DECLINE OF AMERICAN THOROUGHBREDS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Issue 1136, 18 January 1912, Page 4

DECLINE OF AMERICAN THOROUGHBREDS.

Poor old American thoroughbred! — he has about gone to seed (says an American journal). Everywhere else the thoroughbred is about the biggest attraction in the sporting line, even greater than the kings of the Queensberry realm. Here in America we had the bookmaker, and everywhere else they had the pari-mutuel system. Here in America racing degenerated into a scientific gambling, proposition, with all the science monopolised by unscrupulous bookmakers and their allies. Elsewhere racing is a sport. It is not difficult to figure out what ails the American thoroughbred. In England, France, Argentine, Australia, Germany, and even in darkest Russia and flowery Japan the thoroughbred furnishes fine sport for the sportsmen and runs for small fortunes in single stakes. But the American thoroughbred, outlawed at home, seems to be in disgrace in all other portions trf the globe. Only 'the richest and most influential of American horsemen can race in other nations, and down in Argentina a tax of 300 dollars is placed on every imported horse. America must reform its turf, and since the trouble has been located, and the remedy is simple, it seems a shame that the cure is not effected without delay. Bookmaking has been legislated out of business nearly everywhere on the face of the earth, and the pari-mutuel gets along without any opposition wherever it has been tried. There is a movement on foot here for legalising the machines as a means of reviving the sport, and the breeders and sportsmen of this State are willing to lend their aid. Make racing a sport again, and it will regain all its oldtime popularity with the general public, but it must be maintained as a sport to insure permanency 1 of existence. The parasitical gang tliat ate the heart out of the industry by their thieving methods and dirty work must not be allowed to have anything to do with running the pari-mutuel machines. They must look, but never turn a wheel on them. They cannot do so in France, the Argentine Republic, or Australasia, and the racing game is popular at these places, so there can be no argument in favour of that class which killed racing in America.

A London exchange gives the follow’ ing list of the winning sires of successful brood mares in England during the recently-closed season: — £ s.

A unique wager has been made by two Chicago men, C. W. Bennett and M. Wilmer. As a result of a dispute regarding the relative endurance of man and horse, 2500 dollars was deposited by each with a well-known Washington medical man, Bennett betting that Mr. White, who has achieved some reputation as a pedestrian, could pull a Frazier sulky, with a man in the seat, from Chicago to San Francisco in 150 days, which wiuld require an average speed of twenty or twenty-five miles per day. The outfit started from Chicago on Monday, October 23rd, and reached Aurora on the evening of October 24th. The plan is to ‘follow the lines of the Santa Fe road from Galesburg. Oberst, the occupant of the sulky, is a young man weighing about 1251b5., but no doubt it will seem to White that he weighs a ton before he gets very near the Pacific Ocean. A couple of extraordinary occurrences hapepned in connection with two of the races at the Newmarket Houghton meeting. The Free Flandicap, for three-year-olds, has usually been one of the most important and interesting races during the Houghton week, but, this year the manner in which Stedfast was “thrown in” killed the event altogether. Forty-one horses were handicapped, but only three accepted, and as all these were afterwards struck out, the race was declared void. The Free Handicap, for two-year-olds, also presented some striking features, the result being the collapse of this race also. Originally 106 two-year-olds were handicapped. The sporting contributor to London “Truth” makes the following pertinent comments on the two catastro-

phes:—‘lt would be well if some of me present handicappers would take their fantasticalities and incompetences into some other fine of business,' tor there is scarcely a week of the season that we do not hear well-found-ed complaints of their egregious productions’.” This is a ratner scathing criticism of the Jockey Ciub weight adjusters.

The recent Marton meeting was the most successful in the history of the club. About £4O 0 was taken at the gates on the first day, or nearly double the amount taken on any previous day. The club intends to make several improvements, which will include a totalisator of the latest make, and an extension of the grandstand and lawn accommodation. The amount to be spent on these works will depend upon the success which is attained by the Rangitikei Racing Club in its protest against the emasculation of its meetings, but it would appear from its splendid locale that the Marton Club would be on very safe ground in proceeding to very full lengths with its proposed improvements. The club

financially is one of the strongest in the island, and its meetings are always practically certain of big attendances.

Gallinule 23,340 0 Loved One .... 21,266 0 Tristan .... 18,703 0 Surefoot .... 17,2 75 0 Isinglass .... 16,550 0 Persimmon .... 15,187 0 Ladas .... 13,184 0 St. Simon .... 11,715 10