Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-22
SYSONBY'S DEATH
CAUSES SORROW
FAMOUS RACER LOVED BY
OWNER
Jim Keene Wept When Favorite Turf
Winner Breathed Its Last After
Great Record on the
Track

' avn
He was only a horse. but when he
died his near friends wept and then the
newspapers had columns about him,
and wherever English is read and men
love a victor there was mourning, at
least for the day, over his passing.
Possibly not another animal In all the
world was so fell known as Sysonby
Yet the sentiment that surrounded him
was not altogether due to his fame.
Many horse before him had left tears
, behind after spending brief life of
popularity, even of adulation from the
few most closely associated with the
stables.
Many thoroughbred, neither so
! valiant nor so continually a Conqueror,
had come to his end without ever hav-
! ing known aught but kind words ana
| lavish care.
That great number have been less
| fortunate is a sad commentary on the
! brutality of those horsemen who do not
| love their horses, considering them only
as gambling mediums, rather than an
| argument that sentiment is rarity in
the racing fraternity The paddock
| echoes with stories of affection be-
! Slowed upon the champion of past days
even after their usefulness on the aCk
| was ended.
'It is true that the winner is the one
| a bout whom we are most sentim ental, "
said a trainer the other day. But for
! the most part the race horse gets good
| treatment; certainly until he stops ra c.
| ing, and often afterwards AS far as
the trainers and stablemen are con-
cerned, horse that has done his work
would rarely be cast aside. We who
see them every day look upon them as
! deserving of all they can get to the
end of their days. Some of the own
| ers however have no feelings beyond
their betting calculations, and when a
| thoroughbred breaks down they are
ready to let him pull a truck or even
plow, if he's a BILE to do the work.
A stallion like Sysonby or anywhere
near like him, is watched hardly less
carefully than a child though the at
tenton he receives can perhaps be COM
pared more 1ttingly with that accorded
to a prize fighter in training. From the
time he is brought from the nursery
he has a home in some stable conven-
lent to the race course, and during the
season he is quartered inside the in
closure of one of the tracks. Sysonby
was in training at Sheepshead Say.
Hundreds of lesser lights of the turf
are now at Gravesend, Belmont Park.
Aqueduct, Jamaica and Brighton
Beach.
Carefully Housed
The champions STALL generally foored
| with clay or con ncrete sometimes with
/ wood Is about Is feet long by 10 feet
wide; high-pitched, with windows large
enough to let in plenty of light. and,
above all things. thoroughly drained.
| The first requirement is that it be kept
always clean. The bed on which the
occupant sleeps is the best of straw,
which is changed frequently. In some
/ ct o. oil ta1 at.4I he ,f
sleeping car, are hunks for stable boys.
| This though is an unusual arrange
ment AS the trainer explained:
Usually nobody has to bother about
watching a horse at night. 1t is only
when the animal is extremely nervous
or when he has taken an incurabe
fancy to some boy. that he has a human
stallmate. We want him to sleep long
! and soundly. It's good for him. Gen
orally speaking, he sleeps better if
nothing alive is near him between sun
set and dawn"
In answer to a question about the
! animals taking a fancy to some other
dumb creature, the trainer said he had
known Of many horses that seemed un-
able to get along without company.
There is Hermis,' he recalled. Her
mis- likes cat, or did once. That cat
! lives in the stall, and the great chestnut
| is happy only when he knows the little
thing Is near by. I've known thorough
breds to have similar leanings toward
dogs. one, ! remember, had for a pal
a pet monkey brought there by a stable
boy. The monkey spent most of his
time on the horses back, and the horse
ate better slept better and generally
! behaved himself i'm more gentIemanly
manner whenever the monkey was on
| top.
Frequently. too a racer shows a
fpDIDaec
blooded stake winner is likely to ad-
miro a miserable plug. There have been
nervous horses shat would not go to the
post peaCcably unless their unCouth
partners could accompany them a. least
a part of the way OF course they DO
not stay i'm the same stalls with their
favorites, but il lis arranged that be-
tween the rooms there is am opening
wide enough TO let the two look through
at each other or rub their noses to- .
gcthcr'
Shed Tears at Death
The owners of the horses oftcntimcs /
feel "a tenderness toward their winners. /
The story had it that James r. K Gene. .
the champi0n's owner gave way to
| tears when SysOnby breathed his last.
and exclaimed
There lies what is left of an that
was bravest and best i'm a horse"
Had Sysonby lived TO old age. even
though he had proved a disappolntmeut
at the stud. Mr.. Kecue probably would
have nouishel him foudIy. never for T.
gctml of the turf glouoe Of the pa=tl
Hundreds of old race horses dud 70 rp- /
ward .n their old age for their cour- /.
ageous struggles off other Times. Not
Fl day passes but ono might see them. .
III he knew them hy sight. drawing
lsht carts through Central park ADJ
over the country There are family pets
of whose elsewhere forgotten uiunphs
the children boast at home.
Am Instance is to ho found u Dhe
story of Arab Tho 0oatost and safest
stoopIoohaso jumper of his day. Ills
cWu.r WAS gambler mt his f0nIuass
for Arab seemed to oHond further than
the desire to make money o1t of his
efforts Whom tha jumper grew old he
WAS 0kw tu Ih. nHu.rs country home
and became H u.. with mHNiIaae+ even
of tho from Nird A f.H y.u ago no.
WAS slIl rbara so a.uI. hut tuo chill
duu played around Mu o. tna srHsa
And IH... ".# |H"o.. champion of.