The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1894-02-04
ABOUT LONG DISTANCE RACES
The Veteran Critic "Hidalgo'
Wants Them Revived.
Early Contests in America and Events
in Australia.
Mere Speed Trials Develop Tncomp etsnt
Trainers-TabuIated Review Of
Long-Distsnce Events in
Australia.

Times has the following:
Los ANGELES, Jan. 10.-I sit down to-
day to essay what may be fruitless
task, but II my mission fail OF its intent
shall feel that have erred on the side
of rectitude, and backed up by hear
ing in the columns of your widely circu-
lated journal, made a final effort to
restore the chivalric character OF Amer
lean racing. Mr.. Vosburgh, In his able
contribution to your Christmas number.
hints towards the absence Of the old
time "ruR for BLOOD" spirit in our equine
contests, when he virtually says that
many of our hsndicaps fail of public in
terest because owners will not start
their horses unless they eem the racs
to be gift to them. There is too much
of the commercial spirit in the racing Of
today, / will admit, and too little Of
that esprit du corps which led Mr.. Dom
aid Wallace of Ballarkt, Australia, to
start Carbine for the Melbourne cup Of
1890, with las pounds in the saddle,
and win 1T, too, in the fastest time ever
made in q race between horses, 3 :28L,
for two miles, in field of 80 starters.
True, Ten Brock and Newton both
have done 1t in :271a, but the former
horse, of Carbine's exact age, carried
35 pounds less in race against time, on
carefully prepared course, with the
absolute choice of track to himself and
no horse near him but two ''teasers."
The performance of Newton il trifie
more meritorious, az he won in field
of five horses and carried 10Y pounds at
four years old. But such performances
will but poorly contract with q Mel
bourne cup, with q vast field of horses,
resembling q squadron of cavalry moro
than anything else, and the jostiing,
crowding and humping from which that
race has never been exempt in the past
20 years. l have seen two OF them,
Mentors and Carbine's, and the great
pageant will abide with me forever
How graphically poor Adam Lindsay
Gordon described them coming out of
the chute, thence down to the wire and
around into the backstretch:
" The flag is loweredr "They're of-they
The squadron is sweeping on.
There's sway in the crowd, murmuring
hum; ~
They're herei They're pastl They're
gone"
They came with the rush OF the southern surf
On the bar OF the storm-girt bay;
And, like muffled drums on the sounding turf,
Their hoofstroxes echo away.
When l was in New York last October
a prominent eastern turtle and l got
into an argument over the merits Of
American and Australian racehorses.
was eloquent over Abercorn, Ca-bine
and Communion, while my opponent
was equally forensic in behalf of The
Bard, Saltwater and Loagstreet. The con-
versation wound up something like this.
Said he
my dear sir, weight never yet stopped
good horse"
Every true. colonel, but you will ad-
NIT that it stops great many owners
and causes them to scratch their
horses"
But it was not the propensity to carry
weight that proposed to discuss in this
article 80 much as the ability to Ego
the pace and stay the Distance" MY
dear departed friend. Judge w. M.
Williamson OF San Jose. who brought TO
the state the best horse (Belmont) that
ever walked across the plains, used to
sit in my house and pray for the restora-
ton of four-mile heats, while admitting
that the 16 mile event won by Thad
Stevens at San Francisco, in November,
1873. was the most scandalous turf job
in all American history. l am made of
different stuff. My objections to four
mile heats are manifold. In the first
place, am opposed to heats OF any dis
lance on the ground Of their cruelty.
Take the 20-mile race won by Black
Maria. Lady Relief, who was second in
that race, died in the stable, and none
of the contestants were ever again able
to race. On my return to the south
from California in 1857 | cav four-mile
race at Columbus, Ca, for q purse of
,oh he bx,
Charleston, afterward taken to England
by Mr.. Ten Brock, in 39. The second
was won by Frankfort in 7:4016, and
Charleston was distanced. The next
two heats were won by Sue Washington.
own sister to the dam of Eolus, outside
of eight minutes each. That night at
8 49, Frankfort, as game horse as / can
recall and one of the handsomest ever
saw, died of exhaustion. In the great
snowstorm race of three-mile heats at
Nashville (won by Whirlwind, if l am
not mistaken, } it took IL miles to decide
that event, and Henry Perritt and Iodine
both died in the stable, the victims of
what | have always condemned ae a
brutal system. Hence my opposition
to heats.
But do think that between the cruel
and unusual usagee OF the four mile heat
era ana Cn6 present 6ufIelJ oil sprint
races. there should be happy medium
and conservative halfway house of re-
pose. began reporting races for the
San Francisco daily newspapers in 1856.
and later became the regular CORES pond.
ent OF The Spirit for this stats. At that
period, such horses as DR.. Hasbrouck,
Stonenell, Little Minch, or Wah Jim,
could not have been sold for over $1,000
at the east, nor for 5000 in California.
A horse, to be deemed irst-cass, had to
win at threemile heats at least. / was
the first man in this state to clamor for
the adjustment of heats. 1t was al!
well enough up to the Introduction Of
pool selling, but after that there was too
much collision among the owners Of
horses between the heats. | am now
camoring for the adjustment OF races
under q mile, except for 2-year olds and
for 3-year-olds in May and June. Let
those tracks which hold meetings in
those months give one 3-year-old
stake ct six furlongs and one at
seven, but, after that, nothing
less than one mile for anything but 2.
year.olds. Garry it still further and
give no half-mile races for 2.year-ods
alter July let. and none of five furlongs
after August 10th. And for the all-sg u
division, with 4-year-oids rs the young
a-I - - .