Show racehorses IN OLD AGE NANY MANY ARE DRAWING CABS the question of the ultimate dig dis position of the pins and needles has been debated most exhaustively and possibly the subject has been satis facto rily settled the problem as to what becomes of all the racehorses Is rather more intricate and requires diligent inquiry what becomes of all the race horses was fas asked of frank farrell owner of blues and the greater new ew york baseball club which are said to be coupled in the oetting I 1 don t t know replied air nir farrell with deliberation but I 1 have strong convictions as to what should become of some of them it was evident mr air farrell farrells s usually sunny disposition had been temporary temp orar lly clouded by a loss of confidence in some members of the equine family and the writer did not press the query when john E madden mas as asked the question be he said cheerily why that s easy they keep trav eling about like the birds go south and west in the winter and north in the summer yes sir this prom aises to be the greatest racin bracins season in the history of the sport As the replies of farrell and mad den seemed to be lacking in detail the writer asked the same question ot of W C fessenden trainer owner and former baseball expert what becomes of the rate racehorses horses eh he echoed well my boy nine out of ten break down As soon as that happens they are sold for what they will bring there Is many a horse that once raced home winner in a classic event to ane shouts of thousands who now pulls a hack or a peddlers peddler s cart J joe cotton once a grand handl cap horse Is drawing a hael in beeton while the mighty banquet now earns his oats hauling a london tab cab sal ator ilano hanover er hamburg and others are more fortunate ae as uley they are n the stud but the number of stallions to a being steadily restricted with the insult of a very large increase in talo percentage of geldings on the track the object is to do away with me large number of cheap and useless stallions the result will be the arr rowing of sires to the most select strains and consequent improvement in the breed why does so large a proportion ot of thoroughbreds break down that is due to the early age et at which they are raced financial rewards seem to be for the owners ot of two year olds and of course they co not miss thear opportunities A special effort Is made in the development and racing of horses of that age and as a majority often are not strong enough to stand the work they break down fully 60 per cent of two year olds tall fall to pass successfully through the ordeal of racing and of the horse horses that begin as two year olds not one in a hundred Is fit for racing at five live years old A large proportion la Is incapacitated for work on the track at four years As to the mares very few of them r are of any value as racers after their fifth year they have a better future than the geldings and stallions for there thero Is always a lively demand for good breed mares however as improvement in breeding goes on we may develop a two year old that will better stand the vicissitudes ot of campaigning t new york press |