The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-08-20
RACING A LEADING
FAIR ATTRACTION

The following letter from the West
ern Horseman, will be of interest to
a great many people who intend to
attend the Marion County Fair:
If agricultural fairs were not limit
ed to SO short a season it would be
reasonable to believe that harness rae
ing of the future would be practically
limited to connection with them.
Speed contests between horses very
naturally are depended upon for the
main feature at the majority of Ameri
can fairs-in fact, nearly all of them
for the horse, as a product of the
| farm and as a mighty factor in the
| financial and intellectual advancement
of the farmer, have come very close
to the heart of the people of the coun-
| try who will never agree to place the
noble animal outside their affections.
Then, there is something about racing
that causes it to be readily assimilat-
| ed by. everyone. To thoroughly an
lpreciate any game or sport one must
know the rules-at least the rudiments
of them-and racing is simplicity
itself, when compared with other
sports wherein complicated rules ne
cessitate study to bring about any
thing approaching complete enjoy
ment.
1t one had any doubt about the sin
cere appreciation of trotting or pac-
ing race by any agricultural popula-
ton he needs only to attend the "big"
day of any county fair. 1t matters
not how remote may be the place, how
far from the urban settings the pa
irons may have been reared and have
lived, that crowd will, with very few
individual exceptions, be found eager,
interested spectators of the racing
program of the afternoon and the day
viii be very far gone when they will
| feel contented to leave the attraction
and go home
Horse racing has risen in the minds
of multitudes, if one may use that ex-
preston to indicate the changing
ideas of succeeding generations. Per-
haps it is more correct to state that
the view of the present generation re-
gardlng the sport is immensely chang
ed from that held by the preceding.
The coming generations will doubt
less have less prejudice against the
sport than is harbored by the present.
The evolution of management is great
ly responsible for this, too. Years
back when racing of harness horses in
this country was in its infancy there
was much to condemn concerning it,
but gradually the Objectionable feat
ures have been removed, just as many
of our toughest and toughest frontier
towns of mining camp and cowboy
days have been transformed into cities
much nearer model in department
than many of the municipalities whose
organization dated far into the colo
NAL days.
So racing has emerged from what
ever extent of deceit and lawlessness
that bore it down in earlier years. No
doubt it's evolution in this respect has
done much, also, to commend it to fair
managers of the day as possessing the
uncommon feature of interesting prac-
tically all of a large audience, many
of whom have been drawn to the
ground without especial interest IN
harness horses. For our men and
women of today love fair sport, and
when all is said, they love best that
sport which is thrilling without being
dangerous to those engaged.
However, the fair season is COM
paratively short season for racing.
| Three months cover about all fair
meetings, north and south, while har-
ness racing starts considerably before
the fairs begins. There is undoubted-
| ly chance of race considerably be-
| fore the horses are called upon in
strict race meetings, the prevailing
system remaining simply because it
| has become a settled form to start
ILS SpOIL OII VI dDOuL d CGTIdlu udIG.
AS the dates of fairs are influenced
| by the nature of our seasons and the
maturing of crops, the fairs will never
perhaps start much earlier in the year
than they do now. Should they do so
they would afford to the racing sport
the nearest to perfect conditions that
it will ever meet. A healthy, well
managed fair depends upon its gate
for revenue. chiefly. It's attractions,
including racing, are not compelled to
foot the bill for their own compensa-
ton, and wherever the sport is proper
ly appreciated, as it is by numberless
managers, conditions are made so that
horsemen will be met half way, at
least
IInn RT9T AMI an Wa Il