The New York herald., 1871-08-23
SARATOGA RACES.
Fifth Day OF the August
Meeting.
SPLENDID and Fashionable Attendance
-Four Exciting Contests.
Duffy the Winner of the steeple Chase, Midday
the Free Handicap for All Ages One Mile;
Joe Daniels the Purse Of $500. for
Two-Year-Olds, and Abdelkoree
the Dash of Two Miles
SARATOGA, August %. 1871,

SARATOGA, August %. 1871.
Since yesterday morning the eighteen thousand
eojourners here have oeen quite disconnected and
miserable crowd OF pleasure seekers as one could
well imagine The skies have been full of clouds
and almost an incessant downcoming OF rain Part
oi the time IL was a deluge, and everybody sought
IN vain for any patcn OF blue sky amid the mono
tonous and dreary waste. Those from the larger
cities seemed The most miserable. Out OF doors for
the fair sex was unapproachabe, and indoors
70 persons at least having no taste for intellectual
Amusements-ut;ery tiresome. There can be nothing
more insu1erably stupid than succession OF rainy
days in Saratoga. Fancy oh happy readers, who
were at home in your own comfortable apartments,
with all city means and appliances Of enjoyment
fancy family man, bent on watering place felicity,
gong Off a hot day and arriving here at
huge hotel with the weather changing sud-
denly from awful hot to shocKingly cold, from
glaring sunshine to lmpervious clouds, and what
think you OF the predicamentP Such has been our
misfortune since Sunday night. and it seemed q
hopeless period Of wasted existence, with mortal
patience and sublime fortitude frozen, damp and
dismal, ending in dlsliking men and women, as did
Hamlet after mis- interview with Denmark's ghost
Verify the past thirty-slx hours have melancholy
here, and they have had their erect in ducing the
number OF soourners as eight hundred or more Of
the disguised yesterday turned their faces home
ward out OF humor with everybody, because this
the month Of dog-days-the month as warm as the
tropics usually. should kick mp such dido and be
as cold as the August Of DR.. Halls innermost Arctic
circle.
This morning, however. the weather began to be
more friendly, and though the sun did not shine
untl now, there were evidences during the early
hours OF the cessation OF Its hostites
The attendance was OF the most satisfactory cha
racter. The grand and was filed from
''cend to eend," as Old John Harper
would characterize it, and the notables
among the group could be counted Dy
the score. l saw senator Cameron entertaining
party Of ladies and seemingly enjoying the amuse-
ment as much as they; and hardly had / noticed
this distinguished gentleman before my attention
was directed TO Senator Sprague, who was similarly
engaged. The faces OF the ladies were so fresh and
charming. and the battery OF eyes deadly, that
nine out OF ten OF the gentlemen went away from
the to-day with he conviction that Saratoga
~ q racing meeting is peerless for female beauty
among all the racing centres OF tine Union.
The steeple chase brought out the ladies in full
force, ana despite the lowering morning, in exqui-
site costumes. thousand bright eyes beamed on
the riders and racers as they were called to the
saddle, and a thousand fair cheeks glOwed with
excitement they dashed away on their journey.
Some are more excitabe than the rest. Ten yards
from me, and in full view OF thousands, one lady
from New York, falrer than her surrounding sisters
st ands up and shouts with childish gee. She is as
love ~ palnllng OF the Old masters. Her cheeks
are more rosy than pinkiipped shell, and her de-
lcious smiles and playful gances are cOnquering
DUFFY will win" she cries to her neighoors, aud
extends her tiny hand towards that racer .He
must win; now splendldly he leaps-he can't
lose it," ana her jov knew no bounds when the
black and crimson of Dunys rider went under the
The men are NOT less enthusiastic, but tney shout
Justify and wave their bats, and two or three stand
0 mR veg
shake each other madly 10y the hand as they feel
assured that Duny cannot be beaten, and so over
the whole stand is excitement and pleasure.
The rder OF Astronomer-a little monkey or
niger that was born the Lord knows where-must
be commenced for the manner In which he did his
work and the laughter his RrOtesque appearance
caused among the spectators. There never sat upon
o saddle a more mrth-provoking lump OF uarkey
humanity, and none that ever received more ap-
plause Tor admirable riding than he.
Below the quarterstretch to-day, among hundreds
OF splendid equpages counted three iour-in-hands
in ali the glory OF high raPpngs Now tins number
were greatly admired and appreciated, as addi. &
much 10 the pcturesqueness or the scene.
There isn't much that Is new TO talk OF to-day, ard
rs this may be the better tine must nave word
OF commendation Ior the management IN regard TO
racing week. No disturbances have Inarred
the occasion. and the absence Of dsreputable
noticeable. There has been police force present
each day, but OF the characters that compose 1t 1t
would seem that some OF them were selected not for
their illness but lnco mpetency. one or two are OF
the genus stupid and the holnellest specimens Of
There Is one now standing before me on the lawn,
and he has been terrible eyesore the field
OF my immediate vision during the past week. He
Is now standing in a group OF gentlemen, with q
duhdeen IN MS mouth offensive as 'longshOre-
mans, which now and then ne withdraws from that
aperture, and his face at rest Is combination Of
savaReness and c0wardice. hyena's expression
IL pleasant IN comparison. He Is twltching at
che club some stupid authority allows him
TO carry and you compelled TO conclude that this
brute, II he thought he could escape the
Quences OF the act, would strike a babe at Its
mather's breast. Ill drags his coataIl every ywhere
wants some one TO tread upon IT. that he crack
tn r crown, and only tie gentilIty OF those about
him prevents some such calamity.
The track VAS very heavy, and rhe earlier arrivals
were observers OF s. ectacle never before seen on
the turf. II icing number OF industrious wOrkmen
ping up with sponges the water that lay in pools
before the grand stand. The idea was good one
wltnou douOt the effect being TO make the track
appear better than 1t really was; but practically ii
was unnecessary laOOr anu OF no service whatever.
The pool sellers OF the Association, Underwood
meeting for the admirable manner In which they
have discharged the oneous duties of their position
IL is difficult please every betting on a race
track, bat don't know that these gentlemen have
succeeded in accom- pllshing this feat, and the
meeting Will close without any grumbng directed
toward their heads II knew would tell you how
many hundreds OF thousands OF dollars they have
had In the box since the opening day, and In the
absence OF bgnres may sd, ely say the amount has
been as large as ever known during any meeting
here.
TINE RACING.