New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
French Horses Are Good
Through Government Aid

weight to contestants possessing vary
ing degrees of Arabian blood, and there
are penalties for winners of certain
amounts, everything being done to
equalize conditions.
returning homo and finding racing once
more in favor and engaging the atten-
tion OF thinking people" went on Mr..
Welsh, that the breeding interests of
this country would be we'll served if
races for half-bred horses were given
at the county fairs. These contests
might not be much at first, but grad
ually feeling of local pride would be
aroused and with premiums to be won
at the various fairs there would be an
added incentive to patronize the thor
oughbred horses in the Jockey Clubs
breeding bureau in this state and those
that are in charge of the government
in Virginia and other Eastern states.
"The growing demand for horses of
the army type for both cavalry and ar
tillery should stimulate the movement,
for anybody who has seen the results
achieved abroad must come 10 the con-
clusion that the thoroughbred is the
horse to cross on the -blooded mare
in order to produce the army horse.
should throw a very good percentage of
animals of the right stock, and as many
of them have a trace of warm blood, so
much the better for the purpose. France
has been a large buyer of army horses
in the United States, and | was told
that they are giving splendid satisfac-
ton"
When asked whether the government
had not been constrained to levy on
some of the thoroughbreds for army
purposes, Mr.. Welsh said:
Yes, they have taken all the geld
ings and the mares five years old and
over that were not bred. Some splen
cid geldings were requisitioned, among
them Lord Loris, winner of the Grand
Steepechase of Paris, and Scof. winner
of the big steeplechase at Nice. Mr..
Belmont lost a dozen horses, but six
of them, including his good horse Bay
ard, by Ethelbert, were returned. We
had quite a scare at Chantilly. where
our quarters are. when the Germans
made their drive on Paris. and we
started for Deauville, walking the
horses the first day some seventy-five
metres. | left my horses at the home
place when | came away"
Mr.. Welsh thinks the French horses
are no better than some we have had
in this country in the past, but they
have more good ones. Some idea of
the form abroad may be gained by the
fact that Novelty, the Kingston horse
that the late Charles Kohler raced in
France, was good enough to win the
Gold Cup at Maison LATTE and to run
close third TO q very good field in
the P-ix Conseil du Municipal with
l4O pounds up. This latter race is at
mile and nine-sixteenths and is one of
the classics of the Continent
I "As most of the big prizes are for
horses bred in France exclusively"
said Mr. Welsh, "Novelty could run in
few of these. He was put to jumping,
but was a failure because of his eX-
tremely low pasterns. The French gov
eminent wanted him for the stud. but
were not willing to pay the price asked
and he was subsequently sold for ex-
rort to Chilli.
"They put horses of the highest
class over the jumps in France. and
owners like Mr.. Hennessy will buy
three or four crack fiat horses a year
for 100000 francs each for this game.
They have a lot of good jumpers. many
of them gray in color. the descendants
of the famous lie Sancy, whose blood
Is very highly priced in all jumping
pedigrees. They have wonderful lot
of steeplechase riders. Carter. who
was killed in the war. was a great
horseman. So is Parfrement. Our own
O'Neil is the best of the fiat riders
and is now a rich man"
Mr.. Welsh is very high in his praise
CT France and the French. He will re
turn to Chantilly in the autumn.