Los Angeles herald., 1893-01-08

credit, while this year the California
stallion Sir Modred has $79, ,082 accred-
tied him, and yet he is only eighth on
the list Of winning sires for 1892. Iro-
uuois is in the lead with $166. $50, or
more than double what Glenelg had in
1878. In 1892 there were three stall
lions whose get went above $100, 900 in
purses and stakes, while fourth one
Iongfellow) only lacked $500 OF reach
ing a similar niche in the temple OF
fame.
This increase in the value OF sweep
stake races, however, is owing to the
popularity of racing over trotting. Peo-
Pile have grown tired of going to race
track and sitting whole afternoon on
grand stand to see race consume the
whole of four or five hours. They are
heartily weary of seeing horses score
from ten to a dozen times before they
are finally let off for heat. And last
ly, they are sick and tired of seeing good
horses beaten by inferior ones through
collusions and bargains which are not
always confined to the jockeys them
selves, but, too often, extend to the
Judges of the race. 1t is such things as
these that have sunk trotting to its pres
ent degradation. Running races were
the same way until good management
came to their rescue and abolished
heats. From that day racing began to
prosper. Entrance fees were then re-
duced and, at all of the larger tracks,
abolished altogether. And yet the trot-
ting men cling to their musty traditions
and clamor for 10 per cent.
x*x
This shows you, plainly enough, why
our trotting men are losing faith in the
national sport. We will say that two
men start into breeding, one Of
thoroughbreds and the other OF trotters.
The former sells his colts as yearlings,
barely halter broken, at $3.50 to 5000.
The latter hires trainer, buys sulky
at $120, paying $40 more for shin boots
and scalpers for every colt he has got.
Nobody wants to buy yearlings and he
has to wait till they are 2-year-olds be-
fore he can sell. Then he gets just
about as much as the other man got for
his yesrlings. On the other hand, sup.
pose neither OF these men want to sell
and yet neither wishes to engage his
colts in sweepstakes. The thoroughbred
owner can go to Coney Island, Graves
end, Morris Park or Long Branch and
run his colts three times each day for
$1,000 purses, without paying 81 of en-
trance money on any of them. If there
were $1,000 purses hung up for trotters
(Which is not always the case), horse
man would have to put up $100 every
time he started horse. You begin to
see the difference?
x*x
The trotting methods of the present
day are villainous and brutal. They
are as much at variance with humanity
ard decency as they are repugnant to
fair play. Men who own trotting horses
have simply been trotting for their own
money for years. Associations adver-
tise purses of $1,000 to be trotted for at
10 per cent entrance, and in most cases
get from s to IA entries. This money
goes to the rich stockholders in the
tracks, and the most of the horse owners
are poorer at the end of the season than
they we're at the beginning. With
owners of galloping horses the case is
different. Any man who does not bet
can close the season with balance to
his credit if he has really good horses.
Men there are who win many races, and
yet quit loser. because they bet highest
or the wrong race. But the man with
good horses, who does not bet, is gen.
orally sure to come out ahead.
x*x
r. p. Rithets. wealthy and popular
merchant of Victoria, B c.. has recently
imported from New Zealand the follow
ing blood stsck Bay colt, 2 years, by
St. Leger out of Envious by Cassive-
launus, from Envy by Traducer, by Mar
vellous from Mag on the Wing by Mag
pie; and TITLE Tattle by Epigram, from
Busy body by the Grand Flaneur, ,fromVir-
go by the Drummer, from BRITANNICA by
Cathedral. These three are IS fine stock
as can be found anywhere in America or
England; and Mr.. Rithets' object in
visiting San Francisco, last week, was to
engage the services of some competent
trainer to handle them for the great
races at the Chicago fair next summer.
x*x
During the year 1892 there were 281
horses by California sires that en-
tered the $50 list, of which 10 got rec
ords Of 2:15 or better. OF these ten
there we're six PAGERS and four trotters.
The 2 go performers, outside of the 10
above given, were 81 in number, with
12 more whose records were between
2:20 and 2 :21. 1t will not be long be-
fore the 2:30 list will have to be aban-
doIed as standard mark. Intelligent
breeding has already progressed far be-
yond it. There have been more horses
to enter the 2:20 list last year than en-
tered the 80 list in any year prior to
1882. So much for American inventions
in the way of new vehicles and inn
provements in the art of shoeing. The
2:S0 list will either have to be set aside
or else men will have to begin the
livery stable business with 2:30 horses
for their select customers.
x*x -s.rs
The new jockey club at San Francisco
can be made a success. if they adhere to
their laid down rules and refuse to adj
NIT bookmekerH to membership. The
way the blood horse meeting of so days
has been run was simply species OF
larceny. Horses have been pulled and
nothing said about it, while horses that
have won, and won fairly, have had the
race taken away from them and given to
the second horses in the race by inn
ported judges from Chicago who have
received big salaries for their blunder-
ing work, while competent men, who
had lived in this state for lifetime,
had offered TO perform the service for
great deal lesH money. The new club,
of which Thomas II. Williams, jr., is
president, he's a chance to do great
deal better than the Blood Horse aeso-
citation has done; and it goes without
saving that il cannot verv wal1 do much