The Washington herald., 1913-01-05

money on racing results that the
commission is most interested IN
The men who hold financial interests
in the four trotting tracks in the vicinity
of Baltimore have gone on record as be-
ing opposed to the pari-mutuel system OF
betting. Their objection to II Is that
II would lessen the financial receipts OF
their race tracks, which is true. The
bookmaker pays a certain sum per day
10 track associations for the right to lay
odds. and the more there Is of him the
greater the receipts. For some time
there has been growing up a public senti-
ment all over this country against book
making. and, in quite a number of States,
1t has been abolished for the reason that
it promotes speculation, which, IT is held,
is an injury to public morals. Maryland
is one OF the few States in the Union
where bookmaking is permitted. In de-
ference to rising public sentiment in
Maryland against all forms Of specula-
ton on race tracks the racing commits
sion has evidently bethought itself of a
compromise. and that compromise Is the
establishment of the pari-mutuel sys-
TEN Of betting.
We are inclined to believe that II the
will adopt the suggestions OF the racing
commission without making a vigorous
contest. To do otherwise than this will
only arouse public sentiment to still
greater efforts TO abolish all forms Of
betting on race tracks; and, if once the
battle is on, the race track people must
inevitably lose. Such has been the re-
suit in every State where the issue has
been made. Those people who patronize
oh fny he ~
specializing on results have done racing
sport in this country much damage. They
have carried their passion for speculation
beyond reason.
They have degraded a noble sport But
they are not the chief offenders; the
crime against racing sport rather lies at
the door of those men higher up, who,
by their greed. have opened the way to
public sport in the United States to day
is professional baseball. A game played
in any city in. the United States will
draw almost, II not quite, five times the
number of people a horse race will draw.
Suppose the owner OF league teams
should decide, in order 10 increase their
earnings, to bring in the bookmakers
and engender speculation on results, how
long would the sport remain clean and
.
Would thousands be hammerIng and
clamoring at the gates Of baseball parks
for admission, as is now the case? We
are sure they would not Under such
conditions would a President and a Vice
President of the United States honor the
grounds with their presence. We feel
sure they would not.
Time was, and not so very far back in
81 IL
dents and members Of Congress would
lay aside their official duties for the
h-ur to witness an honest contest be-
tween horses. Time was, and not many
years back, when Presidents bred horses
for track purposes and raced them. They
do this no longer. There was betting
on race tracks in those days, but II was
done in an transformations way. Men
wagered with each other. and when they
lost paid the score like gentlemen. a
private bet was as much matter of
honor as any other pledge Money did
not pass between gentlemen until the
race was decided To have suggested a
stakeholder would have been resented as
an insult. In England the reigning SOW
ereign and his family patronize the turf
with their presence. The King of Eng
land breeds and races horses. The Presi-
dent of France attends the races at
England, France. Germany, Austria
Hungary. Italy, and Russia breed and
race horses.
And, while on the subject of ruts, there
is visible evidence that some Of the
horsemen Of the District of Columbia, at
least, are billed for a new departure.
Heretofore. only aged horses have been
raced. This year we are to witness some
interesting novelties in the way Of colt
stakes. II takes a people a long time to |
get out of old grooves and established |
customs. So accustomed have We become |
here of late. to mark with failure every |
proposition tending TO improve condi- |
I ions that any project out of the ordinary |
gives some local horsemen heart-failure |
for fear IL will take a dollar or two from |
their pockets. There are too many horse |
men in Washington who are afraid TO |
let go Of a dollar for fear they will never |
see 1t again. There are too many horse |
men in the District who want to feel they /
have an alright cinch on the futlrity |
stakes before they will enter. The bot
tOmless pit is already so full OF this breed |
of sportsmen that their feet are sticking /
,ut Of the windows.
The two-year-old futurity stake of 1913 |
closed at midnight Wednesday. January
=, as for weeks It has been announced
they would Five nominations have been
made and the two-year-old futurity will |
be pulled of in the late summer or early
fall. All honor to the nominators of
these colts. They have shown the cour-
age Of their convictions. They believe they
own something that it will pay to de-
velop; they are willing TO take chance, |
anyway. Some one man in the bunch of
five owns q colt that will win first money, L
and every nominator at this very hour
believes he has got a chance That is
the kind Of spirit we like to see mani
tested. and we very much regret that the
list Of nominators is not ten in number |
instead Of five. II would look better |
Now, It matters little from the point Of y
genuine sportsmsnshlp, whether these
trot their miles in 2:l0 or
800 on the day the futurity is
pulled OF. The big thing to be considered
is, that a new era in local horse affairs
has been inaugurated. Hereafter our
Youngsters will have an earning capacity.
horsemen hereafter will ap-
pear as II they were not all dead and
ready for burial
Denis J. Mccarthy names the black
FLY Kathleen Dewey, by Alto Dewey;l
Robert Brown enters a black ally (yet
10 be named, by Alto Bell: william An
trews names the bay colt Bingo, by Lord
Bingen; Norman Corbin enters a sorrel
Sly, by Bale Axworthy (yet to be
ramedD, Jayins brothers, John and
Francis, enter a bay colt by Kushaw, |
name unknown. Each entrant Is {
ashionably bred. Two entrants-Kath- 1
cen Dewey and Bingo-carry the cleo
n~,~ Al.