davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
DECAnTER:
VIZ W
on

horse to win a victory on the English
turf. Nasturtium is a great colt and
look for hin to give a good account of
himself on the English turf. but l do not
believe he will rank in turf history with
Hindoo. Kingston, or Parole.
Il look for a three-year-old to win
either the Brooklyn or Suburban Handi-
cap Conroy demonstrated that a three
year-old can do it, and think that young
horses come to hand earlier in the year
than older ones. A horse is generally at
his hest when he is four years old. but with
light weight up the three-year-o have
considerable advantage in the all-aged
races. 1t would not surprise me to see
Heno win either one of the big handicaps
Of the year.
Mr.. Burch has dozen or more two
year-olds in his lot that promise to de-
velop into good race horses. and it would
not be surprising if he should turn out
several stake winners.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Great Patience Skill and Attention Required TO Condition
Thoroughbred Racer-ResAh of Big Stake Event De-
ponds Upon the Skill of Hard oorking, TIelesS Tfanez
Art Of P1epazH1g Horses the Result of Erpezience

training he is given a brisk can;er of
three or four miles every morning for a
week; the succeeding week he Is asked
to gallop a little. and during the third
week he is 'breezed' at about two min
ute gait. After his muscles have been
limbered and he begins to get hardened
We give him some fast gallops Our aim
Is to accustom horse gradually to long
distances and fast work II REQUIRES from
a month to six weeks to get horse
ready for racing. Some horses require
much longer. Great care Is always neces-
sary during the preparation of horse
in order to avoid colds. After he has had
fast trial he is cooled out by walking
for an hour OF more: then he is rubbed
thoroughly dry; his feet and legs are
bathed. and he is given a mash Of soft
food.
1T is my aim in preparing horse for
a certain race to fundamentally gradu-
ate the work given him with special
reference to the day of the race. / give
him SO much work every day, very gradu-
ally Increasing his speed and the distance
he is asked to go. The desideratum is to
have a horse in such perfect physical con-
dition before race that he will be able
to maintain his greatest speed for the
longest possible distance. I always aim
to have my horses so conditioned that
they can run Just little bit farther on
the day Of race at top speed than they
have been able to run before that time.
"Of course, it is almost impossible to
tell accurately whether your horse is per-
fectly we'll He may be to all appearances
in first-class physical condition. but when
he Is called upon to exert all his
strength and speed a weakness that has
not been apparent may develop and he
runs what appears to be bad race. The
element of chance is OF course always to
be reckoned with. A hundred little things
may happen during the running Of a race
that will ruin the chances of the best
horse in the race; but If your racer is
perfectly fit and OF kind and willing dis
position, with plenty Of courage, he is
q pretty safe horse 10 bet nm
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Old ST. Asaph's, Where Washington
Sports BET Their Money on The Races.

roof could not fail 10 cuiminate in bril-
liant success if expended upon worthier
cause. 1t is deplorable enough to observe
young men dallying with the fatal fame
of race gambling; but the spectacle Of
mature men-men of known professional
gifts. of commanding physique, and i'm
pressive appearance. grandly equipped
for success, such as may be seen cheek
by jowl with outcasts over at st. Asaph,
waging a less successful battle with
chance than their less enlightened col
leagues. is a thing to strike pain into the
heart. Numerous instances of this char
acter could be cited
An important adjunct to this poolroom
is the bar. Literally patronized by the
attaches. but more so by visitors, its
operation must be q source of greater
profit TO the management than the mere
price of the liquors consumed. for most
men, under the influence of intoxicants,
lose that conservatism which is the only
chance, If there be . chance, of beating
the racing game
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Rigid Course of LiOin9.

