The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-03-07
WITH TRoTTER AND PAGER.
TALK ABoUT HIGH ENTRANCE FEES
AND ONE-SIDED CONDITIONS.

SND O"G-biDHD OVND1IAO"os
Hnorseuaen who PatreniEe Harness Races Think
They Have ts Cenvede Tee Muoh-smnn
Returns Tor the 1nvestment-The RunntnG
TarT Governed By = Mere Liberal ssstsn.
Tho receipt OF twenty.elght subscriptions for
the $4,000 Charter Oak Purse of the Hartford
Grand Circuit meeting furnishes n notable illus
%tration OF the Improbable basis on which own
ers race their horses on the trotting turf. 40
cording to tho conditions governing tho race.
each subscriber Is required to pay $500, or 5 per
cent. of the nominal value OF tho purse, In equal
monthly installments. between Feb. 10, whom
subscriptions closed, and Aug. 10. when horses
must be named. subscriptions are transferable
up TO the date of tho final payment. so that an
owner who finds his own horse not good enough
to win may sell his entry and thus drop out
without necessarily forfeiting the amount he
has paid In. This feature of the conditions Is
counted upon to keep all subscriptions alive to
the last, in the hands of one owner or another.
and the managers Of tho meeting expect TO see
about twenty %trotters respond to tho starting
bell when the race Is called next September. II
their expectations are realized the entrance fees
will foot up nearly $4,000, leaving to them a
profit of something like $4,000, exclusive Of
gate receipts and privileges.
Viewed from tho standpoint of tho horse
owners, they will have to bear the expense of
buying, training, and shipping their trottsrs to
tho track, furnish tho entertainment which
draws the crowd, and then receive as their
reward about rs per cent. of tho money which
they havo themselves paid in to the association
for the privilege OF starting their horses. This
one.sided condition of things is not peculiar to
the Charter Oak Purse or to the Hartford
meeting. 1t exists on all trotting tracks.
Horscmen encounter 1t wherever they enter
their trotters in carly closing events on
the cash forfeit plan. Instead of adding
the surplus Of entrance money to the purse and
thus returning to horsen,en at least tho amount
paid IN by them. tits the almost universal rule
among associations to retain all entrance money
in excess of tho advertised value of tho purse,
few genuine stakes being offered. Such u thing
as added money is virtually unknown in harness
racing.
Horsemen who campaign ~trotters look with
envy on the liberal conditions and the low scale
Of entrance fees In vogue on the running turf.
Take tho Preakness Stakes Of the Brooklyn
Jockey Clubs spring meeting as an example.
The stake Is guaranteed to be worth at least
s.. o and II the entrance money exceeds this
amount such surplus is added to the guaranteed
value OF the stake. The entrance fec is $50. or
Gig per cent, and Of this amount only $15 be-
comes due before the day OF the race. Accord
ingly. II the horse goes wrong between Jan. 10.
oef the asr race ., in S,o Mmg on 5ne J en,.F tho Se0 own end 1o .ns o oaI9
made the stake would stand just the same. and
II only two horses were to. go to the post on the
day OF the race they would get ali the money.
Compare this with an announced stake OF the
There the entrance fec Is 5 per cont. OF the
purse. payable in -four, monthly instailments
not to be trotted until August. so that each
nominator must pay the last installment Of the
Of the race, and three Of the four payments must
be made SO early in the season that no Northern
trainer can get a very true line on the form Of
his horse when he puts up the money. In case
stake. the surplus IS retained by the association.
declare of the stake II. on the other hand.
the number of entries received is not
al ia not being s;tat eas e Wien n II comes r to shc race CO
no horse will DO paid more than, one money. II
only %il} rs two start ia IT. then .s,o third and 40. .fo%r = . moneys
distance the field. he would receive first money.
OF the stake. From the winnings of all horses
that succeed in getting a piece Of the money at
an amount equal to s per cent. Of the face value
Of the stake. which. OF course. is equivalent to
S. 900 to 1900. This being true. every nomi.
major in reality pays m entrance fee of Ga per
European horsemen are negotiating with 4.
2:ost; Not 2 few turfmen think hat the big
in sight on this side OF the Atlantic. and that
she would bent the best of the American con
the championship Of the European trotting turf
next season are:
Countess Eve. 2:oat, by Norval; One Allen. s;oel,
Wilkes; Athanio. 2:l0. by. JUNO; Bravado. 2:lOA.
ssd Kse' H. ~ Sl'k ss G fS,, as' W ilf fcsi and dy b s;1aa a
s:is4, by Bayard Wilkes.
1t. is a matter Of frequent remark in horse
circles here that eight better ~trottcrs than these
would be- hard to find in America.
John X: Gentry. 2:o0la. was bred to only one
Relic Warren. BY Warren. a:2oa. an inbred
Morgan horse. The result is a bay fllly. foaled
last week: that It's is said oiddot.oa be be I the p image Of The ne
trainer or Gentry, who still thinks tina, the sire
of the tlly is the fastest PAGER in the world.
made between I'd Upton and w. i. Fasig re;
speeding the relative merits Of Joe Patchen and
backing the bay horse to beat the black two
races out OF three In case they measure strides
New HAVEN, March 6.-Nick w. Hubingcr OF
this city has reconsidered his determination to
f Sers al fTS %in teT SSTr d SsG Hsbl IN; sPsS horses n.s 0i III
has begun working out the string at Elm City
Park. taking zach one out for a easy spin Of
from eight to ten miles n day. Spear says, in
speaking of the plans for the season.:
I'VE are corresponding with the owner Of John
for exhibition next season, Just as Patchen and
Star Pointer were paircd last year; We arc
cut down worlds records. Again will go at them
with a rush as soon as the season opens. He
VIII not DO entered IN races OF the 2:oo Grass, OF
course. and we are Just now at a loss to know
pote unless he does get into the exhibitions.
The managers OF The Grand Circuit seem a
Hastings will go ont for the worlds two-nile
record. We arc certain that she can cut down
the present figures, We have decided TO enter
her In Tho proposed English Handicap, 24 mile
race. at Hartford She Is a game mare, and
The Hubinger stable is the most valuable In
Connecticut. Besides Agan, 2:O3ai. and Grace
Hastings. 2:Os, there are Roblnettc, 2:l2i2;
Margaret, 2:l3i2. and Nutbreaker. 2:l33.
Hubinger has Just sold Pearl onward. Forrest
Herr and Sphinxctto tn j. Harmar Bronson OF
this city. Two promising PAGERS by Sphinx are In
the HuhinGcr stable. They are Frazier. a throe.
yearold chestnut stallion. and Spnrkhill. a four.
yearold chestnut RcldirR. Spear bought them
u month ngo at the East Saginaw stock farm.
They will run In the Eastern circuit
Baseball Notes.
Tho Abingdons are ready to arrange games with