The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-02-05
FORCING THE COLTS
FOR EARLY RACING
High Feeding and Little Exer-
else to Make Them Fat for
Ycarling Sales.
GLASS ENCLOSED STABLES
Winter Training Quarters Of
ten Resemble lighthouses in
Many Respects.
GLASS ENCLOSED STABLES
By c. CHAPLIN.

Although turf records attest ule truth
OF the old saying that beauty is but skin
deep, the price PAID at auction for
yearling thoroughbreds indicate unmis-
takably that budding racers, like their
human owners. are judged very largely
on first acquaintance by the attractive
ness or lack of it in their appearance.
And this is measurably true as to all
other types of horses. not even except
ing the workers. No experienced dealer
ever expects to find buyer who will pay
good price for any kind OF horse that
In thin, angular and unattractive
unless the animal has a record of past
performances which compels favorable
consideration. He may hope to explain
AWAY a splint or a curb or something
even more serious, but he knows too
well he must pull out something rat
sleek and shapely If he expects TO hyp-
notize his customer.
Must BE Sleek and Fat.
Nobody understands all this any bet
terrier than the men who breed race
horses to sell under the hammer as
yearlings, and so IL is that last season
foals are now being stall fed like so
,sger bidders at the Saratoga sales next
summer. The breeders may and doubt
,sss do know il is not the right way TO
rear horses of stamina and endurance,
but who can expect them to let their
,veanlings and yearlings run out all day
in large paddocks where they can gallop
and cavort from morning until ni9W In
pleasant weather if it is going 10
roughen UP their coats and take or the
flesh so difficult to put on high preo
Horse, particularly young one!
Fresh air and outdoor exercise spell
low prices, while high feeding with
nm Of not more than an hour a day in
;. small paddock mean a round, fuii
form, and n satinlike sheen TO the coat
when the Youngsters go under the auc-
tioneer's hammer That is the place
where the public breeder gets his
money. not in the futurities to be run
!, wear later or in the big stake races
for three-year- which afford the real
test Of thoroughbred.
some of the trainers who take over
the yearlings at the auctions to develop
for their futurity engagements and
cther two-year-old races seem to be as
,,,,ch addicted to dollhouse methods as
The breeders are. Go to the metropolitan
tracks where the two-year-olds OF next
season are wintering and you Will nnd
most of them in glass inclosed STAPLES,
where the air is very much warmer
though very much less pure and fresh
than 1t is outside. Here they are walked.
;,alloped and housed until the frost is
cut of the ground in spring with
$50. 900 in sight for a two-year-old goou
enough to win 1t the temptation to con-
Time the forcing process is tremendous,
even though it shortens the career OF the
=, ~ 70 one campaign.
HOW EcIipsc Was Reared.
1t is interesting If not instructive to
contrast present day methods OF devel-
onng the running horse with those OF
!, hundred years ago when heat racing
ut long distances was in vogue. From a
memorandum in the handwriting or
Gen. Nathaniel Coles of Dosoris, l.. l.,
who bred and raised American Eclipse,
we have an authentic account of the
handling of this old time turf champion
from the period when he was weaned
until he ran his first race over the New
market course on Hampstead Plains:
"I'he colt was weaned on the 10th or
November, 1914. At the commencement
~ winter fed with four quarts of shorts,
which was increased during the winter
10 eight quarts per day; hay, clover,
dampened-
Second year ll6loJ, III INC spiHiS,
turned to grass with no grain. Novem-
Ter 10. put up, fed with eight quarts OF
shorts per day during winter shorts in
creased to ten quarts, hay the same as
" inter.
"Third year, turned to grass. with
four quarts of shorts per day. September
I. commenced breaking; feed, eight
Quarts oats; through the winter hay as
formerly, grain, ground corn and oats.
EQUAL to eleven quarts oats. March l
1871, commenced training and trained
Tor nine weeks, then gave trial OF TWO
miles and found the colt very superior.
Fourth year, in summer turned to
Grass fed with ground oats and corn
equal to nine quarts oats: in winter hay
ps formerly, with nine quarts oats per
day till the first March, 1918. when
commenced training; feed. oats ana
cracked corn equal TO twelve quarts oats.
Fifth year. late in May, 1918, ran
fhree-mile heats at Newmarket. on Long
island. and won the first days purse
with ease, beating Black-Eyed susan
and Sea Gull. then called the best three
milo horse of the day: turned to grass
FIRST June, with about six quarts OF oats
"a day: in winter fed with hay as before,
y 18th ground corn and oats.
while a colt he was not confined, but
during the winter season turned out
every fair day lie was first shod in the
spring when three years old"