The morning times., 1897-02-21

1T is perhaps as well FOR the best interests
Of the turf as it is, even though owners and
associations that had grown fat on fab
ulous returns do kick little.
The racing season VIII begin early in
April at WashnGt on, and the outlook for
big fields OF a high class $ most promising,
as the Arlington, Mount Vernon and Con
sresS!onal stakes, which all closed on
February 2, have filled well. The stake
events at Washington, Westchester, Brook
lyn, Coney Island, Brighton and Saratoga
VIII he worth S300, ,Ooo TO the winners.
This does not include the Withers, Belmont,
Carleton, Brooklyn Derby, Realization or
Queens County Jockey Club stakes, nor
any purses, so that the value OF all these
events cannot fall far short of half mil
ron dollars. Such figures as these should
reasSure the faint-hearted; they should
demonstrate that turfmen have not been
dlsmayed by the late extreme depression,
and that their confidence in the future of
TIE sport remains mistaken. Nor are the
rich stake fixtures confined to the East,
some Of the lesser Western tracks having
come out with wonderfully tempting pro-
grams. tIoit, for instance, is to have
twenty-four day meeting, beginning
August 3, and SOC 600 is to be hung up, in
stakes.
Saratoga has done well in adding to
the number of finy stakes-there will be
four at the spa-and it is certain that
Brighton, Westchester and other leading
tIacks Will follow suit. More races for
filiics are undoubtedly needed, not that
they make better struggles, but i'll the in
tcrestS OF breeders. Filies should not
be compelled to run against colts always,
although not q few have shownthcir ability
to do SO. One has but to reCtth The Butter
flies, Winged Foot, Rodesia, Royal Nose,
Mana H, Suisun, Cleophus, Casseopia,
Sunny Slope and host OF others to real
iZe how good fillies sometimes are, but
granting this, fewer would be led out
OF the sales ring for lack Of 3 bidder We're
separate races for fillies more numerous.
1t cannot be successfully gainsaid that
the liberal policy of the Saratoga manage
ment has made the outlook for racing
more promising. There were more than
900 entries TO the stakes Just closed. In
the two-year-old events the entries were
particularly heavy, and in the other division
tEOSV OF iIe eCFatkS are tone lOuilCl, lHCIullnS
Prince Lief, First Mate, Handspring, Or
nament, Hastings, Crescendo, Clifford,
Sir Walter. Belmar, Octaeon and Cleophus.
The States Of Kentucky, Tennessee,
California, New Jersey, and New York,
have been hit hardest by the recent de-
preston II blood stock Surely those
who were most bitter in their opposition
to racing year or two ago, did not
realize how vast an interest the breeding of
the thoroughbred had become. Marcus
DAILY, the Montana Copper King, mad more
than a million dollars invested, and his
catalogue this year gives the pedigress of
some 200 sires and dams; ] B. Higgins, sells
on an average 1925 ,ooo OF yearlngs each
season; Gen. Jackson and Richard Croker,
at Belle Mead, have put a fortune into
raddocks and breeding stock; while Burns
and Waterhouse maintain vast California
esta blishnent, at which they breed race
horses to carry the familiar orange, blue
sleeves, green cap" to victory. The