Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-24

lature. 1t is reported IndU more imam
$500 900 was spent in trying to stay
the resistless tide of public sentiment.
But it was without avail The Agnew-
Hart law was enacted and the book
maker in New York became man
without q Job. Then California became
the Mecca of the sporting element,
who flocked there like the gold seekers
in 1S49 But that state promptly adj
rninistered a black eye to bookmalting
and some five million dollars worth OF
racing plants were rendered useless.
Then Louisiana followed the example
of New York and betting was stopped
at New Orleans. Colorado also turned
a cold shoulder to the sport, and even
Benning, near Washington, once the
gathering place for senators, represen-
tatives and other high government Of
ficials, has an unused track on account
of an anti-betting law.
In some states the war on racing
has been most dramatic. Next to Gov
ernor Hughes the man who was prin-
cipally responsible for the outcome In
New York was Senator Voelker. On
the day the vote was to be taken on
the Hart-Agnew bill those opposing
its passage We're confident because of
the fact that Senator Voelker was seri-
ously i'll. In violation of the orders Of
his physician this legislator was car
ried on a cot into the senate chamber
at Albany and cast the ballot that de-
cided the issue. In Louisiana senator
so i'll that he was hardly able to stand
arose from his seat at Baton Rouge
and virtually closed the tracks in that
state by his vote. In Missouri the
question was decided by Senator Hicks
of Sedalia. He first voted against the
reform legislation and explained that
he did so in order to make good his
promise to the state fair people. This
seemed to assure the racing element
victory by the narrowest of margins,
but on the deciding ballot the senator
changed his vote. He explained that
he had voted for the fair people on the
first test, but on the second he voted
for himself.
The recent decisions of the New York
courts that personal wagers would be
lawful has not helped the race tracks
much, as that sort of betting cannot be
safely INDUCED in except between
friends.
But at the same time it has served to
give people of means who visit the
tracks in parties all the excitement of
the old regime, the while eliminating
the "piker." The tracks around New
York are making a tremendous effort
to pull through in spite of the heavy
handicap under which they labor, and
even If they fail to meet expenses this
year lIl6 StdSOll Will liOI NC NOuiiLFu ciiA
entire failure.
The plight of the thoroughbred does
not apply to harness racers. They
have a value outside the race track,
for fast drivers are wanted on every
speedway in the country. The indica-
lions are that light harness racing will
be- more popular than ever since the
eclipse of the thoroughbred. The forth
coming season promises many speedy
youngsters, and some of the seasoned
trotters and PAGERS are showing re-
markable speed in the spring training.
The thoroughbred may we'll feel that
it was not always thus. Without go
ing back to the time when Thothmes I
of the eighteenth Egyptian dynasty
wrote in his papyrus diary how he had
acquired the fastest race horse In the
world, or to the time when King Solo
mon, wisest of men, acquired racing
stable paying $4,000 fer a single horse;
without going back even to England
and her kings devoted to racing, one
can find George Washington lover of
the turf and a judge of the races.
Virginia is the mother Of the Ameri-
can thoroughbred. Bulle Rock was first
brought there from England in 1880.
and a great sire he proved to be. The
race horse was the associate of the
cavalier, and his home on American
soil was Virginia and the CaroIinas.
Charleston, S. c., held the first regu-
lar race meet and the best horses of
the south were there. After South
Carolina came Maryland, and it is re-
lated that even the church looked with
kindly eyes upon the sport.
Puritan New England did not take
kindly to racing for many years, and
Dutch New York thought more about
draft horses than thoroughbreds
Finally, however, New York became in
terested in the thoroughbred, and after
a few years John c.. Stevens offered to
back Eclipse against all corners for
$4,000 a side. This offer was intended
especially as a challenge to the SOUTH
Colonel w. r. Johnson, John Randolph
of Roanoke and other southern breed
ers took counsel among themselves and
accepted the challenge. They selected
four horses to be taken to New York,
the best one at the time to go against
Eclipse. John Richards was regarded
as the best of the four, but he was in
jured in training. Finally Sir Henry
was selected.
The order of the race was four-mile
heats, best two out of three. Even in
that early year of 1923 more than go, 900
people went to the track to witness the
event In the first heat Henry led all
the way. In the second he led for the
first three miles, but lost by a narrow
margin at the wire. Eclipse had a safe
margin at the end of the third heat.
Thus was won the first great national
race. More than $1,000 900 changed hands
on the event, which was more money
in that day than $2,0O0,000 would be
now. The running time for the whole
twelve miles was less than two minutes
to the mile.
Copyright 1909, by Frederic J. Haskin)