New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-09
THE MUD RUINED FORM.
NEARLY ALL THE FAvoRITEs BEATEN.
RACING AT THE BROOKLYN TRACK SPOILED
BY THE RAIN

from Its irst hour For many years racing IN the
Empire State was begun at the Brooklyn track on
May Is. Rain fell almost every day OF the
meetings. Now Morris Park starts the sport IN
this State. and Brooklyn comes second Neverthe-
less the storms rage while the racing goes on AT
Brooklyn. although at Morris Park perfect spring
days the rule and not the exception 1t Is puz-
cling If the Brooklyn Jockey Club held Its meet
ings In rid-Juy mid-August or in Christmas
week or in November or March or April, the skies
would leak Just the same. All the meetings OF this
wet club are the wettest to be found anywhere
And rain ruins racing on dirt tracks.
II was bundcr In the FIRST place to run horses
over dirt tracks and such tracks ought to be given
up even now In England and Ireland In Scotland
and Wales in France and in Belgium I'm Italy and
in Austria in Germany and Russia, In spain ana IN
Persia. n Holland and in Sweden. in Australia and
New-Zealand. in Hong-Kong and in Singapore,
horses are the turf and not on the dirt
Yea. verify. horses grass. not dirt. IN
Brazil and the Argentine Republic in Chlh ana
Thbet. in Venezuela and BOrneo In Java and
Alaska. In Afghanstan and the TransvaaL Amer
leans original They evolved the trotter FOR
use as well for sport The trotter Is OF value
for p.easure-driving in the parks and the avenues
the boulevards and the highways OF the woric.
The running horse Is useless except for racing III
any country earth. Americans. with Their un-
approachable originality. put running horses TO
racing on dirt because trotting horses when can
De USED lot pcdSufe-ullFlng tTOt pest Oh u.t| -
was wroEs at the outset, and it has been wrong
ever since American turf is not equal TO English
turf. But IL compares wei! enough with the Turf
in Germany and Australia, and ali running races
In this county ought TO be run on turf. Let the
trottcr and the bicycle travel on loan, or clay, OF
asphalt. or macadam or Belgian blocks Contests
between bicycles and trotters may amuse the
Americans of the mex: century. but the true sur
face fO- runners TO r.cY in every country ana
IN every cline. frcm the North Pole TO the Sou-h
Pole, from Japan TO Formosa. around this terres-
trial bail is the grass and nothing else.
II has been proved OH the turf course at Sleeps
head Bay thai good ing Is possible OF American
grass. Eve-y American racing organization oush'
10 cover its dir: tracks witt turf. On the TURF
good racing is possible even in a tempest On d
dirt track RI in make sloppy mess and racing
instead OF a sport. becomes mere gamble then
nothing better
As already said. the Brooklyn track was founded
by honored and influential Irishmen. and it Is sun
owned and managed by honorable and influential
lrishmeu. But lrishmen IN Ireland race on the
turf. In the Emeral: Isle they don't compe! good
horses 10 wadde through dismal swamps OF mud
WY don: the honorel Irishmen who own the
Brooklyn track follow the example OF the honorel
Irishmer on tho other side OF the Atlantic why
dont tey rae, or the tu ana i5e on RAIN
days? Every copous ram makes every American
treacheroIs mudhoies? The noble Kni,kerbockers
Of the Ccney Island JOCKEY Club have, set LOFTY
to Close their niserable dirt tracks and run all
their races on the grass ny smGa,u HT foIioy
The excellent example OF HE Knickcrbo ;kers OF
p taf To"g mud sS for fascinating grass And they
ought 10 go much further than the knickerDock-
10 run all their races the grass-as every Amer.
lean racing association ought TO do-and deSeFt
Rams from Ireland and elsewhere have drensh he.
the Brooklyn JOCKEY u9 on os ST ii fe Its Php J.
Dwyer has spent years of unselfsh devotion IN
who many Of the shares OF the clup ram aas
been his worst enemy in this long and sef-sdcrlhc-
day since the gates OF this track were first opened
every widow and every orphan who owns STOCK
H9qd ho BUT ihe Weather Bureau has been e
Tth bitter hatred t a geI 5n yarey of
food and torrent year after year 1t Is amazing
rack 50 yhen they Knew that they were almost
to get soaking before they reached home. even
Once %e more o it may be said with deliberate empha-
sis that this is the wettest Lck tne wNFd
spots on the earths surface upon which the pre- pre-
ogists ought to study the climatic conditions IL
GravesenG. General Humidity RACES most furiousIy
and all seasons. II every other region in America
were scorched by a fiery drouth lasting for years
Br9okyr n, tr9 erea,aI eWYork does not need to
draw any water from the CrotOn Valley. Let II
tap the Brooklyn racetrack. and II will have an
ample water supply one that VIII be ineXhaustiole
An excess Of water ruins all racing on dirt
tracks And the Brooklyn Jockey Club has suffered
from an excess Of water ever since II was estab-
lished Think, therefore, of the tremendous OBJ
stacles which Philip J. Dwyer has encountered in
protecting the interests of the widows and orphans
who stock in the club. Al credit TO him. lie
compished when he is overwhelmed by such damp
In ali seriousness Mr. Dryer has always been
ready to offer generous stakes and prizes on the
@ when the oB and Gi 'R Pfz and he
earnestly now that the Brooklyn jockey CluD,
which, as president. he directs and controls. Is
eager to encourage the owners and breeders by
increasing the value of the stakes ana purses just
as soor as ii is sure that the present turf boom
The solid truth is that the bookmakers have hal
lyn Jockey Club has had. although the profits OF
the club have been huse The chanee from the
stic conditions Of Morris Park 10 the narrow
track at Brooklyn with its sharp turns t ana WIN
his must be remembered: At Morris Park little
rain fell and on nearly ali Of the race days at Nor
Brookiyn. no matter in what par; OF the year the
all public form is destroyed by the condition Of
the course. Mr.. Brush does all that he can do and
ali that any one could do. TO drain the track ana t
TO dry it, But when so much ram ialis as does ili
every meeting Of this club no human being coulu
POSSIBLY prevent the best art rack that was ever
The rain set everything awry yesterday. The at
liberal The programme was re-
markHhl- brilliant. ana the racing WCu!C nave
been superb ii the track had been dry. But in
such rain and i'm sucn mud the racing was all a
hopeless and disgusting moss TINS was not the
faul' OF the mana sem.nt OF the club the nauasGrs
could help They could not control the
weather Bur racing on Ittle narrow dirt
track ona mic In length, with sharp turns In deep
mud and peting rain. IL not one whit better than
A shake bag. CnuI American racing takes place
on til. grass and no; H. the mud %" races ought
cvcr 10 10 givca in the rain or a.tcr q rain. II
Americans mus stick to dctcstabie dirt tracks,
thny curht at least 10 forbid by law any racing
when the abomiuable dirt tracks are muddy. 1t Is
bad enough 70 race running horses in tho dirt at
host II il bad enough to race them on dry. hard.
FAST dirt instead OF tho turf But II is desp!cabie
"a force Them 10 Jump from one pcstlent mud
middle IN auot her when the dirt l. Ike the bottom
nf Inc yest swamp in III" EVcrgladcS.
sly so-calcd races were padded through ycster-
dav Five out Of tn six taVorites were defeated.
ana the best the sixth could do was 10 run q dead
anaf This has been a most profitable meeting for
Tho bookmakofa Every one OF them who in
the least cautious and prud6 nj had fine chance
"a maxi. a round book almost every since
this meeting was begun and 10 amass big profits.
I,,nrr ono ~ who Is not elther Tho OF