Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-14

pable of any amount of hard usage. 1t is
this which makes them valuable as weight
carriers. Before the ponies arrive there Is
a meeting of the club and the members who
have subscribed draw lots for first choice.
Often a member disposes of his right to
first choice, and in some instances mem
bers have paid large bonuses for the right
to make the first selection. This may be
due to the presence of some exceptionally
fine looking animal in the bunch or the
possession of advance information as to
the merits of some particular horse.
1t is said the English system of training
prevails all over the far east. But from the
observations of the writer no regular sys-
tenn was used. Horses are worked indis-
criminately. and feeding goes along just
the same. There are work outs" and speed
trials, but no definite plan seems to be
followed to get the horses fit" This Is
demonstrated by the horses which go to the
which was successful in many events and
won the Champions in Chefoo and Using
tau China. was prepared on the roads by
his owner, who used to boast that the only
training the horse received was running
fifteen miles each day.
There is quite circuit in the far east
for horse racing. 1t embraces Yokohama,
Toxic. Japan, then Chefoo. Tientsin. Using
tau and Hongkong, China, finally winding
up with the greatest meet of them all at
Shanghai. Each club boasts of it's Cham
pion' stakes. and oftentimeS the best horses
go all over the circuit. The winning of the
owners, and the wealthy men who indulge
in the sport spend enormous sums to graf
ify this ambition. Pools are sold on these
champion events throughout the far east,
to its fortunate possessor small fortune.
Race Day in Yokohama.
Weeks before the races open in Yoko-
hama the papers are full of the subject,
describing the new horses and the probable
winners All over the streets advertise
ments appear announcing the event, and
the mystic IN. r. c. (Nippon Race Club
appears in every form of advertisement.
The Japanese merchants. quick to grasp
the Yankee idea of advertising, put their
tise the fact extensively. This is particular
ly SO of the brewers. who spend huge sums
to popularize their products.
The road to the track carries one through
Dirty Town. squald settlement just
abutting the select residence section of the
city Hundreds of children play in the
narrow, crooked streets, and many a help
less tot pays the penalty of curiosity in the
after "tiffin' Gas they call luncheon in the
easD, and are half an hour apart. A first
class ticket emitting the holder to all the
privileges of the track costs four yen, or
two dollars gold Only the foreign element
and the high-class Japanese buy these
tickets. The general public patronize the
ffty-cent Enclosure, and have a great deal
more fun.
pretentious grand stand is provided for
the patrons of>the first class. and a smaller
stand. about one hundred yards away Is
for the general public. The main stand is
surmounted by a well-appointeu private box
for the exclusive use Of the imperial family
1t Is an old and established custom in
Japan that whenever the emperor appears
in public he shall occupy the place of
vantage; that no one shall occupy a place
higher than he, for the imperial presence
must not be looked down upon even from
the standpoint of view.
Just back of the grand stand are the
stables, and in front of these is a COM
modious paddock, where the horses are
saddled. Each stable vies with the others
in point of decoration, and before each
entrance a wealth of flowers adds beauty to
the scene. Following the English idea, all
stables have guest room, where the
and provides the champagne with which
to drink his success. Over each stable cou-
pied with the Japanese flag is the lag of
the owner. No American has broken into
the racing game as yet, and the only evil
dence of Old Glory which one can Is
in the general decorations. The flags of
Germany and France are largely in evil
dence.
japanese Are Great Jockeys.
Some day a shrewd horseman will go to
Japan and engage a native jockey and his
venture will be a success, for the jap
anese jockeys have every thing that goes
to make first-class rider. They are of
diminutive stature and can easily reduce