The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-30
sport OF KINGS"
ON THE DECLINE
Horse Racing One of Few
Sports of the Decade on
the Downgrade.
(By Billy Birch.l

Chicago, Dec. 3O.-Once styled the
sport. Of kings" nov chased hither
and thither by irate state officials,
with the meeting places getting scare
err and scarcer every year. horse rae
decade on the down-grade, with no
recourse in sight.
Governor MarshalTs statement when
he ordered out the national guard to
prevent the bangtails from "bobbing"
at Porter, Ind, probably explains bet
ter than anything else why the sport
is slowly moving toward oblivion. Il
don't see. why Indiana should be made
the dumping ground for a lot of tin
horn gamblers was the gist of the
governors announcement. 1t tells
what the sport of horse racing has
d~egenerated to.
Locally the Porter affair was the
only thing of interest to Chicagoans.
The history of the opening and clos
ing is short. When the first announce
ment was made that a thirty-day a c
ing meeting would be held at Porter,
Ind, without betting, there were few
who really believed the thing would
20 through. However. the promoters.
who We're said to be Indiana business
men, went ahead. purchased land for
lllC C1IlCI ~ LOG LII III d ulSL q
plant.
Several thousand people were pres
ent on the opening day. and it didn't
take long for local sportsmen to find
out who was back of the new track.
From ten to twenty handbook men
worked on the spectators before each
rae and then came the real shock
after little less than a week of rae
ing. "A troop of soldiers marched on
the track just before starting time one
afternoon and the horse owners i'm
bles for Canada.
California, too, suffered a setback
during the Year when after some 3d.
900 signatures had been signed ask
ing that racing be LOCALIZED in that
state the bill vas put to a popular
vote, with the result that it went
down.
Despite all of these handicaps many
of the old tracks are still open for
business. loyal to the game and bat
Ting against the reform wave. Latonia,
Juarez. Fort Erie, Butte and a num-
Der of Others are running race meet
ings all the way from twenty to thirty
days. but in a far different manner
than in the old days. No more do
10000 followers, including society's
best. hover near the finishing point.
The promoters are barely raising feed
money and the purses are far from
the amount of other days.
However. the American track was
not without its thrills. The Endurance
stake run at the Louisville Jockey
clubs fall meeting proved to be the
most sensational of the year. Sotemia,
by L~ochachee. capturing the major
part of the purse after esta blishing "A
new record for the four miles by GO
ing the distance in 7:1O As.
As regards speed coupled with
weight. The Manager was by Tar the
best horse of the ear at any age.
The only other horse that compared
with him was Frogleg. and whom
these two speeders entered into the
running in the Canadian Derby at
Fort Erie. Tho Manager romped
home far in the lead. although he
was giving his rival three pounds adj
vantage in weight. Helios, son of
Starslloot. was the premier ~2-year-old
Of the season. he having won his last
six starts up to tho end Of june.