The Washington herald., 1911-09-10
By L. d. SALE.

By L. ID. SALE.
Pumpkin shows and horse trots are
holding the boards in nearly every State
of the Union. The pumpkin show with
out the horse trots would be robbed OF
half of its interest, and the horse trots
without the pumpkin show would lessen
the gate receipts materially. As a draw.
ing card the pumpkin show and the
horse trots are invincible.
This has been so emphatically dem.
onstrated during the past ten years that
racing associations almost everywhere
have been. compelled to recognize the
fact, and have reorganized under the title
of fair associations. There Is no good
reason why exhibitions Of speed to har.
ness or saddle should not become a part
of agricultural exhibits Nowaday:
nearly every intelligent farmer has one
or more mares of the standard breed
which he crosses with some welI-bred
standard horse, and in so doing he
stands just as good a chance of breed
Ing an r. T. ca The Harvester, a
Joan, Uhlan, or a Dan Patch, as the
men who bred those remarkable speed
horses. Standard bred sires and stand
ard bred mares are almost as plenty
nowadays as were the nondescript kind
Of thirty-ffve and forty years ago.
SSs
The best annual agricultural exhibit
connected with speed exhibits within
nifty miles of Washington is the one just
Drought to a close at TimonIum, Md
In the matter of choice horse flesh Of
all types it easily leads all fairs held
In the matter of choice horsehesh of
pare with some of the large fairs held
by States of greater size and more
wealth per capita than Maryland cali
boast Of Washington horses during the
week, considering their number, got their
share of the money In the speed events,
and number of WashingtonIans were
present to see them perform The
Hagerstown and Frederick fairs will soon,
be on, and, weather permitting, large
crowds may be expected. The Rich
mond. Va, State Fair will also be in
commission soon, and will furnish amuse-
ment and instruction to those who
choose to attend. Next month county
fairs will hold the boards in Lower Vir-
gfnia, and by November l the fair sea-
son will have ended
Although the weather has been fairly
good during the week, there has been
nothing of a sensational nature on the
Grand Circuit. 1t Is possible that some
Of the fastest horses are being saved up
for the big purses offered by Inc Syrc-
cuse and Michigan State fairs. Later on
will come Lexington with good fat purses
and two weeks of racing, and wise horse
owners and trainers do not give their
horses more than they can well stand,
as the best conditioned and best season.
ed race horse will carry his speed edge
only just so long and no longer, It IS
the wise driver and trainer who knows
just how far to go. 1t Is an old adage
that q man may not eat MS leek and
keep IT too. A man may not race his
horse to death and expect that he will
remain sound or a money winner.
Thomas Murphy, the New York driver
and trainer, continues on his conquering
way. His winnings up to date are. ap-
preaching the $4,000 mark, and it is
IL any driver and trainer ever
went into winter quarters with such a
total Of winnings as Murphy will be
credited with when the racing season is
over. The greater share of his winnings
have been derived from the chestnut
gelding r. T. c.. for which he only paid
s, 800. 1t is doubtful II turf history re-
cords horse sold for anything like the
same sum of money that has won as
many rich purses as R. T. c. Now this
good horse was bred by an obscure Della
ware farmer, who, having well-bred
mare, bred her to a standard horse, and
while he little knew what he had pro-
duced, and, probably did get for him
much more than the price of good road
horse would ordinarily bring, he is
example to all farmers and others
who own well-bred mares.
The history Of racing proves that in a
majority OF cases sensational horses have
only one really great winning year, II
raced every week during a strenuous
Goldsmith Maid Is a notable
exception. Incorrigible as a fillly, and
only fairly broken to harness at eight
years of age, she raced successfully until
she was twenty, and set new worlds
record Of 2:14 at nineteen years. Cres-
ceus, q horse of bessemer steel; Joe
the Iron horse:" Sweet Marie
and Dan Patch lasted we'll but much Of
their racing, with the single exception
Of Sweet Marie, was against the watch.
and they consequently held their speed
longer than II they had performed in
actual races, where the heats would have
at least been three miles instead Of one.
What we have written is, in a large
sense. illustrated by the large winners
and sensational performers Of 1910. Hail
Worthy may truly be said to be one Of
the sensational trotters Of last year.
This year he has only won one good race
and up to date has done nothing notable.
The sensational four-year-old filly Of 1910
was Joan, who won 81, 600 mostly