New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-25
Racing Season Opens To-
morrow at Belmont Park
with High Promise.
MENTAL HAZARD TOO
MUCH FOR TRAVERS
Skinny Batting Holding Back
the Yankees in Race for Amer
lean League Pennant.
By Herbert.
20 HERBERT DALEN.)

august belmont am his associates III
90 Jockey Club have made AMBITIOUS
plans for tho thoroughbred racing season
which opens at Ben ont Park tomorrow
ono wear ago a beginning was made Tor
the rehabilitation Of the sport ana III
tho face Of many handicaps much was ac-
complished. Some of the glamour OF 'he
old DAYS is still lacking, but the support
accorded last season was OF kino 10
cncouraco those who had their shoulders
70 the wheel to take bigger chances TINS
car. In view of this it was decided 10
race six days a week instead Of three OF
four. as was the case. except at SARA
tora. a year ago. This move was maze
purelv in the interests Of horsemen' ana
in encourage wider participation Even
now. before the gates arc opened 'he
wisdom Of this action seems 10 DC appd'
enc. as more owners have engaged staoie
room at Belmont Park than at any time
since the golden days OF the turf.
Indications point to most successful
meeting and TO a growing patronage. IL
will be surprising, then. II big crowd
does not turn out tomorrow TO see the
metropolitan Handicap, which has come
10 De one Of the historic fixtures OF the
turf, run and won. The remarkable III
terest and enthusiasm shown in the anna
tour meetings TO date point the way TO
what may be expected.
Englands criticism. and more paruc-
ularlv Harold II. IhitOr's criticism, OF
our beaten golfers. who 50 boldly in
vaded the links abroad in search OF the
highest honors Of the sport. has been
wbolesomely fair. II has been case
rather Of making excuses and GlNins
fill credit for greater things than one
of cNhilaration that the invasion. which
lent such douoting, trembling vitality
10 the Tournament. fell so hatiy ana
proved so Improbable. There is no place
for excuses on this side of the ocean
either. The failure OF any of our play
.rs TO survive the fourth round was dis
apDointing more particularly as neither
TraVefs nor Ouimet played anywhere
near his True form. on the word of Hill
Ton. man who knows. As pointed out
ir this column week ago, there was
Ivory reason TO be hopeful, but aoso-
btelv none 10 be confident. SO repre-
sentative of the greatest goliins strength
of this country as the players who I'M
dertook the task were. il awaited moth
ins. Walter J. Trayers still stands alone
ir the niche of golnng fame carved by
himself as The only American golfer who
ever stood the test on the links of Great
Britain. ;he home OF the sport.
As Grantland Rice so aptly says: There
is a destiny which shapes our shots. slug
II them as we will; and this destiny 50
far has ruled that Travers against Eng
land must be AT his worst" According
10 Hilton. Palmer. so sound golfer as he
is did not beat Travers. as Travers beat
himself and by his play deserved the fate
But thereby hangs a tale. Travers beat
himself because he was staggering under
"a load Of wagers that ran into such big
money that even the phlegmatic tempera-
ment and big heart Of Jerry could not
carry without a show of feeling. Travers
was beaten by mental hazard. which
doomed up before him with constantly in
creasing size
As rule stories Of big wasers told after
the LOSING can be discounted 80 per cent
or more, but il came to me from a source
that could not be entirely overlooked that
"a man i'm the Street" wsgered $4,000 at
odds around and 10 J that Travers
would win the amateur championship Of
Great Britain wager Of that size is
commercializins solf. concentrating a
champion. with a vengeance, and the pity
Of IL is that no rule can be framed 10
protect the sport or the player from men
who see in the one or the other a chance
for gain. This is no brief against the
making of d sporting wager. but rather
against the practice Of picking out some
Individual and making him a party TO 2
strictly cNnmerciali2ius proposition.
Robert {. Watson. president OF the
United States Golf Association must be
commended for his daring in trying TO
strip the mask from yelled professional
ism AS II exists in golf. lie has begun 20
clean house In Mr. Watson's recent let
ter sent 10 club secretaries he exposes
conditions that have obtained for some
time. yet thus far no president OF the
parent organization has had the courage
10 take hold OF the situation. The con-
tcntiou that the date of the letter was
untimcly. coming as II did on the eve 81
the British championship. is scarcely
worth considering.
Mr. Watson subsequently stated that nc
reflections were east on the standing OF
The American amateurs at Sandwich. Had
doubts existed concerning any of the
PLAYERS he would have made that clear
TO the intending competitors before they