Evening star., 1938-03-13

OI Taking 10 IlSn government ON.
cial who had just returned to Wash
ington from Kentucky. On the way
home from Kentucky, where he had
attended q dinner given to Senator
Alben w. Barkley, this ofhcial had
occasion to stop at Lexington and
visit PARKWAY Farms. This 968-acre
breeding establishment, owned by Mr..
and Mrs. Samuel D, Riddle and Mr..
mares and stations. the latter
being American Flag, Mars. Boat
swain and the immortal Man O. War.
During the course of th4 visit the
party, of which this of1icial was
member, was shown over Faraway
Farms. OF course, Man O. War was
the high-light attraction for the en-
tire group. and it was with much
eagerness that they finally were guild
ed to him. To say that this onlcial
was disappointed would be putting 1t
very mildly.
He was stunned and now talks
Of his trip to Faraway Farms In
hurt tone.
In Man O. War, which was one
OF the greatest. if not the greatest. of
American race horses he expected
to see a champion. the last word
in thoroughbreds, and, to use his own
words, this is what he saw: Man O.
War now looks like q truck horse"
laughed and asked him how he
could expect anything else. as. after
all. Man O. War now is 2l years old
and nearing the end Of his useful
ness. I told him he should not have
expected to see the famous son of
Fair Play as he looked l8 years ago,
when he was hanging up his track
records and was the toast Of al
turfdom. He agreed with the logic
Of my statement but still maintained
1t was a distinct shock to him to
realize that big Red" looked as he
did
Pari- -Mutuels Turf's Salvation.
Churchill Downs and Col. Matt J.
Winn. its president, had much to
do with the salvation Of thorough
bred horse racing in this Nation by
installing the pari-mutuel form OF
wagering for the running Of the
Kentucky Derby in 1908. Pari-mutuel
between ourselves'-wagering now
prevails on all the race tracks In the
United States, except those In New
York. but back in 1908, when con-
ditions were different and with the
future Of the sport at stake. Col. Winn
came to the rescue with the pari-
mutuels. That and only that meant
the saving OF the thoroughbred sport
in all sections of the land.
Thirty years ago bookmaking
had come into disfavor, and TO
make matters worse one Of those
reform waves started, engulhng the
sport In many sections.
In one State after another the law
legalizing wagering on race tracks
was repealed, not because the sport
itself was in disfavor, but because
Of insistent charges that the book
makers owned most Of the horses and
ran them to suit their own ideas Of
profit and loss.
Kentucky was in the pathway Of
the deluge. and then Col. Winn re-
called that the pari-mutuel machines
had been introduced into the United
States years before but had been dis
carded. II the colonel just could find
. few Of these old discarded ma
chimes, well, racing might be saved
in Kentucky. At once . fervent
search was started.
Saved Racing In France.
France had faced . similar situa-
ton going into the lS70s. The pub
llic and the state were aroused against
the bookmakers. The fate Of the
sport was at stake. Then . man
named oller created the machine
form Of betting and called 1t pari-
mutuel and put them into opera
ton. They soon eliminated the book
makers. The public tossed oil it, bets
into . common pool, and the VIM
ners were paid out Of the wagering
collection.
Col. Winn's search fer psri-mu-