Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-29
iBy 4. =. Harrow.


happy hunting ground OF the world.
not even excepting Africa Racing
hunting. POLO. pig-etickinE, big game
and small game shooting--it IS the
sportsman's paradise. IL ever there
were one.
The class OF racing in India is now
very little behind the best To be seen
anywhere in the Eastern Hemisphere.
not even excepting Australia. Cal
cut,a. Bombay, Foo lucknow.
| Mccrut. BnnEalorc au4 .'t.:'>' -
are all centers ut which raci. Up 90,
particularly excellent conditions can
be seen. Calcutta may be called the
! Newmarket of India. for il Is the
oldest meeting in the whole OF tho
land. and its principal race. the Vice
roy's Cup. dates back 10 1856
Exactly how racing has progressed
since those early times may perhaps
be Saugcd by the fact that il is on
! record in the list OF winners OF the
! Niceroy's Cup that that important
race has been won by. both an Arab
| tNcro. 1850 and cCSintrylbrcd (Mer
! Mcrril!cs twice. 1855 and 1880. Since
| these early days we have seen horses
! of the class OF KiltOi. Dark Legend.
! First Filler and Bachelors Wedding
! WIN TINS race. To SAY nothing OF
more recent winner in the case OF
/ iNpu'hlSs III lnc past We nave had
! such good horses rs Great Scot. who
! brought back the Prince Charlie
blood To England when he was sent
| home 10 the Gotham stud. and Fitz-
! grafton. who, like Great Scot. also
won the sydney Cup in Australia and
| we have had far lesser lights sue
! ccssful in this race which ranks in
prestige with the Indian owner much
as the Derby does with his English
confrcre. Some more modest per-
| formers. Up Guards. for instance
who won the Chester Cup in England
and was merely a good class hurdler,
have won this big race; Sprightiy.
who was owned by the late MaharaJa
! OF Patiala, was very ordinary
platter: Mayfowl. horse who cost
| originally under fl00 in Ireland. won
! II four times for the late Sir a. a.
! Apcar. who also owned Great Scot
and Fiizgrafton: Brogue, who was
very little better than platter. also
won II tdead-hcatins with MayfowD.
and 10 bark back again to ancient
history. the late Captain Orr-EwiuE
won II with n mare named Metallic.
who was no great class In England.
In Poona they have also an cS-
cellcnt fiat course and stceplcchasc
course. and rs their principal jump
meeting takes place during the rains.
! INC Ticks 10 noTScS ana those VINO rue
( them are not SO great. In Lucknow
| there is also an excellent fiat course
/ and steeplcchasc course. The spring
meeting ut that big military center
| Is the most important. and AT IL they
\ run the big pony race which is called
! the civil service cup. n race which
| is probably the senior Of any i'm
por;ant pony race in India. Farther
/ north at Pindi and Lahore we usually
! M
| dominate.
Rawalpindi is the -Aldcrshot of In
lila. and is the biggest military sta
! ton in the whole OF the great PENN
| sula. Hunting tlourishcs, as IL also
does at Pcshawur, and during the
cold weather meetings they run a
biz pony stccplcchasc or two.
Polo.
| India owns the oldest European
! polo club IN the world. the Calcutta
| Polo club, a team from which played
an exhibition game before his late
Matcsty King Edward VII. when he
was IN Calcutta in 1876. Ia those
days they played five or sin side
lndincrcntly. and the animal upon
which they disported themselves was
liitle rat Of pony not very much
more than twelve or thirteen hands
since then things have advanced. and
We have the fast modern gam. on
something very like The fifteen hand
blood hunter or "mistit" from the
turf. To see really fas, polo. one has
TO go to India. Climatic conditions
max" polo a far quicker game In
India than il is here: tho general
tactics OF the game AL Conduc. to
pace. There are no boarded grounds
and II is Il centcrlinc game all the
way. The class OF pony may not be
pu'tc as high as We have seen in the
international at birmingham this sea
son. but the game is far faster. the
ball travels farther and the stamp
OF pony is sufficiently good to en-
sure gal!oring battle.
Polo in India is universal: everyone
plays and from the polo champion
snip in Calcutta and intcr-rcgimcutai
IN Mccrut down 10 the humble sta
ZION game. II claims innumcrable de-
voices. The subaltern. who can at
ford a couple Of Arabs or country
hrcds when he first goes out To the
East. probably knocks as much fam
out OF II as IN" wealthy person with
string OF dozen or more.
The principal tournaments are a,
Calcutta. where also under ordinary
circumstances the Indian ro!o AS
s"ciaton championship is played !
though upon the occasion OF his
maJcsty's visit to India. in 1911. il
was transferred 10 Delhi and called /.
the Coronation Tournament: the In /
dian Rcgimcntai at Mccrut. the (
Lucknow Tournament; the Suh..l- /
terms Tournament. the Indian Cav /
airy Tournament. and the various
hectic ones which are played In the f.
h!lI- stations. notably ON that won !
t"rful ground al Auuaudalc In SImia. /
the Ecrosford Cup. which. 10y the way. /
the Comrandcri chiefs, team won /.
th's year with II. l.. Lord Rawl!nson Z
a. unit of the Suowden team
Where pie-st!ckiur is concerned !
India claims monopoly. In no other 4
country do they know anything at
al! about this particular form OF
sport, at least 50 We think In
Europe they are brave enough TO
tackle SuS fcroN on foot with a rife /
J am not certain whether IL demands /
greater bravery than riding a lean
grey pig. with only Il spear and Il
strong wrist between you and tn.
hereafter. Thcr. is uprltpp IN ,pnrl