The Washington herald., 1918-11-12
ROSS AN ACE IN
SPORT WORLD
Famous Canadian Horse,
man in Racing Game for
Love of Animals Only.

| Just as the sun came up over the
old Pimlico race track, breakfast was
served in the spacious dining room OF
1.-The Ross establishment at the famo us
hillside course. and then began one of
/ the most pleasurable days one could
lever spend at a race course.
, Commander Ross, as host, is one of
the truest gentlemen, the best type OF
racing men it has ever been anyones
privilege to meet He is true "iend
| of dumb animals. as after breakfast
! in his spacious stables, his love for
/ his pets was clearly shown. Billy
Kelly, the first horse to see when one
entered the stables. greeted his mas
ter with fond recognition, and had lit
| tie trouble in locating in the Com
mander's pockets a coveted lump Of
sugar.
OF course the Commander had sugar
| for his throughbreds and from early
morning until the bugle sounded for
/ the first race. he was by the side Of
| his horses, Caressing them, talking TO
them. their friends and admirer. No
wonder Commander Ross has such
success with his horses.
One might think that Commander
| Ross is i'm the racing business for
such returns as he might receive from
his winners. but this is a mistaken
idea. He is in the game because of
I real love for his animals and because
! of his true sporting instinct Since he
! was a little tacker in knee breecheS.
Jack Ross has been associated with
! horses. His great daddy. it was who
. first started him on his career by
/ teaching him to ride. when he living
I out in the great Northwest territory.
] There he learned to know horses and
! to understand them and his infallible
! judgment has stood him in good stead
as all followers Of the race course
know. 1t is a rare occasion when the
I famous yachting colors. used years
ago by his father and today by the
! Commander himself. are not first
away from the post and first to meet
the Judges eyes. The yellow and
black are always at the front
Some claim that the establishment
owned by James r. Keene vas su-
perior to the Ross stables today. To
this statement it is believed that at
, no one time did Mr.. Keene possess
a stable of thoroughbreds comparable
to that now owned by Commander
Ross.
est wish, in the match race at the
Laurel race track. to carry the bonds
back to the land of his birth The
stake-S30. .OOC-meant little to him II
was his love of country his desire
to see it first, the pride he would feel
in donating the winnings to the Red
Cross of his mother country, that
caused the Commander to place his
hopes in Billy Kelly and the subse-
quent winning of the race.
Billy Kelly was defeated. not dis
graced. by Eternal. 1t was a clear
case OF over confidence on the part
of little Jockey Sande. Had he car
ried out the instructions given him
by Ross trainer. a different story
| would be told. Guy BedNelTs orders
were not to lay too far out of the
pace with Billy Kelly. but TO keen
within striking distance of him. So
confident was the rider that he could
overcome the lead of Eternal that he
felt that he could go to the front at
any time. This over confidence was
what cost Commander Ross the race.
). W. MCCLELLAN was wise when he
retired Eternal for the season. Conn
mander Ross was willing. in fact, even
anxious to run his horse against Fter-
nal again. but the Iatter's owner saw
otherwise
There is not turf writer in
America today who does not agree
that Billy Kelly * tho greatest >
year-Old that this or any other
country ever produced. They look
upon his defeat in exactly the Same
, llGht as has been explained,
To Comma nder Ross; to Canada
and to England. the mother coun-
try, we unequivOCally. without men
tai reservation. declare that Com
mander Ross is the best sportsman
that these or any other countries
has ever produced.
At the conclusion of the PIN
lice meeting. Commander Ross will
quarter his horses at his farm in
Laurel where they will remain I'M
III spring and the 2-year-oId of to-
day VIII be the 3-year-old of tomor-
row. The famous yellow and black
coIors Will be seen on the America n
turf next spring, it is safe to saw
that they will be as they have been
IN the past. the most popular silks
that nave ever raced around a race
course.
; In conclusion. it might be sa id
that little Jockey Sande did his
best on Billy Kelly He was heart
broken when he met his waterloo.
He gave the best that he had in
| hlm and there is no more popular
little gentleman on American race
! courses Than the same little Sande,
+ AS Trainer .Bedwell stated to the
! writer that he has every requisite
that goes to make up a gentleman
and Sande is making no. mistakes
! by accepting the tuition of. BcdweIl
and the grandest man on the Ameri-
can turf. X. L. Ross.