Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-01-06

Are there too many trotters in the
country" asked a breeder the other day.
That depends upon what standpoint the
matter is looked at from. So far as the
earning capacity Of the average first
class trotter is concerned-the good
ones, mind you, not the failures-it is
not worth talking abCut. Since the trot-
ting campaign Of 1898 opened it has been
an everyday occurrence for large fields
of horses, every one Of which could beat
2:30, and quite number of which were
capable of mile in 2:20. to start for
purses of $3G0 or 800 1t is on record
that a mile close to 2:l2 has been trotted
for $500 purse, and in the faster classes
on the programmes this summer the
number of heats better than 2:2O where
the consideration in the way Of a purse
was remarkably small would mount up
into the scores.
Down at LaPorte, Ind, for instance,
on the Fourth OF July, there was a free
to all race for n $500 purse, So good Il
horse as Jalisco was the winner, but he
had to step the opening mile in 2:20i and
the second in 2:19ll. By winning the
race he received first money, $3.50, out of
which came a 10 per cent entrance fee of
$50, making the net sum paid to the best
horse $120. To get the animal in shape
for a first class performance such an
one as would win, it was necessary that
he should reach the track at least two
days ahead Of the race.
1t costs something to ship horses, and
then there is driver and rubber VIII
must be paid all the time, and altogether
it is pretty hard to figure out how the
owner Of Il horse that wins $500 purses
is going to make both ends meet in his
horse speculation. The trouble is there
is so much trotting that the purses must
necessarily be small at nine-tenths of
the places where meetings are given, for
the simple reason that the attendance is
bound to be moderate and the gate re-
ceipts correspoudingly light.
One trouble is that a man with a 2:20
trotter or 2:15 PAGER win generally keep
campaigning such an animal at Il loss
rather than sell him for road use at the
price the market offers Everybody
who has had to do with the trotting
turf knows this-knows that there is
never n meeting, Zig or small, but that
some observation-disclosures likely half a
dozen Of him-must be assisted by
friendly hands to reach 'thenext town, "
where IN have a pretty good horse and
get a piece Of the purse"
What owners want to learn is to sell
the first time 4 fair price is offered, re-
Numbering that even what most Of them
would consider the insultingly small
amount Of 81 600 is better to have in the
house than 2:20 trotter that can hardly
keep even when he wins, while as soon
as he is out of the first flight there is a
big deficit every week. The times are
such that prices running well into the
thousands will no longer be given for
road horses unless the speed aud other
qualities are Of an exceptional charac-
ter. There are entirely too many 2:30,
2:20 and 215 horses produced every year
for the price Of them not to be affected.
1t is not 50 very many years ago that the
entire ESQ list did not contain as many
names as there were trotters beat $50
last season for the first time. That tells
the story. There is a good market for
trotting speed right now, when every
body admits that times are hard, but it
is at prices consistent with the facts in
the case.-Breeder's Gazette.