Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-08
REVIEW OF RACING SEASON
Jockey Club Tracks Lost 500, 900 in
Round Numbers.
HoRsEMEN ARE ALSO SUFFERERS
Ballot, Colin, CeIt, Fair Play, Jack
Akin, Priscininn, Maskette, sir
Martin and FRyette the
Best Race Horses.

NEW YORK, Nov. 1.-THE racing season
just closed will go on the records as the
most disastrous in the history Of the turf
in this country. The passage of the Agnew-
Hart bill last June practically killed the
sport. The Jockey club tracks operating
in this state have lost more than 100000
all things considered, yet they kept the
gates open to the end of the campaign,
which wound up at Jamaica on November
&; ten days earlier than usual.
In addition to the losses sustained by the
tracks. the horsemen were also seriously
affected to the extent of s5O0,O00 due to the
reduction in the value of thoroughbreds.
horses in training and yearlings, to the cut
in purses and stakes and the declaring off
of other stakes and many overnight events.
In short, the racing industry which yielded
81, 10000 in profits for race track stock
holders in 1907 has degenerated into a hope
less losing venture. with no chance for a
revival unless there is a change in the pres
ent conditions.
But In spite of this falling off in business
there was much high class racing. The
best horses I'm training were Ballot, Colin,
Celt. Fair Play. Priscillian, Maskette, Sir
Martin, Fayette, Jack Atkin and others,
who practically won all the big stakes.
Keene the Big Winner.
James r. Keene again headed the list
Of winning owners with more than s2ls,OOO,
followed by John e. Madden, August Bel
mont, H. p. whitney and so on down. The
leading trainer was A. ]. Joyner, who
handled the Belmont and whitney horses,
also several Of his own, winning in all
nearly 100 races for a total of almost $780,
| Ann R.,o- DDuto th1 KaaoA frofnor cant
forty-seven winners to the post. but he had
fewer horses In his care than Joyner. Mad
den trained his own horses, while other
leading handlers Of t~horoughbreds were
Thomas Welsh, Frank Weir, John Higgins,
]. ]. Hyland, j. II. Mccormick and many
more.
The leading jockeys-with a big margin
over the others, too-were Joe Notter and
q. Dugan. They were in a class by them
selves, as Walter Miller. last years cham
pion. became a back number as soon as he
came east last spring.
Law Strikes Early.
When the season opened at Aqueduct on
April Is the Agnew-Hart bill was before
the legislature. but 1t was the general be-
lief. among turfmen then that 1t would be
defeated. The Jockey club, however, issued
orders on the opening day at Aqueduct that
the former b~ookmakers' stools could not be
used. This made 1t necessary for all Of the
layers to stand up during the afternoon, a
real hardship for some of the heavy
weights.
The Agnew-Hart bill became a law on
June IL by a vote Of 20 to Is, and the turf
world was stunned. There were 1900 per-
sons at the track that day and speculation
was brisk on all of the six events. But
the next day only 5000 persons went to
Gravesend, where the police cleared the
betting ring and made a number Of arrests.
! The former bookmakers were forced out
upon the lawn, where they proceeded to
do private business on a credit basis, but
even there they were in many cases ar
: rested and indicted. Betting at the track
from June IL was practically nothing com
pared to the speculation of old times
t, 1t was estimated that Mr.. Dwyer lost
|, $4,000 on the meeting. as there was nc
reduction in stakes and purses. while the
!, paid attendance was almost nothing
1 The Sheepshead Bay spring meeting
h opened on June 10. After Fayette and Sir
r Martin had run one, two in the Double
Event, of which Madden's share was IS, 700
d Ballot ran a magnificent race in the Sub
urban. There were twelve starters and
o crowd OF nearly 1900 persons turned GU
e in spite Of the fact that there was little o.
no betting. Ballot handled III pounds, wen
n to the front at the first quarter pole anC
after that he was never in trouble. He woI
o by two lengths in 2:O3, a new track record
with King James second. six lengths be
fore Fair Play. Ballots winnings wer
$1s,750.
At the other Tracks
Brighton Beach had declared off all o
II IL. .talxo. a01 bod rad,cod Tho ptsraaa a
d $500 and $500, with several small stake
n added, when the meeting opened on Jul!
ID I. Many were arrested durinI
the session, while the Kings county gran'
jury returned Indictments against c.. ]
Fitzgerald, W. A. Engeman and John G
ID Cavanagh, the ceases still pending. Franl
is Gill won the Trident handicap from He's
he sian, running a mile and a quarter 4
a 2:04, and then a week later Big Chief bea
Frank GIL in the Ocean Wave handica
at the same distance in s;Os As. After tina
g in the Breakers handicap Frank CT
squared matters with Big Chief. who too
II up ten pounds and was beaten In 2:0 IL
Arasee then ran a mile in 1888 35 in tn
~ Crest handicap and beat Big Chief. fror
~ whom he received fifteen pounds, by seve
lengths, The Brighton management brok
about even, but a number Of horseme
did not receive their money.
- Saratoga. having eliminated several c
= the richest stakes and cut the purses one
half, opened on July 30, to lose nearly $40
~ 900 on a meeting Of fifteen days.
y The summer meeting at Empire Cit
~ opened on August Is and nearly $4,000 wa
:, lost.
When Sheepshead Bay opened for II
- fall meeting the Coney Island Jockey clu
ne issued orders that all kinds OF bettiu
rs | -. - IL A. - 49, - =
in ,anaaDoa u,b,ch bod hen fatr fau zee
wv DothInS An ., ,he Mo- stsLes 49, -
off with reduced purses in the oVernigl
co events. When the meeting was over
of