well, you know We exact of our horses
a much moro rigid and systematic course
of living than your average man observes.
There are no late hours with the thor
oughbred; he Is not allowed TO make a
gourmand of himself; he does not suffer
from govt; nor does he require either ice
or hot towels on his head the morning
after an evenings debauch. Our horses
have their good times just as do human
beings. but they are not permitted to in
jure their health. The thoroughbred race
horse is carefully guarded from drafts,
which so often result in cold, and SUISSE
quently lung fever and pneumonia. Once
a horse has had either of the latter dis
eases he is generally touched in the
wind and his commercial value thereby
destroyed. l never allow my horses to
go outside the shed on a rainy day or
when snow is falling. 1t would not do,
however. to warm the stalls of horses
with artificial heat. Mr.. Whitney once
tried heating his stables and nearly all
OF his horses were taken sick. The sue
cessful thoroughbred cannot be raised
dollhouse flower, but he must be given
plenty of fresh air.
"A thoroughbred's day begins gener-
ally before the average man has turned
over for his second nap. Ere the sun
fairly peeps over the eastern horizon the
runer is up and ready and anxious for
his mornings work. II the track and
weather are good he is sent with half a
dozen others onto the track and given
canter of three or four miles, after which
he is brought back to the stable, rubbed
down, washed, and given his breakfast.
He is given his dinner about nOontimc
and his supper at dusk. The average
thoroughbred in training Will eat from
ten TO eleven quarts of oats a day, and
he is given as much hay as he wants.
4 good racer rarely eats more than eleven
quarts OF oats in n day. When a runner
eats more than that amount it is pretty
safe to class him as a good FEEDER he
coz, snldnnn riin fast or "a
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Result Marked on Blackboard.

The result is marked on the blackboard
and when confirmed by the time of the
race the fortunate ones may cash their
bits of pasteboard. Betting is at once
resumed on the next race, prices come in
by telegraph, and the struggle is on again.
Thus is the operation repeated through
out the afternoon and even until dusk
creeps on, sometimes darkness, owing TO
late returns from the California track.
when lights are brought into requisition.
Some stay until all the events are run on,
if their money lasts; others depart, when
broke, while the train leaving Washing
ton at AIS brings down the Government
clerks, who are habitues of the place, to
swell the ranks.
The types of men who congregate In this
poolroom are exceedingly varied. Besides
the usual quota of negro touts, the fiot-
sam and jetsam of the city and the tai
emit" there are youths bearing unmistak-
able evidences of aristocratic rearing who
are thus counting disaster; likewise not
a few others, older. who seem sadly out
OF place in the motley throng. Here IS a
place 10 study human nature and contem-
plate depravityi
The amount of intelligence, of shrewd-
ness displayed by many of the votarie3
of the racing game assembled under that
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Purchase of YeazlingS.

IN the purchase of yearlings my first
attention is always given to the young
ster's legs. To my mind, horse should
have short legs, with good bone, and a
big foot; he should not stand too straight
on his ankles, for then he will likely not
stand training or racing. On the other
hand, he should not be too low in his
pastcrn joint. Horses with straight
ankles are generally good mud horses
1t is rare that horse that stands
straight from his feet up is not good
horse on heavy track. Horses with
large feet do not like a muddy track;
they can run much better and faster on
fast track. After examining a horses
logs, study his general conformation. He
should have a short barrel. good strong
quarters and shoulders. deep chest, not
too broad. and good long stretch from
the top Of the withers down. The shape
OF his neck does not matter much. but
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

biggest race of the year. General Boul-
anger could not walk when he was given
to Pa Bradley, but the latter had him
ready to run in a short time and won
many dollars with him.
There is a horse said Mr.. Burch,
pointing to an oil portrait of a beautiful
specimen of the Thoroughbred, that was
as sound as any horse I ever SAW. He
was just as good horse when nine years
old as at any time in his career. Col.
Sprague' will be remembered by many old
turfmen as a grand racehorse. When he
was nine years old he won all the large
stakes at the Ivy City track. beating
rnany good horses. Had he been entered
in the Suburban that year l am confident
he would have won. as he beat the Win
ner Pontiac, whenever the two met al
terward.
Probably the best horse l ever trained
was Judge Murray. the sire of many good
horses now running. He could carry any
kind of weight and go any distance"
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Which do you think is the best hors
ever raced in American"
Had Question TO AnS0uer.

