Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-11
PLAN HARNESS
RACE CIRCUIT
DESIGNED TO TAKE IN ENTIRE
COAST
BREEDERS AND HoRsEMEN HEAD
THE MOVEMENT
Seven Southern California Cities to
Be Added-Expected to Rival the
Grand Circuit In Its Annual
Meetings
BY DAN PATCH

both breeding and racing, of the state
of California bid fair to assume that
! prominence to which they surely are
justly entitled, both by previous per-
formances and present conditions
/ Twenty years ago this state electrified
| the horse world by the sensational
speed that was bred within its borders
! by former Governor Stanford at Palo
Alto by Mr.. Rose and Count Valensin.
| Nothing had come out of Kentucky
that could begin to show the speed of
Sweetheart, Sweet Briar, Hinder Rosa
and others of their age. Those that
were sent to the sales at Madison
Square Garden, New York, brought
fabulous prices-$1O,OOO and upward.
This sum was pad for an untried year
ling and $4,000 and more was paid for
a developed stallion like Stamboul.
Arion brought S125, 900 as a two-year-
old Then came the Delmar family, of
which Major Delmar is a shining light
the Sidney billions and McKinneys,
with Lou Dillon, Sonoma Girl and
Sweet Marie to perpetuate their fame.
And there are others right here in
California today that are just as
good both as founders of families and
as race horses. There is no reason on
earth why California should not rival
if not excel Kentucky in the number
and class of harness horses she could
raise.
With this end in view the Pacific
Coast Trotting Horse Breeders asso-
citation already is inaugurating trot-
ting circuit for next year, beginning
July 1, to take in the entire coast
from Seattle, WASH, to San Bernardo
no. the association to manage the
whole circuit. 1t is the intention to add
to the present circuit San Diego Santa
Barbara, Los Angeles. San Bernardino,
Fresno, Salinas, Woodland and two or
three other towns in the south, wind
ing up at the Sacramento state fair,
then go on through the Washington
and Oregon curcuits, getting through
in time to get to Phoenix and possibly
back to Los Angeles in the fall, say
the middle or last of November.
F. w. Kelly, secretary of the Pacific
Coast Trotting Horse Breeders asso-
citation, now Is in communication with
the different towns inviting their CO.
operati ton, and there is little doubt of
his success. The difficulty of getting
the horses from the far north down to
the first meetings in the south at first
seemed a hard proposition, but Kelly
seems to have solved the problem by
proposing to run a train made up of
palace horse cars free from Sacrament
to or Frisco to the first southern
meeting, this expense to be borne by
the southern towns that would thus
be assured of a full entry list. The
purses will be large enough to attract
all the horses on the coast and even
as far east as Denver. None will be
less than $500, and so on up to $4,000,
with number of stakes for more than
double the latter amount.
There Is no reason why in the course
of a couple of years this circuit should
not become such a strong rival of the
present grand circuit that it would
draw all the horses of grand circuit
caliber from as far east as Denver
After this first long shipment to the
coast the Jumps would be compare
lively short as compared with the pres
ent grand circuit, and little or no risk
of postponement on account of wealth
err, which is one of the drawbacks to
racing east. A trainer may ship to
three or four points and then not get
a race, for perhaps his best horse,
owing to the classes for the last day
being declared off," and he has had
his expense of shipping for nothing.
With such a circuit the breeding in
terests would pick up to wonderful
extent and attract buyers from all over
the world, as Kentucky Goes now, and
that would mean hundreds of thou
sands of dollars distributed in this
state. Now is the time of all others
to make this a success as the running
game practically Is killed in the east,
and even the followers of the bang
tails would come over to the trotters
rather than see no racing at all, and
to very many of them it would be
simply a return to their first love.
Then, again, with the breeding inter-
ests revived, thoroughbreds would be
raised and developed, for no one for a
moment imagines that running races
will be permanently abandoned in this
country, a sport that has been in ex-
istence since the days of ancient
Rome.
1t is possible to give trotting meet
ings without betting, for the horsemen
themselves put up nearly all the purses
they trot for in entrance fees For in
stance, in a $1,000 purse, the four money
winners have contributed 10 per cent,
or $500, and say there were ten entries
the other six would be assessed 5000,
leaving the association giving the meet
ing only $500 to pay, and some other
races with twenty and more entries
would average up, so that they really
would have to give nothing and leave
the gate receipts free for other ex-
penses and profits. But, If the public
demands betting, then do away with
the bookmakerS both on the trotting
and running tracks and go back to the
pari-mutuels and to the auction pools,
and, in any case, stop the betting on
heats in trotting races. That has been.
and always will be, the cause of more
dissatisfaction and criticism than any
thing connected with the sport. Do
away with that and. there will be very
much less tedious scoring, and few
races will go out to five heats, and the
program can be finished in a reason
able time and without the audience be-
ing tired to death seeing a few leg
weary and exhausted horses struggling
home at the end of the seventh or
even ninth mile, with some other race
they are interested in being carried
over" till the next day, after perhaps
only one heat has been trotted. :
To return to the proposed circuit. Let
all the towns take hold and make II
success, not only the driving clubs
and horsemen, but the business men.
1t will not only eventually bring thou
sands into the state, but will benefit
the inhabitants of the towns imme-
diately A trotting meeting is not like
circus, that drains not only. the town
II shows in of every spare nickel, but
all the surrounding country for twenty
miles. The horsemen carry nothing
with them except the horses and traps.
They pay for their board and lodging
I