The Washington herald., 1916-07-10
Walter S. Vosburgh Tells Of
the Days of Jerome Park
and Match Day."
RUN AT EQUAL WEIGHT

There is no keener critic of racing and
the conditions surrounding the sport than
Walter S. Vosburgh, the talented handi-
capper of the Jockey Club, whose work
was never more brilliant than during the
present season. Mr.. Vosburgh got his
first taste of racing in the days when
Jerome Park was young, and with the
sport about to shift to Empire City not
so many miles from the historic old sad
dle-bags course he became reminiscent a
few days ago at Aqueduct
when Jerome Park opened its gates in
September, 1866" he said, "it had a men,
bership that included the foremost men
of that time, among them Leonard w.
Jerome, William r. Travers, John
Hunter, August Belmont, D. d. Withers,
George Osgood, William Constable, Judge
Alonzo c. Munson, John F. Purdy and
Sir Roderick Cameron, and the racing
was what might be expected with such
men of affairs guiding the policy of the
organization. The feature OF that first
meeting, which was of only four days
duration, was the Inauguration Stakes
at four-rnile heats. Kentucky. owned by
Messrs. Hunter, Travers and Osgood, and
which afterward passed to Mr.. Jerome,
won in straight heats, beating among
others Idlewild and Fleetwing. There
were four days OF sport in the autumn
also and these meetings were functions
which attracted the elite of the country.
Not the least interesting feature of
these times continued Mr.. Vosburgh.
was what was known as Match Day
On the day prior to the opening of the
regular meetings matched races the re-
suit of arguments between rival breeders
who were eager to back the get of ia
vorite stallion would be run off. Two
year-olds that had never started were
usually the contestants and recall one
race for $4,000 between Sir Roderick
Cameron, who backed the get of Lean
ington against John Hunter who nomi
mated his stallion Censor. Sir Roderick
won. and the event was the medium for
some heavy outside wagering There
would be five or six Of these events and
they stimulated the breeding interests
tremendously. Those were days of heavy
wagering with the first subscription room
at Broadway and Twenty-first street and
afterwards located at Madison avenue
and Twenty-seventh street There were
only few meetings each year. the sea-
son including Pimlico and Jerome Park
spring and fall, with midsummer meet
ings at Prospect Park, Saratoga and
Monmouth Park. Most of the races were
over distance OF ground and some of
them were at heats. They were days
when the trainer gave the bulk of his
attention to the making of muscle and
the horses of that time were galloped
mile after mile under heavy blankets and
scraped till every ounce Of fat was re-
moved. Naturally this treatment dulled,
their speed and the result of most OF
such contests was trial of endurance l
can only recall one long race that was
run at top speed from the fall of the
fag-the Maturity Stakes at three miles
in 1872, when Harry Bassett and Mon
archist ran the first two miles at a tre-
mendous pace. the former being done at
that point. II the horses of the present
were trained as they were then they
wouldn't last through a single season. II
horse started fifteen times in a season
1t was considered phenomenal.
"A commendable feature Of the sport, I"
continued the speaker, was the large
number OF races at equal weights that
were run. There were many special
prizes for 3-year-olds, among them the
Belmont and annual stakes at Jerome
Park, each worth about 5000, the Travers
and Kenner at Saratoga, and the Jersey
Derby, Lorillard and Omnibus at Mon
mouth Park were OF equal or greater
value. Owners had fewer engagements
and every colt in training that had the
remotest chance went to the post. There
were stakes where the other horses met
at equal weights, also among them the
Maturity. already mentioned, which was
exclusively for 4-year-olds. Preakness,
Parole and other champions were seen
In 1t. 1t was a time when every sports
man was proud to see his colors In pub
lie. The owner had more to say about
the conduct Of his stable perhaps than
In these days when many of our trainers
are afraid to risk a defeat It's more
a matter of business today than in the
period Of which I speak"
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