Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-30
M|SHAPS OF THE
RACING SEASON
No Really First-class Horses
Now Left on the Tracks
in the East.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star
NEW YORK, July 30-After one more
week Of racing at Brighton Beach the FIRST
half OF the metropolitan season will be
over and the scene Of Thoroughbred con-
tests will shift to Saratoga, the most arts
toeratie of the race courses of America
Here the Saratoga Association for the I'M
provement of the Breed of Horses will
carry on it's phiIanthropic work. beginning
Monday August 6. and continuing for
nearly four weeks. the horses. after being
improved at the Spa. returning to New
York September 1. when the rich Futurfty
stakes will be run at beautiful Sheepshead
Bay. Racing will then continue uninter-
rnptediy hereabouts until November Is,
when the horses move to Washington for
the final eastern meeting of the year at
Benning.
A season more promising and more dis
appointing than the present would be diff
cult for any follower of the sport of kings
to recall. At the beginning of the year
there was a prospect of more good horses
being engaged in the big stake events of
1906 than for many years past Sysonby,
that wonderful son of Me,ton-Opime, prom
Used to be a host in himself, and he alone
would have redeemed the entire season.
But this wondreus colt fell sick and died.
The news of his uutimeiy demise print
ed throughout the land, and commented
upon as widely though some noted per-
sonage of world higher than the equine
plane had passed away.
Death of Sysonby.
Sysonby's removal was but the beginning
of series OF misfortunes to the owners
of the more important stables, and one by
one practically every good horse in training
fell into bad ways. until such rich and his
toric races as the Metropolitan the Brook
Ign, Suburban and Brighton handicaps were
left at the mercy of horses little better
than selling p,aters. The Brighton was
won by horse whose value undoubtedly
exceeds that of all the winners of the other
three handscaps put together. and yet what
chance would Rams Horn have stood
against such a cyclone of speed as Sysonby
or against the ninble. flying hoofs of the
unbeaten ArtfuI, who in her only meeting
with Sysonby trounced the keene repre-
sentative most soundIy. Rams Horn is
perhaps the best horse of the handicap cal
iber in training in the east. Like Lockin-
var. he came out of the west If 1t had not
been for this western Invasion OFF the turf
this year eastern racing would indeed have
been in q bad way. Even Rams Horn was
i'll during the first meetings of the season,
and was beaten easily IN his first starts
Lately he has come to hand, however and
'Winck Williams who has come into
ownership of the big Butte horse since his
father, Captain "Jim.' fell into disfavor
with the turf authorities because Of some
$4,000 arrears on the forfeit list, believes
that Rams Horn will have a series of un-
broken victories from now on
Tut there Is not single turf idol in
sfght-no horse whose very appearance In a
race calls to the track thousands OF persons
who seldom he.
whose parade to the post under silks sends
thrill through every lover of a splendid
thoroughbred. Such was the case last year
with Sysonby while Beidame, Hermis Ort
Wells and Delhi were not forgotten for
their good performances. Sysonby's races
used TO be ovations from beginning To end
It was seldom the general public had an
opportunity to wager his chances in
race. for he was held at prohfbifive odds
by the boekmakers, and to 5 was gener-
ally considered liberal price. More often
it was 1 to Is or to 50. Had millions OF
dollars been bet upon him. however, the
public could not have cheered more wildly
than they did every time he galioped home
from four to- eight lengths in front of his
opponents All of Sysonby's races were run
in the same manner, in front from first to
last II the distance was mile, he led the
way; when 1t came to the fall campaign
and the horses were called upon to cover
the cup distance of two miles and a quar-
ter, Sysonby set the pace Nicof, who al
ways rode him. would ga,lop along two or
three lengths in front of the second horse
and would occasionally take Sysonby up for
a breathing spell. Then the field would
close upon him. sometimes getting to his
hind quarters. The boy on Sysonby would
release the reins but moment and the
great colt would bound away into new
lead without apparent effort Several times
during the long races Nicol would play
this trick upon the other jockeys In the
race until, when 1t came to the stretch run
Sysonby would just laugh his way home
while such good colts Oiseau and others
of his caliber would be logged out and
done to turn
There were always some Doubling Thorn
asses who set up roar that Sysorby was
beaten each time NicoI would let his field
get anywhere near the Keene colt but their
pessimistie croa kings were short lived in
every instance Sysonby Is dead, however.
and his bones are now being prepared for
satsing up in the American Museum OF Ma
tural History In this city, one Of ths most