The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-04-23
Horse Racing in America
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

BY FREDERl
Although horse racing is The sport OF
kings. OF late it has fallen in evil lines
In most Of the States OF the Union it is
unlawful 10 bet on races. and. therefore
races are not run. Tennessee Is the last
State TO put up the legal bars. but in
that case an attempt viii be made to
have bettingless meeting. Missouri and
Illinois and Indiana had a hard night "a
enforce the anti-race track gambling
laws, but they were enforced, and in
those States racing Is no more.
In only eight States is racing now car
ried 0n-this refers TO running races, Of
cOurse-but there are a few others where
racing is legal. and may be instituted at
any time. New York. Kentucky Louis
lana. California, Oregon Montana, Mary
land. and the District OF Columbia are
now the cities of refuge" for the ponies.
the jockeys, and the tOuts. In Massa-
chusetts there are the steeplechases,
which are great annual events In Penn
sylvania and Delaware there is an effort
being made 10 get laws which will per-
NIT racing on an easy basis. In Georgia
the laws are favorable. but there has
been little racing.
South Carolina and Virginia were the
early homes Of the thoroughbred, and
Charleston was the site Of the first regu-
lar race course In this country. A propo-
sition to construct a course at Charles
ton and to rehabilitate racing there is
now being considered. Virginia has put
up the legal barriers Kentucky is the
only one OF the oidtime breeding States
which still permits racing, and the Blue
Grass State is now the home Of the best
horses IN the world.
The decadence of racing is probably
chargeable to the two things that have
done more than anyth!dg else to aid the
progress of other sports and endeavors-
the newspaper and the telegraph. These
two made the poolroom possible, and
the poolroom has proved an unmixed
evil 1t has ruined thousands by its at
fractions for gambling, il has injured rae
ing, and it has brought genuine sportsmen
into disrepute. If it had not been for
the evils of the pOOlrOom, there is little
doubt that racing would have as high
standing now as it had forty years ago.
The poOlrooms not only brought public
opinion to bear against the race track,
but It's effect on racing itself was perni-
cious. The all-the-year-racing the in
termlnable number of cheap races, and
the almost incredible multiplication Of
scandals may be traced, in large part, TO
the poolrOom, the handbook. and all the
nF IL gfrlF- fnl
gamblers.
The development Of the thoroughbred
ia the United States makes a story Of alb
sorbing interest Bulle Rock was the
first blooded horse brought TO America. !
so far as authentic records establish. He /
was sired by the barley Arabian, first
dam by Byerly Turk. was foaled in Eng |
land in us. and imported into Virginia !
in 1873, by Samuel Patton and Samuel |
Gist For many years Virginia and the /
Carolinas were the only colonies which |
interested themselves in horses for sport |
Their citizens We're sprung from the gay
cavaliers, and they inherited their love (
of sport from their fathers. In New Eng /
land the stern Puritan blood frowned /
upon almost every kind of diversion In /
New York the Dutch We're content TO sit 4
on the stOop with pipe and mug. The |
first horses of any kind brought to Amer /
lea came with Columbus on his second !
voyage in 1898. The first horses landed /
in what is now the United States were
put of on the coast of Florida In 1927 |
by Cabeza de Vaca. These became the /
founders of the race Of wild horses in |
America. jamestown received a stallion /
and six mares in 1903 the New Neither |
lands had work horses from Amsterdam /
sixteen years later, and in 1929 there
was a cargo of utility horses landed at |
Boston.
But the jamestown colony was TO be /
the one to foster the blooded horse. The |
name of every member Of the original /
Kings Council of jamestown appears in |
the American Stud Book, their descend /
ants being owners Of thoroughbred stall /
lions or mares-so general was the breed /
ing industry gone into by the sons of 1
the original Nrgnians. Lath and Wildair /
were TWO thOTOughbreds imported into
New York about 1765 by Mr.. De Lancey, !
but they later went to Virginia also
Regular racing meetings were held in /
Virginia as early as 1850 and George /
Washington's name appears as a judge
az a race meeting before he Won his l
laurels in the French and Indian war in
1883
However. the first actual racing organ
ization was formed in Charleston. S. C, 4
on February 70. 1860 A club was organ
lied and a course laid out. and named
Newmarket Course This was followed in
1871, Immediately after the formation of /
the government under the Constitution
by the brilliant South Carolina Jockey /
Club. This club had wonderful ca
reer. and its house was the very capitol Il
Of the sporting fraternity OF America for
many years. The war between the States
ended 1t all, When Washington was
President there were crowds Of thousands i
Of richly dressed people at the Charles
ton meetings. Respectable strangers from
abroad, or from other States. were not /
allowed to pay any entrance fee, and /,
were Immediately made guests OF the 1;
club and given a ribbon to indicate that
for the wearer everything was free-a
pretty and generous hospitality which
would require a twentieth century bill
iionaire TO foot the bills in these TWEEN
ieth century times
The first race horse to attract national
attention. probably. was Col William
Washington's Shark Being raced BY
the nephew Of the President. and hav-
ing developed wonderful speed. Shark
was the idol of the Carollnas. He was
the first American horse 10 be honored
with monument 10 mark his burial
place. The marble slab sets forth his
glorious record on the turf, and stands at
the site Of the old GAINESVILLE race course
a. a |