THAT is hard question to answer. We
have seen many good horses l consider
Imp the best mare we have ever known in
this country She could handle big weight
and run short Or long distances, but she
was abused and raced too much. horse
should not be asked to race more than
three or four times a month, in my opin-
len. Pindoo was probably as good per
former as We ever had here. He could
run fast and far, and seemed able to run
beginning. Kingston was -lso a good
horse. Parole was probably the most ia
nous. for he won rich stakes at home and
abroad. and was the first American-bre
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

ticket and sheet writer's, blackboard men
cashiers, and a telegraph operator. and
the lahors of these men are very strenu-
GUS Not more so. however. than those
of the players. who study and calculate
and dope" with the aid of form charts.
newspaper tips, lunches" and other
methods to select their favorites. De-
cided upon what horse to play. they step
up TO the desk. name the horse to the
ticket writer. who repeats it to the sheet
man, and. upon receipt of the amount OF
money wagered. hands over ticket indi-
eating the name of the horse whose
chances are gambled on and the place he
is played to come in. whether first. second,
or third. In due time the operator an
nounces that they are lat the post and,
a few moments later. they are OIL"
Instantly conversation ceases and 81
lence comes over the room, only broken
by ordinations, 'rootings." swapping OF
fingers, and other demonstrations as the
man at the key calls off the positions of
the horses racing far away as they fly
into the stretch. a period OF suppressed
excitement this, but il IS all over in
minute or so, the winner and placed
horses announced and greeted with muir
murs of approval or disapprOval, accord
ing to the hieroglyphics scribbled on the
tickets clutched.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Under Influence of Liquor.

1t is not uncommon to see third of
the crowd more or less under the in
fluence of King Barleycorn" Although
odds are laid against the horses in six
races at each OF the New Orleans,
Charleston and Oakland race tracks.
eighteen opportunities to hazard money
there is located in the poolroom slot
machine which is constantly surrounded
by those who are not satisfied with these
betting opportunities. and. hence, be-
tween races. must gamble at this side
show. AS all such machines are construct
cd on the you lose" plan. it is obvious
that the rake of" from this source is
considerable at the end of each after
noon.
y character OF the st. Asaph pool room
is the pie man" who runs the lunch
counter and checks oyercoats at fire cents
per check. An Alexandrian, white of
hair and beard. mild of manner and ex-
tremely courteous, he purveys whole
some homemade lunch food to the
hungry gamblers. but the virus has never
been soaked into his system. Hardly
day passes, but he is offered grs,uitous
tips on sure winners whereby he
could turn quick dollar, but the pie man
would rather sell twenty hunks OF that
commodity at five cents the cut and
pocket the profit thereon than to win
five ninble dollars by hazarding one.
The fact that most offer the tips given
hin; are good. and the horses PANIED
wh. never troubles him II is puzzle
how this man spends 1everal hours daily
ii that atmosphere Gad is not contamin-
atC,l
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
AT of Training.

The art of training is a difficult one
Text books cannot teach it; it must be
learned by long years Of apprenticeship
and hard work. Racehorses are like HUI
man beings in many respects. They have
their peculiarities. which must be studied;
their weaknesses, which must be humor-
cd and the method OF conditioning one
horse may not do at all for another. Young
horses are much harder to train than
older ones. They require more work and
must be kept constantly at it. while older
horses need very little work aside from
their races.
One Of the oldest and most popular
trainers in this country is Mr.. W p
Bureh. whose headquarters are at the
Benning racecourse. Mr. Burch has been
training horses continuously since the
war, and has handled some OF the most
successful horses that ever ran in Ameri-
ca. He is regarded by owners and train
ers as one OF the most reliable and cap
able men in the business. Mr.. Burch has
wintered at Benning for the last four or
five years, being the pioneer at that
track. and his horses for the past few
seasons have begun the spring campaign
in such excellent condition that they have
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
y THE STABLE"BOYS:

