The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-01-13
(pittshurg Dispatch.)

tlttSnuTS llSnatcn.)
There they GO" shouted thousands
on Saturday. April 20. and thousands
of others echoed They're off" at the
Lexington track in Kentucky on the
same afternoon, and from now on
every day, rain or shine. hot or cold.
the ponies is they arc called, will
chase each other around the race
tracks Of this country. After Licking
on they will go to Louisville, Ky,
Canada, Salt Lake, latonia. Okla
then the winter schedule of race meets
will be published. They will then
migrate to Florida. Mexico and other
southern states until they come back
again the. following spring.
Abont the same old crowd attend
each day. hoping against hope, and
feeling sure that this is the day that
each and every individual will have a
hard time CARRYING the load of green
backs they just rob the poor book
maker of.
Each track has Il large number of
horses, 800 to Loo ant more at each.
Then each stable has its trainer, rub
bers. jockeys, etc. which means quite
an army of employees. all striving to
Guido the other stables as to the num-
Der OF races won and the killings
iidue Ior tnelr employer.
Since Governor Hughes stopped rae
ing III New York state by putting the
nan on betting and making the stock
holders of various tracks liable to
terms In prison for violations on the
tracks as regards wagering. other
tracks nave benefited because it makes
it imperative for owners and trainers
of many stables who only raced on
New York tracks to seek other fields.
and so many of the best horses in the
country now run at tracks they would
never have lowered themselves to run
IN before.
Horse racing today. with purses
from 500 to $500. seem small indeed,
to $500 to $1,000 as were once. Stakes
now only amounting to as much as
$4,000 are about the highest, excep,
in rare cases, while 1t used to be no
uncommon thing to sec stakes $40, OOO
and $4,000, but without the aid OF
the booknlakers' advance money 10,
the privilege of laying odds the at.
tendance alone would not allow the
managements Of the tracks to Offer
lsuch large stakes and purses.
On the New York tracks it cost q
bookmaker from 800 to $50 a day
to do business. and before he made q
dollar. Besides this eXpense he hai
to have a cashier, a sheet writer AND
iIoII tnfee 10 SIN OtneFS 10 nelp, anC
all at high salaries.
Probably the earliest instance OF
racing horses recorded in literature
occurs in Elomer's Had. xiii, 212-65O
where the various incidents of the
chariot races at the funeral game.
held in honor of Patroclus are detail.
ell with much vividness.
According to the ancient authorize,
the four-horse chariot ace was intro
duced into the Olympic games az earl,
as the t~wenty-third Olymriad: to THU
the race with mounted horses wal
added later.
OF the training and MANAGEMENT o
the OLYMPIC race horse We are left II
ignorance, but it Is known that the
equestrian candidates were required
to enter their names and send theil
horses to Ellis at least 30 days befor,
the celebration Of the games: com
meneed, and that the. charioteers ans
riders. whether owners or proxies
went through a prescribed course %
exccisc during The intervening month