The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-23

The opening of the Canadian racing season at Toronto yesterday and of the Manitoba season at Brandon to- morrow, brings to American lovers of the sport of kings sorrowfnl thoughts of the fall of their favorte pastime. ]. When one reads in the sporting Jour- nals that the Buffalo handicap failed to fill. that the stakes at Rome, New York. had to be reopened because there were not enough entries. that the Terrs Kaute handicap was called of. and that even the great Columbus handicap aid not i'll. he begins to realize how thor oughly the racing interests have de- clined The bookmaker has been driven from pillar to post until there are only two places In the united States where he can ply his trade in the open-Pimlieo., near Baltimore, and Latonia, near Cincinnati.
 Only two years ago there were 5000 people at the races at Belmont Park on Decoration Day. All lovers Of speedy horsefiesh in New York seemed to be there. The bookmaker flourish ed In all his glory, and 1t Is said q million dollars changed hands in the betting. Last year the crowd had twindled to 10000. and this year there were less than 5.o00Npeople within the gates. It Is the same everywhere. Almost in night the American people have changed from the worlds great est lovers of horse racing to deter mined opponents of the game.
 It was thought that theroutiawing of the race track in the United States would result in the trahsplanting Of the Yankee racing stables to Canada. but Canadian sportsrnen have declared that they want no carpetbag" racing there, and that they will not permit the long seasons that have been the custom on American tracks. However. the Canadians have not yet reached the frame, of mind where the book maker Is looked upon as an outlaw. The Cubans do not have the same scru- ples against "carpetbag" racing as the Canadians, and the sportsmen of Ha- vana are hoping to induce the Amerf- cn horsemen to come there for q win ter racing season.
 It has long been claimed that horse racing cannot flourish without the bookmaker, and this finds no better proof than in the case of the Saratoga track, which. up to the time of the opening of Belmont Park, was the nn- est rae ecourse in the world. Who does not recall Saratoga, richest sum mer resort in America; place where money flowed freer than the waters or It's many springs summer headquarters of both great political parties in New York; and meeting place of statesmen from every part of the country? fet the grandeur that was Greece and the glory that was Rome are no more de- parted than the splendor of Saratorga. King Thoroughbred reigns there no more, and a bill Is pending in the New York Legislature for the sale of the Saratoga property to the State.
 Never in the history of the country did racing give more promise of per- manency than in 1907. An army of men greater in numbers than that with which the United States won the Mex ican War, found it their means of live- lihood Enough millions were invest ed in the sport to equip second-rate navy. and enough millions more were annually spent in it's upkesp to matn- tain that navy. Never had such tre- mendous crowds gathered at the tracks; never had there been better horses. better jockeys, better trainers, or bet ter tracks. But what seemed to be the signs of even a greater future proved the beginning of the end. The very prosperity of the sport contributed to its undoing, and today horses that were cheered by tens of thousands as they led their field under the wire. ara