Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-07-25
THE GRAND PRlx.
Story of the Greatest Horse Race il
the World.

IL Is Stlll the TlCNeSt HoISc idSe III
the world. Diamond seekers suffer
thirst in the Transvaal, rubber hunt
ers perish in the Orinoco ooZe. and
weary men fight sheep blight on Aus
tralian plains in hope Of seeing the
Grand Prix de Paris. African kings
Indian rajahs, Arab shieks, Siberian
princes, Turkish senators dream Of 1t
Then finally on a superb June morn
ing we are all together on the boule-
ward, where sunlight dancing through
the green shade speckles the wood
pavement. We've lunched, and we
take our coffee on the sidewalk ter
race, buy violets from the flower girls,
haggle for our blue Turf Chronicle,
glance at the Partisan dope sheet and
laugh for mere gladness at the slow
procession of antediluvian cabmen
and smart taxi chauffeurs prepared to
gouge us for the great event.
We don't mind the gouge; 1t is their
day; all want to go to the Grand Prix,
and nearly all find customers to take
them. African kings and Indian ra-
jahs have their turnouts ordered In
advance, but we'll advised diamond.
rubber, sheep and railroad sports will
dicker on the curb for just the trip
out-$2 or 49, Then when the race Is
over we won't have to put In two
hours hunting for our paid-in- advance
eauipage. Well hail any likely rig,
show gold and ride in triumph to Ar
menonville on the Chateau de Madrid.
Doubtless the ride out to the Derby
Is bowling happiness, as gaudy as
mescal dream, but it Is high pressure
gayety, alcohol stocked. The vast pro-
cession to Longchance Is In cooler
tones It's gayety Is sparkling soda,
Paris sunlight, Paris perfumes, the
toilets of a hundred thousand pretty
women rolling gayly westward
through the avenues-what need OF
other stimulant?
The whole 4,OOO,O 900 population has
gone tipsy in the air and sunlight.
Half a million get to the race track
or near It. River steamboats, unload
tells Of thousands. The Suresnes, st.
Cloud and Boulogne trolleys transport
other thousands in long trains.
The 10000 cabs and taxi-autos OF
the capital make no pretense OF doing
workaday trips; all seek to do their
Grand Prix" and even those cabmen
who find no fares loaf in the Bois, get
tipsy and whoop back to Paris in the
universal rush when all Is over.
In every Paris street the stay-at-
homes are at the windows, sympa-
thetically watching the new clothes
bound for Longchamps.
Every couple that pays 40 cents for
the pelouse (the field inclosure) car
ries the Grand Prix money OF six
neighbors. At the corner cafe walters
take the bets Of the remainder OF the
population for clandestine bookmak-
ers paying pari-mutuel prices.
What 1t comes to, Judge by last
years pari-mutuels only, l refer 10
money that was carried openly, cor,
rectly, to the race track and placed
with the governments officials In a
pool and divided among those who
picked the winner less eight per cent,
raked off for specific charities, prizes
and expenses of the Jockey club.
Here are the totals: Pesage Cash
ionable.) 1,04O,500 francs; pavilion
(dollar entrance) 244,095 francs; pc
louse (popular) 1,190,080 francs; to-
tai. 2,474,675 francs-almost $60O,OOO,
from which eight per cent Is deduct
ed. Thus government and Jockey
club charged the Partisan public $4O,-
900 Just to hold the Grand Prix mo-
ney twenty minutes.
The bookmakers Of the paddock
raked off who knows how much more
from the rich, silent sports who bet by
mods and fingers Leave them out.
But the clandestine milking of the
stay-at-homes Is counted equal to the
pari-mutuel figures, $40, 600 more paid
by the Paris populace In one June day
to avenge Waterloo.
They began avenging Waterloo In
1S61-63, when the Jockey club estab-
lished the Grand Prix Of $4,000,
open to three-year-old Of all lands, a
fiat running race, 5000 yards. 1t was
attacking England on her own ground,
where she had been invincible, and
England promptly answered by win
ming the first Grand Prix race with
Mr.. Saville's The Ranger.
"A second Waterloo" the French
mourned, but when the Banker Della
mares Vermont beat two English
favorites they rejoiced in a Waterloo
avenged.
Thenceforth the annual fight was on
between the Paris populace and few
wealthy English peers and others who
would risk crossing the channel with
their crack horses so close to the Der
by, the Oaks and Ascot.
The Parisians discovered one way to
show that they were fighting. Keep
the English horses price down." came
to be the watchword. How? BY bet
ting on the English horse.
So betting on the English horse be-
came a patriotic French duty. Now
and then the English horse would
win. In 1866 1t was the Duke Of Beau
forts Ceylon, in 1868 the Marquis of
Hastings Earl, in 1872 Mr.. Saville's
Cremorne and in 1874 Mr.. Marshalfs
Trent.
Then came a period Of six French
years. 1t was followed by an equally
remarkable seven years, in which the
English horse was five times winner;
In 1880 Mr.. Brewers Robert the
Devil; in 1881, J. r. Keene's (Amer-
ican) Foxhall; 1882, Bruce; 1885,
Paradox: 1886. Mr.. Vyner's Minting,
with whom the luck Of the English
horse seemed really to end.
Tine French horses were so good
and there were so many Of them, and
Paris jockeys had the habit OF going
all the way. For three years scatter
ing French stables won. then things
became so specialized that remark
able Grand Prix duel went on for sew
en- years. 1t began in 1890 by Baron
de Schickler's winning. Then Edmond
Blanc won twice.
Remarkable? 1t was to be more so.
The duel became triangular between
the Rothschild, Caillaut and Edmond
Blanc stables for seven years. except
when the Saint Alary stable took the
prize off in 1902, and Parisians had
become so used to this specialization
that when Mr.. Ephrussi's Finasseu
won the Grand Prix in 1905 every one
predicted a Rothschild- Blanc -Ephrus-
81 series.
The English horse? Parisians were
still betting on it only from a sense
of patriotic duty. They lost their
money cheerfully-to avenge Water
loo SO when Major Loder's Spear
mint actually won in 1906 the French
patriots pocketed their unexpected
winnings dazed-like. meditated half an
hour, and hurrahed cheerfully for
England.
IT'S the entente cordiale!" they eX-
planned. and sure enough in 1907 the
ROthschild stable bObbed up with
another winner San Souci ii.
The entente cordiale had been good
60 h,,t