn tba naIaSta1
when only Y years OF age, had already
gained ,5oS,34 sesterces, a sum equal TO
nearly SS0, 900 of our money. The greatest
OF Roman jockeys-the Fred Archer of
classic times-Was the famous Diocles.
who left to his son fortune OF 81 PSI, 900.
Horses in the time of the Caesars were not
less beloved than their riders. Inscrip-
tons, mosaic pictures, bronzes and fres-
Goes have not only perpetuated their
names and valiant deeds, but have trans
mltted to US their efiigies. In destroying
the tower of Sex tus ". which fianked
the Porto del Popolo, there were found
some bas-reliefs representing the five
tnoroughbredS (NumiGeans), Palmatus,
DanauS, Ocean, Victor, and NindeX, which
bas-reliefs had been removed by the Pope
from the tomb of the famous Jockey
PulIus Aelius Gutta Calpurnianus.
Racing was carried on to such an ex-
tent and was so popular that the pictures
and the names OF the horses were carved
on various domestic utensils. objects of
daily use aud upon children's TOYS. In
the Capitoline Museum at Rome there
are couple of leaden wheels of a smart
cart, evidently the toy of boy, on the
circumference of which the names of
famous horses and jockeys are en-
graved, just as the name OF Wag-
ner and Grey Eagle were painted
on chlldren's wagons when l was a boy.
on the bone handles of pocket-knives
were found carved on one side the head
of a horse and his name, Neros, and on
the other side the head of q Jockey with
fancy colored cap EXACTLY like the ones
used by jockeys at the present time, ex-
cept that there were small wings of
Mercury attached on either side, and the
name of the jockey, Euprepes.
The Circus MaximuS could accommo-
date and comfortably seat 80, 900 specta-
tors. the Corso 250,0 600 and the Flaminius
10000. This mania for racing and
spectacular shows and the assembling of
these gigantic crowds very often gave oc-
casion to no less gigantic catastrophes.
Tacitus relates that in the year u A. d. a
certain Atilius obtained permission to
build a temporary wooden structure five
miles outside the city limits, near
Fidenae. On the day that this course was
opened an enormous crowd met at
Fidenae to enjoy the races aud the excur-
sion up the green valley ofthe Tiber. These
spectators had hardly taken their seats on
the wooden benches when, in a moment
and with terrific crash, the whole
structure gave way and buried under its
ruins the entire assembly. Tacitus saws
that the number of dead and wounded
amounted to $4,000, and that Atilius. for
his carelessness Of the comfort and safety
of the people, was only banished from
Rome and Italy.
THE RECORDS OF BETTING IN ROME.
1t would be interesting to the modern
racegoers il Tacitus, Juvenal or some
other historian had left to us some idea of
betting on races. We know that the
wealth of the Romans admitted no
bounds, and To give some idea of their
betting we must know something of their
eXtravagances and social customs For
instance, julius Caesar gave 5000 for
picture. The slave and grammarian,
Daphmes, was sold at public auction and
bought by NJ. Scaurus Tor 200, 900 sesterces
about $4,000. Tins man Scaurus gave
for his house S3,OOO,OO0, and Lucullus
100000 for his. Nero often invited
himself to supper with his friends, and
none ever entertained him at less expense
than so, OUU, and at some of these Suppers
where the hosts were rich, the flowers
alone cost that much. 1t is also said of
Nero--the same who played the fiddle in
the light OF burning Rome-that he did
bet as much as SO, 900 on the turn OF die
There Is Il well-known story told of
Aponius Satarnius, who went to one of
Callgula's sales, not of horses, but of
gladiatorS, and soon after taking his seat
in the sales ring he fell asleep Then one
Caius called TO the auctioneer not to over
look the pretorian gentleman who nodded
to him so often and, accordingly, the
auctioneer went on pretending to take
The mods for bids until thirteen gladia-
tors were knocked down to him at the
sum of 100000 sesterces, or $50, 900.
When his nap was over he called for
goblet OF wine, and after drinking he
asked how the sale was going. He was
told that he had purchased thirteen gIadi-
ators at the above named figure. Then,
like true gentleman and Sportsman, he
said he would stand by his sleeping bids,
and that lie had no kick coming"
Here, then, we see people OF individ-
ual' wealth as great as at the present time:
habits of extravaganza that surpass that
of any other period of the worlds
history. With more racecourses and
the attendance far surprising that
of either EPSON, ChantiIly or Mon
mouth Park; with accommodations
i've times as great; with dazzling
magnificence thai has no equal in
modern times, one would be led TO be-
lieVe that the enormous bets made on
races by the Romans OF that time would
abash and paralyZe, as the expression
goes, the greatest plunger on the turf in
this moderate age.
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