The New York herald., 1920-01-11
HUNT RACING MEN
HEREFOR MEETING
NotarieS of SteeplechaSing to Hold I'm
portant Conference Tomorrow at
the Commodore Hotel.

Officers Of the National Steeplecha 90
and Hunt Association are expecting one
hundred votaries Of the cross country
sport to attend meeting tomorrow after
noon at the Commodore Hotel in respon Sc
to the invitation Of the Hunts Commit
tee sent ont on December o. II win be
an open session. held for the purpose OF
getting the ideas Of amateur horsemen on
the subject of strengthening and i'm
proving the sport OF steepleohasinc. and
perhaps taking some action to that end
The men who signed the call for the meet
ing were a. Henry IIigginson. Henry ".
Bull. Charles y. Maener. =. Bernard Fen
wick. II. S. Page. J. r. Davis, f. S. Won
Stade. Henry G. Vaughan. RUFUS c. Finch
and Frank J. Bryan. the secretary Of the
\. S. and II y.
Conditions due to the late war" ,hey
say, lack of interest in the right quar-.
ters. scarcity of horses and amateur riders
with the lowering of the weights. dis
tances and fences, have brought the sport
of steeplechasing to the low water ma rk
of the last twenty years.
1T is the object of the Hunts Com
mittee to bring back the sport to It's
highest level, by AvokinG the interest OF
military and hunting men and the anna
teur sportsnen of the country who are
its backbone: to increase the distances.
raise the weights and build up the fences.
so that the staying jumping and weight
carrying abiltyer our horses is not sacri-
feed to mere speed and the high cost of
chasing candidates; to encourage the de-
nand for the breed of horse that is
suitable for cavalry and hunting. and
when at his best could hold his own over
the Aintree fences in the Grand National:
TO encourage and give amateur and mill
tary steeplechases
Lack of interest in the right quarters
il by some horsemen believed TO refer TO
the Jockey Club which for years has re-
fused to give the amateur steeplechase
meetings on Long Island clear dates and
has forced them 10 compete with the flat
races at local tracks or else close their
gates. Under these conditions the hunt
meetings at Piping Rock and Belmont
Park Terminal have not prospered finan-
cial'y, and there is said to be some doubt
as to whether they will be continued unless
the Jockey Club changes it's policy this
year. In this connection 1t is interesting
to remember that the Jockey Club tracks
were all closed, with no prospect OF being
reopened, when the Piping Rock Club, with
Paul d. Cravath at the helm. led off in the
revival of horse racing which has brought
prosperity then undreamed Of to every
flat racing course in the State
Women as we'll as men have been invited
to the meeting tomorrow, and the Hunts
Committee are hopeful that a number of
them will attend. Steeplechasing is largely
in the hands of women, just now, so far as
the ownership of the horses is concerned.
Mrs. f. Ambrose Clark, of Westbury. l.. r
had about the largest and strongest Stable
in the country last season, with th:--y or
more thoroughbred jumpers in t..inin-.
Mrs Payne Whitney, Of the Greentree
Stable. is another OF the leading owners,
while others of prominence include Mrs.
Joseph f. Davis Mrs. r. S. Won Stade, Mrs
NJ VI. MadduX, Mrs. William Hit, Mrs
w. a. Prime and Mrs. Walter NJ. Jeffords