The Washington times., 1906-12-30
RUNNING HORSES.

greater prosperity than in the racing of
thoroughbreds. Several centuries ago
horse racing was labeled the sport Of
kings" because the young pionarch who
succeeded Good Queen Bess,'' INDUCED
in it as a favorite pastime. From its
inception the game grew steadily in IA
vor. Ia America the original home of
/ the thoroughbred was in Virginia. Down
! in the Old Dominion are many aband~
| oned race courses, over which some of
the greatest of the earlier thoroughbreds
Of this country raced.
Racing in the immedis tie vicinity of
/ Washington has always 0een q popular
/ sport At Ivy city in the seventies, per
haps, the greatest thCroughhreds in
America contested. 1t was a recognized
track in the East, at which owners Of
! the best horses East and West started
their charges. With the passing Of
| Ivy City BennIng took up the sport,
and for several years racing hourished
there. Then there came ii hiatus, and
the residents of the city who like to
see the horses run had to content them
selves with following the performances
at other tracks.
Classy Horses Won't Come.
When the reorganized Washington
Jockey Club took up racing here il had
a hard problem. But that II has been
solved successfully was apparent 10 the
most casual observer who attended the
races any day during the spring or. fail
meetings of the year l90C. The officials
of the local JOCKEY club have done
everything possible 10 attract the best
OF horses in training 10 the Washington
course. Liberal stake fixtures have been
placed on the program, ard the purses
III overnight events nave been made 70
equal in size any of those at the second
circuit or Western tracks
With all this. however. it has been
hard 10 get any but mediocre animals
here There have been no really high
class horses at Benning I'm several
years. First class selling platers were
stake horses at the local track But
that the public loves the thoroughbred
was manifested Dy the great and grow
ing thrOngs that went 10 the track each
racing gay, and this too in face OF the
fact that the club increased the price OF
admission so as To conform with The
general advance charged at all the
Jockey Club tracks in the East
New Bookmaking Scheme.
At the last fan meeting there was an
other obstacle placed in the way. This
was the decision OF the District Attorney
to test the law designed to prohibit
gambling in the District. Some years
before d test was made. and the Wash
iugtOn Jockey Club won victory But
Mr.. Baker was not satisfied that the
case had been won on It's merits, and.
responding 10 appeals from various
sources. he caused an arrest of a book
maker 10 be- made at the last spring
meeting The case was brought To trial
just previous to the fall meeting, and
the bookmakar was found guilty Of set
ting up a gaming table. Nothing was
said, however. about recording bets or
making Wagers, provided the contracting
parties did not set up a table or other
parapheTHalia- The result was that at the
meeting just passed a system of peri
patetiC bOO}InHldng was instituted.
which. though IL seemed awkward Tor
the first few days, soon became smooth
sailing, and when the public and the
layers got accustomed TO il, they
found it about as good as the old sys-
TEN, where the bookies were perched on
high stools with assistants who record
ed the Uagers on large sheets.
The stake features Of the programs
of the jockey club have been attractive.
being worth. in some instances. as much
as fixtures on the New York tracks.
The last Grand Consolation, for In
stance. was worth upward OF $500 to
the winner. With the exception OF Or
thodoX. II Is probable that Monfort the
winner. has as little class as any horse
that has won the stake. The other
winners were Lord OF the Vale. Dande-
lion, and Flip Flap, all Of which ran ex-
ceIlen races in their three year-old form.
Baltimore Looming Up.
The outlook for the coming year is
bright Spring meetings at Benning
are always successful. for the race going
public is hungry for the sport after
seve.a! months of idleness, and the
local crowds are greatly augmented by
the big delegation that comes from New
York. In fact. the New York contingent
helps, in a very large measure, to make
the Benning meets the success they are.
Within the last few years Baltimore
has lOomed up as a racing center OF
much pretension, There was IA time
many years ago, when the Baltimore
track was regarded as the equal Of any
in the country. The best of American
thOrOughbrcds raced there. 1t was at
old Pimlico. in the famous three-Cor-
nered race. that Parole beat Ten BrOeck
and Tom Ochiltfee. Many stirring con
tests have taken place since then, but
for a long time the track was unused.
Then came the reorganization of the
Maryland Jockey Club, and, although
the meetings are necessarily held at a
time when the New York tracks are in
operation they have been successful
almost from the start. which shows that
BaltimOreans still love the sport. In
four years, racing has become so firmly
established in Baltimore that the jockey
club found it necessary to look for a
larger and more up-to-date race course
than Pimlico. a fine tract OF land was
selected on the Baltimore and Ohio rail
way, near HalethOrpe. seven miles out of
Baltimore, and thirty-three miles from
Washington. The officials of the Mary
land Jockey Club believe that in thus
placing the new track the patronage
from Washington viii be greatly in
creased. and there Is little doubt that
this belief is correct.