New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-16
Breeders Are Encouraged
to Produce Winners,
Thomas Welsh Says.
REAPING BENEFIT
IN PRESENT CRISIS
Prominent Trainer Advocates
Giving of Prizes for Half.
BREEDS at County Fairs.
lBy Telegraph tn The Tribune ]


! Saratoga Springs, n. Y, Aug. IS
/ Thomas Welsh, for twenty-five years
| d we'll known owner and trainer of
! thoroughbreds in the United States,
and who has been in France for sew
eral years, is among the visitors here.
He finds changed sentiment in re-
/ gard to racing in this country. When
! he left New York to accept an engage
ment to take charge of the foreign
racing interests of Joseph E. Widener,
of Philadelphia, there was no racing
in New York and very little elsewhere
! in the Union.
81 am glad to see the horses racing
once more at Saratoga and so many
of the best people in daily attend
ance," said Mr.. Welsh a few days ago.
"In France racing is such a strongly
| intrenched institution, and was, prior
| to the war, so much part of the life
of the nation, that one wonders why
it is not encouraged everywhere, when
the results attained there should be
capable of achievement elsewhere.
"Going from the United States,
was amazed at the manner in which
the sport was conducted. The govern
ment has a well defined policy for the
advancement of its horse breeding in
terests and racing is part and parcel Of
it. A percentage OF the revenue from
speculation is devoted TO charity and
public improvements and the rest is
spent in prizes and stakes for racing
and for the upkeep of the racing studs.
"They offer every inducement to the
people to breed good horses. Their
studs, which contain specimens OF
both light and heavy horses, thorough
breds, Arabians, trotters, Normans,
Fercherons and other types, are ac-
cessible at a very low fee, the very
highest service being charged for a
few of their best ,horoughbreds
reaching the maximum Of 100 francs,
or $50 in American money. For this
amount a mare may be bred to a win
ner of the French classics.
There is a chance for the poor man
to breed a good horse as we'll as the
rich. Rabelais, a son of st. Simon,
stands at $4,000 without a return fee,
and only the wealthy may patronize
him. He is a public stallion. There are
at the Haras Du Pin ITO thoroughbred
horses, and the fee for many of them is
as low as So. That is typical OF the
country.
Race meetings are given every
where and always under governmental
supe rvsion," continued Mr.. Welsh.
"On the 14th day of July, or the, Sun
day following, there are 240 meetings
scheduled throughout the republic. 1t
is a day corresponding to our Fourth
| of July, and the entire populace gives
| itself over to pleasure, and they know
how to enjoy themselves. The holiday
| is not for the heads of the family
alone. Every member participates.
"At some of these smaller meetings
| fiat racing and steeplechasing as well
/ as events for trotters are found on the
same programme. All the races are
| on turf. The trotters are ridden
carry upward of 200 pounds, and the
races are usually at long. distances
/ as much as four miles. Their trotters
are larger and coarser horses than ours
| and they stick TO the trot. They en-
/ deavor to breed stayers, whether at the
run or trot, and you won't find any
race for three-year-olds and upward
| at as shor: a distance as six furlongs
No -year-olds are raced before
July l.
every autumn they have races over
a distance of ground with heavy
weights up. A sample race would be
that won by the good mare La Fran
caise at Longchamps, when she mn
! ished first at four miles with no
pounds up. They don't baby their
| horses. Some of the best Of them are
used as hacks between work days, and
when at home | ride one of the best
horses in the stable all the time. IL
accustoms them to handling weight
J and makes them more tractable.
/ "ln order to demonstrate the many
sidedness of the French horse breed
! ing policy, it is only necessary TO state
! that they give steeplechase races for
horses which have shown their ability
! to trot at certain speed-something
/ conforming TO the standard OF ESQ IN
/ this country. These big horses gallop
| over long distances and jump IN Won
! derful fashion.
"Steeplechasing is encouraged quite
| as extensively as fiat racing by the
state. and very large sums are given
! for events which are exclusively for
/ army hsrses and in which only officers
NAV ride. 1t is in this fashion that the
/ splendid army horse OF France has been
! evolved. and there is no greater sport
ing event nor more stirring spectacle
| than a race for one Of these prizes with
as many as forty contestants In the
field. The officers ride in uniform IN
variably.
1.-THE Militaire de Normandie, run at
Deauyille, a town comparing 10 Sara
toga, where many persons go for the
month of August, is one OF these, and
is run over a course of 400 metres, or
almost three miles. The jumps are stif
and the race finds the weak spots IN
mar or horse. Thoroughbreds in the
military steeplechaSes have 10 give