Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-17
FEW GOOD HORSES
AT NEW ORLEANS

not a race horse here worth the slightest
claim to class OF the five hundred and
odd thoroughbreds at the Crescent City and
City Park tracks not one is above the rate
of selling platter. There is not even
ffth-rate handicap horse among the lot. So
much for the quality among the daily con-
testants for the stakes and purses at this
winter racing stronghold.
1t was not like this in other years. Sew
eral seasons ago racegoers were delighted
and made to thrill with the great deeds of
McChesney. The name and fame of Big
sac had scarcely grown cold when Ram
horn caused the turfmen to spell his name
large among the champions of many
days.
Big Mac" and Rams Horn both made
good in the east during the summer months
tor their many promises of the winter. The
former won the Twin City handican and
the latter the Brighton handicap. When
ever the conditions We're halfway favor
able here they made their opponents look
like hack horses.
This lack of first-class racing material
mas mad Its effect on racegoers. Where for
merly great crowds of men surged around
the stewards stand and loudly cheered
whenever Rams Horn or McChesney re-
turned to the scales, scarcely man takes
the trouble to greet the winner. Sentiment
cannot be aroused over the running of the
plugs and only the gambling spirit is in
evidence.
BY clever training and good MANAGEMENT
Fred Burlew and Frank NELL have won
s1l,6OO with lot of selling-platers. They
have managed such horses as Gill, Fantas-
tic, Juggler, Belmere, Royal Breeze, etc,
SO well that they lead the list of winning
owners by wide margin. So well have
they looked after their affairs that during
twenty racing days their horses have failed
to win only one important feature
From what can be cleaned from CONVEX
sations with Burlew and O'Neill the noted
trainer and ex-jockey hope to cut a wide
swath in turf affairs. The former has
profited by his close business relations with
John E. Madden, and is always ready to
buy or sell good race horse. Like Mad
den, Burlew believes that professional
turfman, one who earns his living by de-
veloping and racing horses, should always
sell a. thoroughbred when offered a good
price. Madden once said to Burlew: AL
ways sell whenever a fair price is offered
No horse is too good to sell. A poor man
cannot afford to keep high-class horse.
There Is too much risk attached to it. Men
like Mr.. Belmont and Mr.. keene, with vast
fortunes at their command can afford such
luxuries, for the death of a great horse
would not mean the slightest financial loss
to them. But to us it would cripple our
financial standing very much So always
sell when the proper offer comes along
And BurleW has adhered strictly to this
advice
Next season this new firm, which prom
Uses to be important factor in eastern
racing, will adopt the system which brought
fame and fortune to the Dwyer brothers
(the butcher boys of Brooklyn)-to wait
until promising colt shows good form
and then purchase him. Any price in rea-
son will be paid for the youngster. If he
should continue to develop under racing
they will sell him to any one who is eager
to buy him.
By this method Burlew and O'Neill hope
to save many thousands of dollars which
is usually expended for yearlngs Pur-
chasing yearings is much of a gamble at
best for it frequently happens that the
youngster that costs $20,O00 never wins 500,
while the 500 colt may turn out to be a
$50 600 winner.
The crop of yearlings here is the sub
ject of much speculation among horsemen
as to their quality and ability to race fast.
Some of these youngsters will face the bar
rier shortly, for the season among the two
year-Olds begins early. 1t is the opinion of
most of the trainers that those that will
strive for first honors next month are
''culls'' of some size and little substance,
but are fast on their feet for three furlongs
the distance of the early scrambles. The
best colts, they say, will not appear until
March.