New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-03

horn with the man; Providence has Inn
| pressed in his heart and brain the betting
instinct. II is responsible for civilization ;
progress in every country I'm the world
Without 1t our own population and wealth.
would be about third Of what they are
to-day; science and invention would be
back one hundred years. and the immeas-
urable aid which our country has given
through its wonderful development to the
ha'f-fed populations of older countries
would still be matter of the future;
Without speculation-call il gambling III
YOU wish-enteTprise would cease. bust
! ness decay. values decline and the coun-
| try would go back twenty years in less
| than one.
The suits which followed were finally
settled by the creditors of the failed
firms accepting Mr.. Keene's offer to pay
10000 to cover all claims.
Following this he suffered serious
| breakdown and went 70 Europe to recover
| his health. In September, 1911. he under
went a critical operation He recovered
rapidly and returned home in October. IT
was even limited this last August that he
| would resume stock operations, but not
| long afterward his health failed again.
liis critical condition came to light Just
after Christmas when his valet commit
ted suicide on Christmas Day
Az the hacetrack.
Mr. keene's career as "A racing man
| covered a period Of thirty years A tabu-
| lated estimate Of his stables winnings i'm
| stakes and purses for that time shows 1t
TO be over s2,jO0,000. He headed the list Of
winning owners for number of years.
while he established a worlds record in
| 1907, when his horses won a grand total
Of s40}.ol6 Strange 10 say, however, the
| tabulator in his grand totals in its turf
history has omitted to include the win
ninGs Of the first two good racehorses
| James r. Keene ever owned Reference
| is made to SDendthrift and Dan Sparkling.
which won Mr.. keene the Withers. the
| Belmont the Travers and other rich
stakes in 1873 Dan Sparkling afterward
| was sent to Major Foxhall Daingerfeld's
| place at Wren's Nest. Va, while Spend
| thrift made "A great name for himself at
| the stud.
OF the horses that have won this levia-
! than sum. Domino. Colin. Sysonby. Delhi.
| Ballot, Peter Pan and FoXhail were
| among the biggest winners. The last
named won s63. 900 IN England and France,
as he never ran on this side of the ocean.
! And in addition to his stake and purse
| earnings noted. FoXhall must be credited
with adding $4,000 more to the gross
total of stable earnings. This is repre-
scented by the only heavy betting coup OF
! Mr.. kecne's long turf career over Fox
! halls double victory at Newmarket IN
| ISL for the Cesarewitch and Cambridge
shire stakes. Mr.. keene rarely wagered
IN his own horses. being content 10 run
| for the stakes and purses.
| Before James r. keene left California
TO take up his residence in New York. In
| the late 1O's, he was a patron OF the trOt-
| ting turf Between operations in The
Consolidated Virginia and the other DO
! nar7a mines he found time 10 purchase
| the trotting stallion Sam Purdy. and
brought him East. sending him later TO
the Daingerfield place. at Wren's Nest.
| Va. But his first venture In racehorses
| was the purchase. In 1873. 81 the TWO
/ three. year-ods Dan Sparkling and Spend
| thrift. from Colonel Thomas Puryear, or
New Jersey lie gave 100000 for the
| pair. Spendthrft being valued At $4,000.
a large price for a racehorse az that time.
| Ills first stake success was the Withers,
Of that year, at Jerome Park. for which
| nc ran one, two. with Sparlng and
| Spendthrif'. as named. Since then his
Collins Career.
Nh Keene was particularly unfortunate
with his great horses. Domino, the win
ncr Of slSo.0S5 as two-year-od, came TO
an untimely end Svsonbv died early in
his four-year- old year, after sweeping all
before him as three year-old; Com
mando a great racehorse and wonderful
sire. also died early I'm mis- stdd career,
while Peter Pan, the champion three
vear-old Of the 1907 season and the win
ner Of one Of the greatest brighton
! Handbags ever decided. broke down
shortly after that victory. Superman,
| the winner OF the Brooklyn Handicap In
1897. was injured In the running of the
Metropolitan Handicap the next year.
Then i'm 1905. also. came the breaking
down Of Colin.
Colin has been pronounced by the most
! conservative Judges 10 be the greatest
l horse ever bred and developed in TINS
country, If not III the world; lie was un,
/ beaten In fifteen starts ana won totaI
! OF Sl77.792 -. He was brown colt ny
! Commando-Pas torella, and approached
SO closely in look and conformation TO
the perfect type OF the thoroughbred ina I
] even the most captious critic could not
/ find the slightest fault. He won twelve
| races I'm 1907 as a two-year-old including
| the Futurity and the Flatbush, two OF
| the most coveted fixtures OF the turf, ana
| followed this uD by winning In l"s the
| rich and historic Withers III the most
commanding and impressive style, on his
| first appearance as a three-year-old; the
| belmont Stakes, IN driving storm. two
days after he had broken down TO all
| appearances. and the Tidal Stakes.
! Colin was shipped to England late in
| that year. but never faced the starter
| abroad. Instead, he was retired TO the
| stud.
| llI-Fated Sysonby.
| Mr. Keene's famous thoroughbred colt
Svsonby. winner of nearly 10000 In
stakes and purses. died in 1905 at his
owners stable at Sheepshead Bay race
track from septic poisoning. The death
of the horse was such a blow TO Mr..
| Keene that he shut himself up in his
| apartment at the WaldorfAstorla and
refused to see visitors Sysonby was in
| sured for 500 go. Mr.. Keene had refused
| 500 go for him. il is said.
| Uorsemen were unanimous In calling
Sysonby one OF the great horses of the
| century, and the devotion paid by the
| racegoing public TO the handsome bay
son 81 Melton placed him on a
| pedestal not even attained by such turf
| IDOLS as Commando. Ethelbert. Doml-
no. Colin. Imp. Iiermsi. Irish Lad.
| Blue Girl Banastar. Hamburg, Voter.
| Ben Brush and Salvador. Although
| Sysonby died four-year -old. he never
went To the post as such. so his brilliant
record was made In two brief years OF