The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-09
immense Crowds al Local
Tracks 10 See the Sport
Of Kings.
KEENE Big MONEY WINNER.
.:.ynerh Heads the Trainers, While
AAiller 0utclasses the
Other Jockeys.

CoO A aud Plenty and Hylas Place L. Hitch
cock, Jr.. Easily In the Van OF steeple-
chase Continge nt -~Sysonby's LOSS
clears the Way for Great Cleaning Up
or Three-Year-OId stakes by mt-
ant -salyidere the Peer Of TwO-S ear
OIds-Go Between's Sensational yic-
tories and Dandeion's Hard Luck
Two Features OF the seasons mpany.
The Eastern racing season which closed
at Bennings on December / was eminently
successful from many poists Of vssw. While
the quality Of the sport in sta1 .cs did not
come Up 10 former standards because of
rhe unusual lack of high class horses due
10 various causes, there were many stirring
curt battles which drew rec ord breaking
~attendances to some Of the metropolitan
raoecourses. 1t is doubtful If in years to
come there will ever be a greater crowd
than the one at Belmont Park oh Decoration
Day, when $4,000 persons. turEtile count,
passed through the portals Of this magniG-
cent racecourse. This was said to be
the largest assemblage, barring one, that
ever gathered at the trackssle. and it was
taken then and there as a vivid illustra-
ton Of the vast popularity of the sport OF
kings.
There were other immense holiday crowds,
together with turnouts on Suburban,
Brooklyn and Futurity days which num-
oered 10000 or a trifie more in each
instance, while the average daily attend
ance all the campaign was not far from
10000. With $50 racing days during which
1894 events were decided, it is estimated
that 100000 persons paid admission to
the Jockey Clubs tracks in this State.
Of this number more than half patroniHed
the cheaper field enclosures. More than
81 .OOO. 600 was distributed in stakes and
purses to successful owners. While the State
received about 500 900 as its share ac-
sruing from the racing tax.
The racetraCkE, Iecalse of the JockevS
Clubs agreement with the Rev. Thomas <.
Slicer OF the State Conference on Ielgi on.
spent fully $500, 100 in atteT pting TO J .eep
information away from poolrooms.. 4
horde OF Pinkerton detectives were o. duty
constantly, while the cost of canvas : Greens.
photographs and other means Of rovidinR
INSTRUCTIONS amounted TO a prett g pennv.
As the racetrack managers wen through
the entire campaign without I.eceiving a
dollar from the boOkmaking element in
return for special privileges. an immense
yevenws was cut of, but this was partially
made up by the increase 4 rate Of adj
mission. Summing it all op, the different
racing associations enjoyed a profitable
season as far a. divide ads are concerned,
hut TIE amount cut Wv. was not 80 great as
some persons are att empting to make out.
o A GREAT LOSS.
When the o2npaign opened the outlook
Tor oEla shrin ing sport was unusually good,
Us Sysohby. Artful. Ort Wells, Hermis,
]urgoinAstar, Timber, Clirngorm and
other high glass thoroughbreds that had
distin guishsd themselves in 1905 we're all
heavily engaged. Sys)nby, the king of
them M'and one OF the greatest race horses
that eNer lived. after wiltering well at
She A1shead Bay. never saw the barrier
'F ain. He was stricken with a skin disease
nat finally killed him, much 70 the regret
re the entire turf world. James Il. Kaene ,
his owner. expected to captune all OF the big
classics with the memorable son of Melton
and declined a genuine offer of $500, 600 for
him. With Sysonby gone, the compulsory
retirement of II. r. Whitney's crack mare
.Artful. whose weak unherpinning made it
impossible for Trainer John W. Rogers 10
get her 10 the post. detracted further from
the interest in the big handicaps. Then
Ort Wells, a champion in his day, was sent
10 the stud by John A. Drake, while Her.
mis-. a world beater at one tine in the colors
uf f.. r. Thomas, was passed up as an in
durable cripple. II. p. Whitney's Bucgo-
ruaster, who looked TO be a coming cham
zion OF three-year-olds, went wrong early
In the year and so did his stablemlte Tim
Ter, who started only once and then was
thrown out Of training. Calrngorm, who
ranked next to Sysonby and Artful as a
three-year-oId, did not come TO and at all
while other good horses that were high
fiers in 1905 proved equally bitter dissp-
Toi7tments.
The winning of the big handicaps, the
Metropolitan, Brooklyn, Suburban and
Bri ;hton. therefore, was left for selling
platers of the Grlpple, Tokalon, Go Be-
tween and RAMS Horn class. In fact,
there we're practically no really good handi-
zap horses in training, Rams Horn, when
lie won the Brighton. being considered the
lest of a poor lot. In two-year-olds there
we're several speed marvels, notably 7.
Hitchcock, Jr.'s, Saly idere, who was practi-
ually discovered and developed by the
shrewd John l.. Madden and who was
EASILY the champion. Sydney Paget's
Water Pearl, William Lakeland's Elec-
iioneer, James r. Keene's Peter Pan and
court Dress and p. J. Rainey's De Mund
we're about the best of the other t~wo-year-
"lds. although the constant shifting in the
public form Of the youngsters was a puzzle
for the greater part Of the season.
KEENE HEADS THE OWNERS.
James II. Keene's two-year-olds won
more moneydhan those OF any other owner
IN fact, Mr.. Keene headed the list OF win
wing owners with more than si5O,OOO 10 his
'redit. I. Hitchcock il. combining the earn
1nys Of his fat racers and steeplechasers
STOOD second on the list, with Sydney Paget
b. X. Thomas and the Newcastle Stable
owned by Andrew Miller. Blair Painter
and F.. c. Bishop, not far behind him. +. Il
Hitchcock was also well up in the list, to-
gether with John A. Drake. August Bel
mont. II. p. Whitney and others, but Mr.