Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-11-06
Pertinent Observations OF Those
1915 Colt Stakes.
BY l.. ID. SALE.

That there will be a renewal of colt
stakes, which will include youngsters owned
in the District Of Columbia, Maryland and
Virginia in 1915. is already a foregone
conclusion.
The fascinating game Of racing colts has
taken strong hold upon light harness
hOrsemen in the localities named The
proposition recently advanced in The
Washington Sunday Herald that a four
year-old trotting stake be included in the
card of 1915, has met with a hearty APP
proval among owners of colts of that age.
The conditions under which the three
stakes shall be raced is matter for future
consideration.
The immediate subject Of consideration
is the selection of the candidates for the
several events. The stakes will not open
before January /. and it is not probable
that they will finally close earlier than
March |. Those persons who do not now
own eligbles will have upward of five
months to select candidates. Opportuni-
ties will be presented to persons who do not
now own candidates to get them in the Old
Glory sale to be held in New York in No
vember. and in the spring sale which will
be held in February.
Objections may be made by some per-
sons Interested, to admitting to the stakes
colts not bred in the localities from which
the candidates will be drawn, for the rea-
son that colts sold in Madison Square
Garden are liable to be better bred, com
ing as they mostly do from the great
breeding plants of the West and East,
than our home products. But II an en-
barge is to be placed on men who do not
breed or own entries we shall not get very
far nor will the stakes in each event be
large enough to pay the training bills of
those men who can legally comply with
such conditions.
Protection to home industries is an ex-
cellent slogan. II not carried to extremes.
A more liberal and sane policy would be
to encourage men TO buy good candidates
for these stakes, il they do not now own
them, and thus build up the trotting in
dustry in the District Of Columbia, Mary
land and Virginia. II is true that Moko,
a Peter the Great, Walnut Hail. Bin
CARA, an AxwOrthy. and other noted sires
Of extreme speed. are not owned in the
sections named But all are represented
by sons, with the single exception OF Bin
CARA. Todd. son of Bingen. is represented
in j. W. Corbn's son Of Sir Todd AK
worthy, 215 l-2. is represented In the get
of Bale AxwOrthy Peter the Great is rep
resented in Javin Brothers Peter j. II. /:
MOko is dOubly represented in +. G. Robin
sons Hal Hardin and Fields Brothers Mar
chand Kremlin is represented in Javin
Brothers Kushan, and Bingen is again
represented in F. C. Combs Lord Bngen.
Our chief weakness lies in our brood mares.
These are few and far between. and II the
fOals sired by the stations named do not
rise TO the highest standard OF excellence
il is because Of the fatal weakness in brood
mares. The colts that have shown best in
our local stakes are those that were out Of
well-bred mares. Others that might have
made good showing became lame or
stale, and their dams cannot justly claim
for them whatever virtues they themselves
may possess. The race track is the final
arbiter In race-hOrse virtues. BY no other
tribunal can the racing bred horse be fairly
tried. The race track is the supreme court
whose decisions. when handed down, can
not be appealed from, and from which the
"excuse book" is barred as law or evidence.
HE will be a great horse next year" also
has no standing in this court nor in the
court Of public opinion.
In view Of all these facts, and, others that
might be stated, II is the duty Of horsemen
interested in the colt stakes Of 1915 TO get
together and make them the most inter
esting Of the series. As horsemen and
near horsemen. we are on the right road
and in the middle Of il at that. The three
stakes need the widest publicity among
colt owners For two years past The Wash
| ington Herald has been the only organ Of
publicity. All Washington papers should
be enlisted in the cause as well as the
Richmond, Norfolk and Baltimore papers.
On or about January | meeting will be
called In Washington city to open the