The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-05-14
AMONG THE TROTTERS.
APPARENT INDIFFERENCE ABOUT
PROPESSIONAL HARNESS RACING.
Grand Circuit Meeting at Empire City Track
IL Doubtful Talk. However. Of Unpaid
Purses Being settled and Races Arranged
The Amateurs Organization booming.

SEBuu ~ b ~ sfaNA
IL Doubtful Talk. However. Of Unpaid
Purses BeIns settled and Races Arranged
The Amateurs Organization booming.
The apparent indifference OF the devotees Of
trotting In the matter OF a Grand Circuit meet
Ing at the Empire City track this season has
caused no end OF talk among metropolitan
horsemen. Notwithstanding all reports 10 the
contrary those who control the course have
been trying In various ways to arrange for
such a meeting ever since the management OF
the Clark estate was placed In their hands.
Their first plan was to form IL club comprising
several prominent horse %fanciers and to place
In the hands Of the proposed organization the
control OF the sporting features OF the meeting.
while the financial management remained
under the control OF the estate aud It's advisors.
The scheme found little favor among horsemen,
owing In no small measure to the fact that
while II was on foot there remained and still
remains unpaid about $4,000 Of the purses that
were hung IN last year, and tho track was con-
seQuently under the ban or the National rot-
ting Association
Right here il should be said that the receipts
OF the Grand Circuit races last season were Tar
much Of tho. money paid in as entrance fees
was diverted to other purposes than the pay
ment Of purses. and when the meeting was over
VI " uNio II n ~ 80
sums In entrance fees were unable to get back
even their own money after their horses had
won. In the face Of this default the Empire
meeting at which more obligations Of the same
sort were piled up. No meeting can he held at
the track until these obligations are diichaIged.
unless II IL held Independent OF the n. T. A.
The matter has no bearing on the proposed
running meeting, however as the Jockey Club
and the n. T. A. do not recognize each others
rulings IN such matters.
tried and abandoned. II was announced that
the track was for rent TO any responsible indi-
vtdual OF association that would givea trottins
stewards Of the Grand Circuit, the rent being a
sum about equal TO the amount required to Iay
on the purses and put the course in good stand
for anybody TO open installment purses, the
chief source OF profit at most trottinR meetings.
and AZ yet. no one has been found who cared to
make good the obligations of the Empire City
and give a meeting. Now that the racehorses
belonging TO the Clark estate have been sold it
i said that the purses will be paid, thus raising
way Of a meeting. Should this be done II Is
generally believed that those who control. tho
property will either give a meeting or lease the
course to some one who will do SO.
That the mass of New York horscnen are
comparatively Indifferent in the matter there
can be no doubt. Under the conditions which
existed q few years ago the devotees Of trottina
would have put their hands in their pockets to
pay of the old purses. and then would have put
their names down TO guarantee the payment OF
Grad Circuit meeting But things have
changed since the. days Of Fleetwood Park.
The Speedway. has been opsned. and with It has
come a rapidly growing interest in amateur
racing Horses that would have been
fitted for the campaign and sent out
now kept for pleasure driving exclusively, and
when placed in the hands OF the trainer it is
merely for development or to be tuned NJ and
balanced for better work on the Speedway.
Hundreds Of horse tsnciers find more pleasure
and satisfaction IN driving their equine pets In
the impromptu brushes on the Speedway than
they formerly derived from seeing them race in
the hands OF professional reinsmen Old-time
hOrsemen have repeatedly expressed the Opin-
ion that the spectacle TO be seen at Speedway
Park on a day when the best horses are out sur
passes that OF n high-class trotting contest on a
racetrack. As one of them recently put it:
Everybody is out to win. There are no un-
derstandings. The commercial element that
takes to racing solely for the money there IL in
it Il absent. The horses make a better appear
ance 10 wagon than to sulky. and with their
owners driving them the sport is altogether
more interesting.
While there Is now no organization In the
borough OF Manhattan 10 promote professional
harness racing, The amateur branch of the sport
Is represented by an association having more
than 1000 members. which has come into
existence since the Speedway was opened.
This association decided by unanimous vote
last Saturday TO give n series Of one-day meet
ings for races 10 wagon. amateurs driving. with
no money prizes. 4 dozen or more silver cups
aud trophies have been donated as prizes for
the horses to try for. and all signs point to a
season Of better sport than New York horse
men have ever seen in the amateur field, pro-
vided r suitable track can be secured Tor the
races.
Yesterday was an Of day at Speedway Park.
owing 10 the rain on Saturda" night, In the
morning the road was too muddy for speeding,
and though the surface dried ont so rapidly a.
TO be in good condition in the afternoon. few
high class horses were seen among tho hundreds
TINT dotted the long stretch Of brown soil. -1he
sitting heat caused nearly all drivers 10 refrain
from speeding, aud so the brushes were few
and far between. Darrell. ?O7l.. queen Of
Speedway PAGERS. was out IN the afternoon and
figured in n brush with the bay mare ollie
Wilkes, 2l8 =. driven by George Stengel Of
Newark. The brown mare proved 70 be too
fast for the Jersey flyer, yet ollie Wilkes made
a gallant fight. and was beaten only a conple OF
lengths over the stretch from the bend down to
Washington Bridge.