The Washington herald., 1907-06-16

AtA many rfHt1- buA LLl vi ~ tlAAA tlN a
out very strong as a breeder until 1902.
Knox Likes TrOtters.
Senator Knox. Of Pennsylvania. likes
TO drive trotters. and he handles the rib
bons well. but he isn't a race-track de-
votee The late Senator Blackburn, Of
/ Kentucky. was a turfman Of such promi-
nence that a famous racer was named
after him. Senators Hearst and Stan
ford. Of California, We're enthusiasts as
to fast horses. Stanford was one Of the
countrv's greatest breeders. He devoted
himself particularly to improving the
American light harness horse by crossing
| trotting stock with thoroughbreds and
his Palo Alto ranch was a noted one for
many years.
Timothy D. Sullivan has been a race
horse owner for many years. and was a
/ regular figure at Benning. while repre-
senting part Of New York's East Side
in the National Legislature.
He used TO bet a little more freely
| when in Washington than some of his
] advisers thought a member" should
but when one Of them ventured 20 ex-
press that view to him, big Tim" treat
ed it more as a joke than as anything
else.
sullivan and His Bets.
What goes in New York" he remarked
with conviction is good enough for
Washington" and nothing more was
said
I Though Sullivan is no longer a public
man in the national sense. to thousands
in New York he is the biggest statesman
alive. lie is running a big stable this
year. State Senator McCarren. a public
man in Albany and Brooklyn. II not OF
national standing, is a good deal Of a
racetrack man, and formerly had a string
Of horses.
In spite Of the comparative lack Of in-
terest taken in racing by most Of ogr
lawmakers and high officials. the rich
| society folk Of Washington are often az
the races. while the officials. naval men.
and army officers do not escheW them al
together by any means. Admiral Dewey
/ and Mrs Dewey. for instance. Ike a good
race rs well as the next couple
MiilionHires support the Races.
Many New York society folk attend the
| races pretty regularly. but there are
some shining lights In the eilded circle
who are not often seen at the tracks
Not a few Of them. indeed. possess pr
vate tracks Of their own and prefer them
to the public courses.
The Astors are not great race-track de-
| votees, neither are the GOelets nor the
Gerrys nor any Of the Vanderbilts now
most in evidence. save one. Nor We're the
| early Vanderbilts, the Commodore and
William II. drove trotters but used the
road for a track mostly, and after VIII
lam II. got Maud S.-the fastest trotter
Of her day-he would not let her be speed
] ed for money. The elder William X. is
the only Vanderbilt who has ever been
a confirmed race attendant He used u
be a familiar figure on most OF the tracks
near New York and he still owns q lot
Of stock in the Coney Island Jockey Club
Its track is et Sheepshead Bay and he
has been drawing dividends from T. for
years. but he never is seen there now
preferring TO do his own racing I'm
France. There his stable is little less
than an institution,
William X. jr's, devotion to auto
races may spring from a similar trait of
/ character as his fathers devotion o.
horse racing. but the result is different
/ Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilts liking for
/ horsefesh is in no sense that Of racing
man. He likes 20 sit on the box and tool
his own coach. while the crowd looks
on and admires. not TO sit on the stand
and see hired drivers win purses with
/ crack trOtteTs. or jockeys ride running
horses TO victory.
GOuIds NOt Enthusiasts.
jay Gould never went in for horses in
any way and none OF his sons cares
much for racing. Georges polo playing
and the pony races on his private track
/ at Lakewood are quite another thing
from regular racing, but he is occasional
Iy seen at Belmont Park and other
tracks. generally with the larger part of
his immediate family about him.
James r. Keene and Harry Payne
Whitney are among the miilionaires who
really support racing. Some persons have
an idea that these men make large prof
is in the betting ring but Keene never
bets and Whitney rarely makes a wager
/ Keenes winnings In purses and stakes
l seldom pay the expenses Of his stable
and he considers himself lucky. indeed
when he ends a season without a loss
The same statement is true about Whit
ney.
keeue Loved SysOnby.
Race-tack habltues like 10 tell how
Keene would sing the praises Of Sysonby
by the hour. after that peerless race horse
had won an event" He loved the horse
and considered Sysonby the most inteIli-
gent thoroughbred, the most courageous
and the feetest that ever lived. Whit
ney's bets rarely go above 80 or Sl5 on
any race. August Belmont has testified
under oath that he never bets. But he
makes more out Of racing than any other
man in America.
Few big bankers in New York or in any
other American city so IN much for rae
ing. Belmont being the most conspicuous
/ example His racing activities are not
only in harmony with those Of his IA
ther. but also with those Of the ROths-
childs, biggest bankers OF London whose
agency in this country is in the Belmont
] establishment.
On the other hand. F. Ambrose Clark.
a stepson Of Bishop Potter, is quite a
racing figure. while r II. McCarter Pot
ter. Of the same family as the bishop
owns racing stable, and a son Of Judge
Morgan J. O'Brien, Of New York. is a
1 gentleman jockey.
Young Midases I'm Racing.
Edward r. Thomas, son OF the late
Gen. Sam Thomas. gave up banking and
went in for racing several years ago. His
| heaviest single investment in the cause
was the purchase Of Hermis for the rec
ord price OF $4,000 four years ago. Thom-
as got the horse, together with a stable
full Of other expensive racers. mainly
70 please his wife, who was Miss Linda
Lee, daughter Of Col. William Lee. OF
.NtisviIip