The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1919-12-19
TROROUGHBREDS
PROVE STRONGER
GREAT WAR TAUGHT IMPORT.
ANcE OF DREDGING OF
HORSES.
RAClNG ENCOURAGED ABROAD

hA0ln0 tHGUJhaJ-U Annual
Nations Who Bore 5runt az Conflict
Maintained the Sport as Much as
Possible as Matter Of Sound Policy
in its Relation to National Defense.
At no time in the course of the last
fye years, not even while the great
war was at its height, did the Cen
aral Empires stop the racing of thor.
oughbred horses. The great tracks nj
Hamburg, Buda Pest, Vienna and Ber-
lin were the scenes of brilliant gather
ings, even when the Grand Duke Mich
Olas was threatening East Prussia
with invasion and Brusilof was on the
edge of the plains of Hungary with his
wild Cossack riders. At M time dur
ing the course of the great war were
American and English trainers and
Jockeys, who had been caught by the
declaration of war In Germany and
Austria Hungary ind were unable to
obtain passports. interned. They We're
permitted by governments their gov
ernments were seeking 10 destroy &c
pursue their accustomed callings un.
molested and uurestrained
To certain extent racing was cur
tailed in Great Britain during the first
Swo years of the ereut war. The use
Of the famous EIiSom Downs course
as resting place for convalescing sol.
tliers necesstated The running OF the
famous British Derby Mt Newmarket
IN 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918. The
preoecupation of the spnrtsmen of
Great Britain In the business Of war
caused them, to certain extent, 10
oegiect the Thoroughbred sales of 1915,
1918 and 1917, and Americans were
enabled to slip in and buy up lot OF
sirst-cl6ss stations md mares with
which to enrich the American thor
ouglibred industry
France Alone Stops Racing.
OF the great nations participating in
the great war, France alone felt the
necessity Of stopping horse racing.
Threatened with utter destruction in Il
food OF reutonic barbarism. France
had to send to the fighting lines IN rhe
Marine. the Sonme, the Aisne about
Verdun, in The Vosgcs, every male
Erenchman capable Of bearing arms.
Back of the fighting lines she had 10
mobilize the elderly mel, viii the
women and children for the imperative
work of making munitions. Upon
France alone fell the burden of resist
ing the German tide for upward of two
years Throughout the course Of the
war speed tests We're held at the great
French tracks, but not as public spec
tacles. But there was no letting down
Of the bars as regards the expectation
from France Of thoroughbred blood
any time during the war AS a special
consideration citizens Of The United
States, country from which the
French, from The very beginning of tile
war, were drawing enormous quaint
ties of military material, who had thor
oughbred studs in France, such men as
John Sanford. Of Amsterdam, Major
August Belmont. Joseph f. Widener
and Thomas p. Thorue, were permit
led, when transportation was availa.
BILE, TO ship to the United States lin
tied number of thoroughbred yearliDgs
Mo matured thoroughbred stations or
males were allowed to leave the coun-
try, whether their owners We're French
men or outlanders.
with The signing VI the armistice
France and England resumed racing
with characteristic enthusiasm Tho
Attendance at the race tracks about
Paris has been greater this season
than in any for the period of half
dozen years preceding the outbreak of
the great war. The crowds that wit
messed the running Of the Derby. the
Oaks, the Ascot Gold Cup. the Leger,
etc, In Great Britain, were greater by
the thousands than the greatest Of
race track gatherings
Sport Encouraged In Europe.
In France and Great Britain the pat
ronage OF horse racing, by the public,
has the highest government encourage
ment now as the support of racing had
In Germany and Austria-lIungary even
through the dark months when human
beings. were finding it difficult TO OBJ
tain nourishing food. France and Eng
land recognize today as Germany aud
Austria Hungary have for many days
the indispensibility of thoroughbred
blood to national defense and neces-
sity Of thoroughbred horse racing for
the maintenance at its highest eftlcien-
cy Of thoroughbred blood.
For upward of seventy years previ-
ous to the beginning Of the great war
the military governments. of continent
NJ Europe had been maintaining thor
Oughbred studs for the production of
military horses. an earlier century of
experimentation having demonstrated
20 the satisfaction OF experts that IT
was the horse thar boasted of the
greatest proportion Of thoroughbred