attracted the attention Of many other
owners, with the result that the Wash
ington course is becoming very popular
as wintering place. Nearly a hundred
horses are now located at the track and
there is not a sick horse among them.
Trainer Burch was busy experimenting
the morning exercise OF a string of TWEEN
ty-fve horses when The Times inter
viewer visited the track In his stable
half a dozen prominent owners are repre-
scented, among them being W. c. Whit
ney, F. r. Hitchcock. II. T. Oxnard. and
the local ciubman, w. c. Eustis. Among
the older horses IN Mr.. Burch's lot are
LUX Casta who was second in last
years rich Futurity stakes; Knight of
Rhodes, winner Of last springs Wash
ingtOn Handicap; Decanter. Happy. The
Goldfinder. Red Damsel and number Of
other Washington favorities. When asked
for some practical information as to the
training of racehorses, Mr.. Burch said:
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
E~S
~
Ut T ELL win.
Fl Think so? Is he ft?"

L 4 Yes, fit to run for his life"
Such dialogues are heard al
most every day Of the year on the race
courses of this country. Condition is ey-
erything with the racehorse. Perfectly
fit" as the technical term has it, the
thoroughbred racer has the battle half
won; defeat then means that he has met
a worthier foe, suffered from bad luck
or a poor ride. Ali the latter contingent
cies are, however subordinate 10 condition.
But how many OF the thousands of mer-
ry, thoughtless raceToers pause to consider
what great patience. skill and attention
it requires to condition thoroughbred
racer? In the hurly- burly of a rushing
throng OF men. few stop to thing of the
modest, hard working, tireless trainer to
whose skill fortunate spectators owe their
gain. He stands on the lawn generally,
glasses in hand. observing every stride OF
his noble charge, the least excited person
"a the grounds. He accepts defeat phiio-
sophically; victory does not cause his pulse
TO quicken. He has learned to remain calm
under all circumstances; bitter defeats
have deadened his emotions.
Many a trainer Of thoroughbreds has
worked for months TO get horse in con-
dition for a race only to have misfortune
stare him In the face at the very last mo-
ment; mayhaD an hour before the race.
Expectations cherished fondly for years
have sometimes been shattered in an in
slant. A horse may have shown a fast
trial thai would indicate a stake to be at
his mercy, and the next morning the train
CT has found him "oif HIS feed" the for
tune almoss within his grasp has vanished
Probably more dlsappointments fall TO the
lot of trainers of race horses than to any
other class OF men in business.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Wozk Begun in February.

I'VE began training horses for the sea-
son about the middle of February. This
year we have been delayed owing to the
inclement weather. and unless We have
good days from now on there will not be
many horses In readiness for the coming
meeting.
When a horse is first taken up for
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

TIME old racing pool room at st.
Asaph, Virginia, midway between
4 the Capital of the Nation and Alex
andria is the gambling Gibraltar
of the Old Dominion. the halliday home OF
sports and fedglings from far and near
Washington six days each week, who find
within this battered old barn their para
disc. The ire of the Virginia authorities
has routed nuAerous gambling resorts in
that State adjacent to Washington within
recent years. but the st. Asaph place, a
veritabie Golconda to it's proprietors. has
thus far been proof against attack, where
fore this erstwhile betting ring and
grandstand structure of an abandoned
racetrack OF other years IS the sole sur
vivor of it's class of institutions within
easy access from this town.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Famous CrPpleS.

