Daily inter mountain., 1900-12-15
RACING, BOXING
AND
COURSINC.
J SADDLE AND SULkY 9

SeeeS eo0S0OO0oOe9O0O
The entire band of thoroughbreds at
the Bitter Root ranch will be sold in New
York iby the end Of January. They Will
be shipped on the 18th. This includes
stations brood mares. horses in train
ing and colts, amounting to somewhere
in the neighbolhood of $50 head. 1t is
reported that the 10, cost Mr.. DAILY about
$3.50 .O00 and they expect that the sale
will realize upwards Of 1000, 600. 1t VIII
be the greatest sale of thorouShbreds
that ever took place as to number and
class of horses offered, and also. If their
hopes are realized, as to total receipts.
1t seems a pity that such magnificent
tud should be dispersed.
The California Turfnan, in recent is
sue, SAYS:
The very unsatisfactory starting at
Oakland is the best evidence against the
use of the recall tiag. The merit of the
starting gate is simply the lining UP of
the horses and if they do not start when
the barrier is raised and the word go
is given. then they deserve 10 be left.
This wheeling and being left stand
ing is but the monkeying of boys who
and that they Will not be left at the post.
With a recall hag allowed, starting is no
better than the old flag method without
the barrier. Efforts are being made to
permit the use OF the recall fiag az Tan
foran. but if the San Francisco Jockey
club is wise, il VIII stuidly refuse all
such efforts. Il is not the use. out the
abuse of the recall flag that is feared
T C. MulholIand, in the Call of last
Saturday. says on the same subject:
All starters are notional there was new
er an exception. Last meeting al Tanfor-
an park, Dick Dryers efforts with the
Australian gate with one or two eXcep-
tions were excellent. Still ha was not
happy. There ever fingered in his mind
the thought that to Choice might
meet with some accident and be left. Pos
sIOly he has been told strange tales ABOUT
the Wild and woo!ly westerner and in his
dreams has visions of a man with red
flag in his hand pursued by five num-
dred demoniacal looking individuals and
looking for a loose board in the fence.
There is not the least danger Of anything
like this occurring. still NJ. DWyer mas
asked to be allowed the use Of .n- recall
flag. On the other hama. 5tnen James f.
Caldwell starts for the post he picks up
the recall flag. giving il a look not unlike
the one a married man confers on his
mother-in- Who drops in at his home
just to spend month or two. AS Mr..
Caldwell detests the red bunting and his
work the las, week has not peen up to
the high standard. ii looks as if the
Oakland management will he compelled
to let the Prince have his own way
The fact of the matter is that, without
the recall flag, the boys are so afraid of
being left that they don't monkey very
much, but try TO get off, and II ',he start
G., should want TO favor a certain horse,
the boys on the other horses can beat
his little game by breaking With the fay
ored one while. with the recall nag, they
don't care how many s.al'ts they spoil.
Even If Mr.. Dwyer should some day
leave a hot faVorita. as long as all the
horses have to take exactly the same
chances, the public will not object so very
hard, but Will put the blame where it be-
longs-on the jockey. One or ,Wo cases
of that kind Will have a wonderfully
healthy effect on the boys They are too
much inclined to take it for granted that
they Will not get the word until the short
pricei horses are N Favorable positions.
even know. which is the fasorite; he
slould send the most unlikely long shot
off just as Well as the one to five shot
Those long shots have a right to a good
start, and one of them wins every once
in while. Every horse that goes to the
post has some kind of a chance to win
no matter how much he may be out
elassed; the rest may fall down or droI
all
trary. The price in the books is only 6
rough average of the public estimate OF
their chances, and is as often wrong az
right, and has nothing to with the start
er anyway. His business is to get then
off together without fear or favor.
This discussion raises a crucial point il
American racing, and brings up it's ia
tai defect, Which is that from top to bot
tom every detail of racing is conductet
with an eye on the books. That YER,
fact has pretty nearly killed racing il
the United States numbelless times, am
will keep it swinging from vigorous lif
to danger of extinction as long as tn
system is followed. The public generall
like racing, and support it liberatly whel
1t is clean, but in a given locality ther
are farly regularly recurring period
when the public get tired OF being tn
fotball in the game played by the bettin
ring, and then the sport declines Con
tinuous racing is worse than short ses
slons because these periods of deciin
come oftener, because the ring gets bold
er and the crookedness more fragrant
The supervisors of San Mateo count
have expressed their determination t
pass an ordinance limiting racing at Tan
foran to So days in the year This wi