Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-15
GETTING BANGTA|LS
READY FOR SPRING
Activity of Trainers and Their
Help at Grayesend and
Sheepshead Bay.

NEW YORK, December 14-Although
active racing for the season has ended
in the east the activity of trainers and
their help about the stables tas by no
means suspended. Down at Gravesend
and Sheepshead Bay, where 80 per cent
of the high-class horses are wintered,
there are, rs yet. few indications that
the dull routine of winter is at hand.
Several shipments of horses have reached
both tracks from Benning. Before the
last of the rate racers have been cooled
out so to speak, the greater part of the
month will have gone.
Just as the long weeks of galloping
are required to thoroughly fit horse for
the strain of racing, care must be taken
in preparing for an extended period OF
idleness. The Benning runners coming
back for the winter must be eased OFF
gradually by means of decreased work
until their handlers consider them fit for
the idle season. Therefore, although
there Will be no more racing hereabout
until about the first of next April, more
or less work in the way of gallopng
goes on at the local courses from day
weather will be continued throughout
the month.
indoor Work.
the period of indoor work. The horses by
that time do little, and trainers. stable
men and exercise boys relax from the
long hours and steady work entailed in
the handling of the runners during the
regular racing season. With most of
the stables, however. strict discipline is
enforced the year round.
In the next few weeks to come owners
and trainers Of the better class of horses
will have to decide about ,--eir .candi-
dates Tor the classic handicaps of 1908.
Nominations to the trio of $4,000 races
must be made by January /, and 1t is
a subject of much study. especially with
owners of big strings. to decide just what
shall be nonored by nomination to> one
or more of the classics. Paying for
fets in races of this kind means big
drain financially. but fe wowners care
to risk leaving out a horse that may de-
ve,op into a high-class handicap per-
former. Very frequently it has happened
that in order to save fees and fOrfeits
horses which could probably have Won
very valuable fixtures have not been made
eligible. To decide exactly what to do
with regard to next season big handl-
caps is the most important subject with
horsemen at the present time.
The Coming Three-Year-olds.
For these particular races owners and
| trainers find it especially difficult to de-
eide about their coming three-year-olds.
While as general thing it is safe to
assume that a juvenile which displayed a
liking for route will train on into a
misunderstanding three-year-ol the re-
verse is often the case. On the other
hand. there have been many cases of
accepted sprinters of the younger division
developing into long-distance performers
with additional age. 1t will readily be
recalled that Charles Edward was con-
sidered only a Splinter as youngster,
and until well on last summer, when he
suddenly developed ability to run far and
fast. creating a new worlds record at a
mile and an eighth and virtually equaling
the worlds best mark for a mile and a
half.
The case of Charles Edward, however,
was an exceptional one. and it stands
out among the seasons unusual happen
ings Nevertheless, it is just such things
that owners will be called upon to try
to anticipate in making nominations to
the classics at Now Year. The work
will be more important than ever this
| year, since the brooklyn and Suburban
| of 1908 will be worth more to the win
| ners than ever before.