MANY cripples have become famous on
the turf. however, and won fortunes fo.'
their owners. l remember horse called
Barney s. that was given away by the
veteran turfman Green Morris. The
horse gave way in one of his legs and
Morris turned him over to Jack Joiner
The latter patched him UP and one day
entered him in race. Morris mad
horse of his own in the race and, as he
claimed half interest in Barney =, the
latter was not allowed to start. After
wards Joiner sold the horse for 500 TO
Il Mr.. DeLong. The latter nursed him
carefully and that season Barney ). won
more than $4,000, beating many OF the
best horses OF the year and frequently
causing Green Morris to rue the day he
gave him away. Civil Service was another
famous cripple. He was sold. by the
Messrs. Morris to Father BIZ DAILY, 1t
being believed that he was hopelessly
broken down. Daily doctored him up and
Civil Service ran many races thereafter,
beating all the best sprinters in the coun-
try. Terrifier was another cripple sold
by the Morris family to DAILY. After the
Hartford turfman took him In charge he
ran second in the Suburban Handicap. the
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

he must have a good head, good eye.
and a good. big jaw. horses DISPOSE
ton can generally be told by his eye,
Just as one can read human character in
the eye. In order to be a good racer
a horse must needs have sense. OF
course the breeding of horse counts for
much. horse to race well must be bred
well. but l have known horses with
clouded pedigrees to be first-class racers.
Ben Holiday horse that ! consider one
of the best long-distance runners we have
ever seen in this country, had an obscure
genealogy.
The first step after purchasing year
ling is to test his speed. a horse can
run Just as fast when he is young as he
can at any time in his life, and the
experienced trainer can always tell
whether he has racehorse as soon as
he gives the yearlng a trial. yearling
is broken in the stable. A saddle is
placed on his back and a boy mounted
on him while in the stall. He objects
generally for a time, but soon learns
what is expected of him.
1T is impossible TO tell from looks
whether a horse is able to run long
distance; even his trials will not always
indicate his staying powers. AS a two
year-Oid Luxe BLACKBURN COuiu not 10
farther than five furlongs. but when he
grow older he could run any distance.
Decanter, when two years old. seemed
destined for a sprinter. 1t was not till
he was three years old that l dis
covered he could go a route; now / do
not consider any distance too far for him.
II have no use for a horse that is bad
on his legs. When any of my horses
injure themselves l Immediately dispose
of them. Breaking down means Civ
ing-way of the tendons OF a horses legs.
his pastern joint rests almost on the
ground. and he can never race again. HIS
leg may straighten and become apparent
ly well, but he can never use it to race.
OF course 1t frequently happens that
horse Injuries the tendons of his legs;
they may become bowed. that is, bent.
and 1t is then possible to patch them
up so that he can race. The legs are
strengthened by a process called hiring.
which consists OF burning the Hesh with
hot irons. Firing il also remedy Tor
osselets, disease that generally causes
horse to give way in his ankles. TINS
may be cured by firing and in other
ways. The disease is the result OF leak
age of the joint fluids; firing stops TINS
leakage and causes the flesh to become
calloused. Osselets are the cause OF the
big ankles to De seen on many race
horses, and of course it is always
dangerous to bet on horse so affected.
lie is apt to strike his legs in race,
which causes him to stop.
Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-04-28
BAIL TROVER WILL
Be SEVERELY TESTED

MACON. April 25.-The bail trover in
Georgia will get about the hardest shak-
ing up and the severest test Il ever had
within the next few months. The attor-
neys for Mr.. Morrison Rogers say they
will stay its operation in their clients
case, no matter what happens. They went
before Judge FELTON, yesterday and charg-
ed the Rogers s Joiner creditors with
conspiring TO throw Mr.. Rogers in Jail so
as TO keep him from assisting in the
preparation of defense in the Rico Min
ing company case. and on a bill of equity
which they fled they secured an injunc-
ton against the bail trover. and ena bled
their client 10 give an appearance bond
He must answer in the superior court
next Tuesday, that being FIVE days from
the date OF serving the bail trover.
Judge FELTON, held that he could not lis
ten to an argument in the case within FIVE
days because that was the law govern
ing I'm bail trover cases, but he said he
could allow an appearance bond on the
equity proceeding. The Rico Mining COM
pany case comes up I'm the United States
court on Monday. provided the attorneys
can be prepared by that time. They are
working night and day TO straighten the
books and get their evidence I'm. present
able shape.
II is one OF the most interesting and
sensational cases that Macon has had in
years.