Evening star., 1902-08-02
RICH H 0 RS { NJ { n
The Croesuses of the Race
Course and How They Bet.
SARATOGA M EETING
THE EAGLE EYE AND TEMPERED
NERVES OF JAMES R. KEENE.
New Track Will Be Inaugurated Mon
day, August 4, With Great
Eclat.
SARATOGA NJ EETING G.

Written for The Evening Star by Paul Dandy.
1t is predicted that a larger number of
those Croesuses who live chiefly to promote
high-class racing in the United States will
be present at the opening of the new Sara
toga race track Monday than have ever
before been in evidence on the opening day
of a race meeting. For the beginning of
the Saratoga season this year is really the
formal launching of a new dispensaton in
American turf matters, the aim of the
Saratoga Association, as voiced oft and
again by its president, William c. Whitney,
being to place horse racing in this country
on higher level than ever before. To this
end Mr.. Whitney and his associates have
taken an immense amount of personal
pains, beside laying out a sum of money
closely approximating S350,0O0, in rejuve
mating the track and all that appertains
thereto. They have risked heavily on the
Willingness and ability of their fellow-citi
zens to support great race track hundreds
of miles distant from any of the great CEN
terS of population, and failure, should il
come, will not be due to the absence of any
of the promoters al the send-off, If they
can possibly be present. Thus Monday
will be great day for the visitor to Sara
toga not already acquainted with the per
sonal peculiarities Of the various kings of
the turf
James R. Keene, tall, spare, wearing
shining silk hat and Immediately but
quietly clad, will be one of the most inter
esting figures in sight. He is not an officer
Of the association, but he is intensely in
terested in its success, and has promised to
be on hand. His picturesque prominence in
the public prints for a score Of years or
more make him the observed of many OBJ
servers wherever his presence Is known,
and he will be pointed out and gossipcd
over by thousands before the day is over.
James r. Keene's Eye.
stable boys, the bookmen and all the other
race track professionals, Mr.. Keene stands
very near the top of the list. This is large
ly because Of his eye. 1t is keen, alert and
all-seeing. There is no devotee of racing
on either side Of the water who goes into
the sport in a more business-like manner
than he. Before every race in which he is
interested he spends long a time in the
paddock as he can, paying strict attention
to his own horses. He watches the sad
ding as intently as If millions depended
upon the operation. Nothing escapes him,
and his silent scrutiny-he never speaks
unless something goes wrong-keeps his
employees keyed to the keenest tension
If by chance he detects anything amiss
there is something doing at once. Kee-o
never speaks to the jockey, or the stable
boy, or the groom who may be at fault,
though 1t is to the trainer only that this
racing magnate addresses himself and no
matter how severe may be the opinion or
criticism he has to express, his vocabulary
though forceful, is always well in hand,
and there are few, indeed, who have ever
heard him swear
When the race is ready to be run Mr..
keene HES htpself to the most available