The herald., 1893-12-24


command over 800 as service fee will
be the sires that get winners of races.
Some horses there be to whom the turf
historian has never yet done justice in
this respect; and chief among these is
Director, 2:17, once the property of
Monroe Salisbury of Pleasanton, but
now owned by A. Fl. Moore of Colmar,
Pennsylvania.
Just contrast Director with Election
eer, who got about four horses into the
2:30 list to Directors one. Then when
you come to figure up the race trotters
the percentage for the old black stud of
Plessanton was nearly as great the other
way. Anteeo, Antevolo, Palo Alto and
Manzanita-and where are the rest of
your 160 Electioneers ia the 2:30 list as
money-winners? Had the bicycle sulky
been introduced in 1885 instead of 1892,
there is not the slightest doubt that
Electioneer would have had 250 per-
formers in the 2:S0 list and not one
more genuine rsce-trotter than he had
on the day he died. Certainly no one
can claim Sunol for a race trotter. Lii
ian Wilkes beat her at Napa in 2:17h,
and right out on the back of it, Sunol
went out against the watch and scored
heat in 2:101a before she reached her
fourth foaling date. And 90 it ia with
dozen others of those marvelously
speedy Electioneers-they are good
enough till they strike real, live race
rrotter.
You cannot make me believe the
doom OF trotting is written on the Baby
lonian wall-not by good deal. Mon
roe Salisbury headed all the winning
stables with about $4,000 in 1890, and
this year he won two and one-half times
that amount, while ak others won more
than the amount with which Mr.. Sails.
bury headed the list in 1890. The
sweepstake system with big added
money will aupersede the purse system,
with 10 per cent entrance fees, under
which the horses have been virtually
trotting for their own money for the past
20 years. Washington park, in Chicago,
is going to be the great trotting track of
America before you are five years older.
Its board of managers are all running
horse men, and have not been slow in
introducing the methods of running
races. Their 2:40, 235 and 2:30 class
trots. by the opening OF 1895 will have
two nominations to any other tracks
one. They will give purses at per cent
entrance where there are six starters,
and entrance free if there are more than
ten.
Just contrast the difference between
the two styles OF management. At Long
Branch, Brooklyn, Coney Island. Morris
Park or jerome entrance is free. The
purses are $1,000, and it doesn't cost you
any percentage to start. The third
io eI0n xuh oh ho1He 30 La
of bills, if your horse is not good enough
Utica or Hartford, where the purses are
$1,000 in each class and it costs you 500
to start. If you are placed third you
barely get your money back. But once
let the running methods be introduced
into trotting management and up will
90 the prices-not, perhaps. to the fig
ures reached by my good old friend Rose
on the 9th OF March, 1890, but far and
away above where they now are.
Our Los Angeles fair directors have
about gotten in all their bills for the
year, and will have enough to pay up
all the bills they owe. if they do not
carry over q balance to the next year, as
they did from the fair of 1892. Our
directors are at times just the least trifle
slow, but they always take the safe side
of every question, which is the better
way after all. | once knew race track
keeper in this state, during the second
year OF the civil war, who advertised
meeting. Greenbacks at that time were
worth 43 cente on the dollar, and when
ever any horse from abroad won race
the purse was paid at its face but paid
in legal tender notes. OF course it
killed the track forever. Our directors
don't advertise as big purses as some of
the other tracks, but they pay all de-
mands in coin, and have never, within
my knowledge, asked for a rebate or
compromise. Out of this years pro-
ceeds they have paid for pavilion that
is credit to the fair ground.
People may differ as to the advissbility
of erecting this structure 30 early in the
game, more especially when they had
the free use of the Chamber of Com
merce hall for their pomological exhibit.
But l have yet to hear any reasoning
man cay that the building is not an ele-
CANT one or that it was not built on
honor and fair equivalent received for
all the money expended in its construc-
ton. The next move will be to get the
old grand stand moved up the stretch
and a new one erected in it's place. |
have the plans OF the grand stand at
Caulfield in Australia and can ASSURE
our directors that their adoption (on a
much smaller scale, of course) would
give Agricultural park very handsome
and commodious structure.
Men may talk about what they have
at the Bay District track. but there is no
room for comparison. Bay District ia q
race course and nothing more, while
Agricultural Park ia fair ground and
has to have accommodations not only
for the trotting. pacing and running
horses that come to contest for its prizss,
but accommodations for all sorts of farm