New-York tribune., 1918-05-12
Syracuse 7rotting Meet
Promises Much This Yeo,
Entry Large for Empire Stal.
Talk of Merger of A..
sociation Is Revived
By Frank S. CooL.

Seale Fatr n
syracuse again calls attention 70 49,
OF the best meetings in the eb.;, :.
mile tracks. This is one of thu ...s =
erlngs Of stake trotters and 49,.
that has not depended upon the :,
ting ring to make it profitable. or -.
possible. That the harness ho,.. sA :.
one of the banner attractions :.
fair is conceded by fair MANAGES. -
have tried other things and then -.
back to the trotters. ~s
Syracuse has the habit Of mat;n.., a.,
'nducement such chat horsemsn -
there from all parts of tho eoun,,.
Inc association spends money lavish
~ to bring about entire har,nonv -,
that 1t is rewarded by the publ. !.
shown by the announcements whit,
generally are little better than ~.
Of the year before.
Since the New York State FAT, \.
came famous racing place the Emn,,.
State Stake has been the big anna,
event. This was launched in 1903 q.
2:l4 trotters, and valued at sloon
with $4,000 set aside for unulsc.S
horses IN the main event, in which +
was patterned after the NJ. and
stake: This consolation feature ma -
valled three years. then it became .
stralgnt Slo,o00 affair and in 1919 Il
aropped to the 2:l2 class, next year ia
.he 1:oo, and last season went hack
10 the 2:l2, which also is the cl,s.
this year. s''as
EthePs Pride First Winner.
The first winner of the Empire gt.4.
was that splendid mare Ethel's pr;Ss
Which later won the Transyivan;s I,
1905 victory went to Allie jaw and r.xs
year Highball came along and knortsS
the record down to 2:064. Span;.s
Queen bagged the 1908 renewal. Iattjs
Penisa Maid showed the wav in lrn
and the following renewal was won bv
Billy Burke.
Murphy's first victory in the Emuin
State was in 1911 with CharIsv
Mitchell. That was the year that NM
ply had two wonderful trotters. Ii.
other being R. T. c., that won all nips
starts and more than $4,000. The dur.
able Baden came along in 1912. thess
being eleven in the field, and every ons
OF them after him. Lord Dewey VIZ.
the winner in 1913
COX scored in 1914 with the speeav
Margaret Druien, second money bein.
divided between McCloskey and Sienna
The stake record Of 2:05A was rnsds
oy Peter Scott when he beat Worhy
Prince in 1914, and Murphy, who droys
the Peter horse, equalled it last wear
when he won with Royal Mac. Mean.
while Geers had something to ssy
about a record that may last, for IN
1915 ne drove st. Frisco in 2:03X 10
beat Mabel Trask.
The Empire State now is raced On
the three-heat plan and last Septen-
Der Ina Jay won the third heat. but
the race automatically ended. and
Noyal Mac, having landed two, was the
Murphy tops the drivers with three
wins, Geers has two to his credit and
the rest are divided among Andrews.
Kenney, Gus Macy, Shut I'd Benyon'
who now is in Austria; Rodney and
Snedeker, with one apiece.
Other Fixtures Notable.
Fame has come to soma Of the other
fixtures at Syracuse and it is a tribute
to the craftsmanship of the manage.
ment of the meeting that the Gov
ernor's stake for 2:06 trotters this
year is worth $1,000. There is such
a wonderful lot of talent for the 2:oS
class this year that it should be
feature everywhere. Among the
horses that are likely to furnish the
contention in this division are Har-
vest Gale, Ina Jay, Royal Mae, The
proof, Al Mack. Harry j. S.. Donna
Clay, Bacelli, Brescia, Ira c., Miss
Perfection, Suldine, Peter Billiken.
and Glenwood B. Also, some that are
eligible to slower classes are being
named.
For many years Thomas W. Murphy
has been Juggling the biggest trunk
full of money home when the Grand
Circuit tracks finished their annual
session. Walter R. Cox beat him to
1t last season. Murphy's position il
secure. He is rated as one Of the best
trainers and drivers the turf ever has
known. In the big stakes which feat
uTe Grand Circuit meetings every
where, Murphy is naming two or three
-feter Chenault, Allen Watts and
Peter Vaughan.
Trotting Merger Again.
Just how seriously to take the call
Tor meeting looking to the amalga-
nation of all trotting turf interests Is
somewhat of a puzzle to horsemen gen.
orally. For years all but a compsrs-
tive few have been hoping for such an
eventuality, and while things have been
started in that direction time and
again 1t has been a hopeless task.
Ihe ideal controlling organizatioh
VIII include the register association
and both the American and the Ne.
tlonaI trotting associations. This viii
give 1t full power from the day the
foas is dropped until taps are sounded
When that is accomplished the trottins
turf will be on the same footing as the
thoroughbred, there will be universal
harmony and instead of squabbiin
there viii be a concerted effort for the
betterment Of the sport. The gray
haired men who patronize the trottsrs
are like the Grand Army of the Re-
public; there must be recruits from
the younger set.
In the past the situation has bees
just this: The American and National
trotting association, which coptrol
all of the rscing in this country, hans
been at loggerheads. When talk OF
merger bobbed up the friends Of ".
Il. Gocher, of Hartford, who shapes
the destinies of the National, hsys
resented anything which came from
the camp of w. P. Ijams, Of Tern
Haute. president of the American, and
vice versa. 1t is not plain where theres
can be an amalgamation without IT,
use Of a wet sponge to wipe the slses
and put in new blood.
An association with such men at ~
head as A. B. Coke, of Pennsylvanis;
w. B. Dickerman, David NJ. Look sns
A. H. Cosden, Of New York; H.
Devorapx of Ohio. Caoarol n q Wakf4