Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-23
WITH HORSEMEN.
Prices Likely to Advance for All
Sorts of Horses.
Western Tracks That Have Gone Out Of
Sight The Element of Chance in
the Breeding Business.

Not long ago we were told that horses
sold; that factories had been started in
the west for the purpose of canning
horse meat. There is now another story,
and it is told by a man who ought to
know what he is talking about. F. ].
Berry, an expert horse grower. at the
convention of horse-raisers and feeders
at st. Paul, said that at no distant day
| there would be a horse famine, and
that it would be due partly to the hard
times and low prices which have driven
many growers out of the business, and
partly to the increasing demand for
American horses in Europe
According to the local horse dealers,
the prospect for an active season is
! bright. These gentlemen insist that the
| price of both business and pleasure
horses will rule quite a little higher than
| last year. One of the best known men
who makes a business of shipping
horses to the east, told Spy man the
other day that carloads Of big horses,
such as he has shipped this way in past
seasons, cost about 5000 more to the
| load than they did a year ago. About
500 of the big breed of draft horses re-
ferred to are seat across the water
each week.
| The professional horse buyer is contin-
ually searching the country over for
| those classes of horses in demand for
draft and carriage purposes in the east
| ern states. They are now engaged in
| the work Of picking up such horses as
| I'LL their demand and at prices better
| than those of a year ago. With the sit
uation constantly improving as to the
! demand for good horses, farmers will
| be showing a renewed interest in the
| breeding of horses of the better types.
| They are bound to get more for their
products, so the local dealers say in
| the next five years than they have in
| the past five.
The sudden rise of many small town
into prominence In the horse world is
sometimes amazing So Is often times
| Its relapse into oblivion. Only a few
years ago, c. W, Williams and his kite
shaped track transformed Independence
Ia, from an obscure tank station to one
| of the most widely known towns In the
| country. After two seasons the tide set
In the other direction. In two years
more Williams had packed his trunk
and left, leaving the town richer, how
ever, by street railway, an opera
house and hotel, In which he had sunk
the proceeds of the boom.
Another is Terre Haute, Ind, which,
| five years ago, Wed with Independence
! in being the "horsest" town in that
neighborhood. It has retained its pres
| tige rather better than its rival, be-
| cause Of it's size, and the famous 2:04
track where Nancy Hanks and Mascot
| immortalized themselves in '92 is still
there, one of the fastest in the coun-
try. The trotting association there is
still aggressive, but its fame as a train
ing grounds has departed.
And what does all this show? 1t might
argue that the game itself was in a bad
way were it not that reasons both ample
and rational for such a state of affairs
exist. The publics disapproval of the
| kite track was one thing. Even Rigby
Park has suffered in that respect, for
no one can see a race satisfactorily
upon one. 1t shows that the horse racing
| business must be run conservatively.
| The old guard tracks, booming year
after year, are the ones that will be
profitable
"What is going to become of Pinnli-
COZ" is a question often heard just now.
That magnificent racing property is in
a state of dissolution, and unless some-
thing unexpected happens, the Sacred
Land of Dixie may be cut up into
| house lots. The early history of the
| track was brilliant. and for time the
| track flourished, like the green bay
| tree. But of late, things have been go
ing on badly there until the club con-
| trolling the property has become so
hopelessly involved in DEBT that there is
no likelihood of its future existence. The
creditors have met and decided to ac-
cept an offer of 40 cents on the dollar,
and the owners are now hustling to dis
pose of the property.
1t viii be good news to horsemen to
learn that the New York Driving Club
win be reorganized on broad and popu-
| lar lines. At least $250,000 will be ex-
| pended upon a new Fleetwood park,
which will be equipped with the finest
| mile track, grandstand and club house
| IN America. To insure the success of
| the new venture, officers have been
elected who are known TO be hustlars
| Two sites have already been selected in
| the upper portion Of New York on
which options have been obtained.
The meeting of the grand circuit stew
ards will be held in New York on Feb
! and s. As no association has intt-
mated any intention of withdrawing,
| and there are applications from sew
eral new associations, the session will
be of the greatest Importance to the
| tfotting world. Last season the circuit
consisted of Detroit, Cleveland Column
bus, Fort Wayne, Glens Falls, Readville.
| Hartford and New York The new
| proposed members are Peoria and Buff
| falo. New associations entering the
circuit must satisfy the stewards of
| their responsibility. 1t is the general
! opinion, however, that two additional
a y 1i11er to- - ~
cult, and that one probably Glens Falls,
could be dropped to advantage
! A nice question of turf law might we'll
arise among horsemen growing out from
| the performance of Elloree at Cleveland
last August, when the chestnut daughter
| of AXtell and Flora McGreggor trotted
a mile in 2:10 to pneumatic road wagon
! driven by her owner. If the perfor-
enance is looked upon by the authorities
as record, it will replace the one-miIe
| unpaced trotting wagon record Of the
| old Guy of 2;13, which has been on the
books for '9S. Under the rules of both of
the big associations the time made in
| public race is a record, and public race
| is officially defined TO be a contest be-
| tween horses for a purse, premium,
| stake or wager or any contest involving
| admission fees. When Elloree stepped
| to the 2:10 mark 1t was at a matinee
meeting in which no admission fee
was charged
Elloree was trottlng against the roam
gelding Newcastle, with the understand
ing that the winner was to receive a
rosette valued at about one dollar. as a
souvenir. And by trotting a mile to
wagon in this race in 2:10 She also won
a valuable silver trophy offered by the
club to the horse trotting the fastest
mile during the year. of course ElIoree's