The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-07-19

THE GREATEST CONTEST IN AMERICAN
TURF HISTORY.
How isassett Beat EOnSfCllOW.

Special dispatch to the New ork 'nhc''
SARATOGA, July lG.-Ncycr. perhaps, Ill
the racing history of the. Saratoga. or any
other track has such Il scene been witnessed
as took place to-day-tlic scene attending the
race between Longfrllow and Harry EaS>ctt.
In TO n late hour last night the poo'-roollS
and clubhouse were ihronged with Spcc'l;t-
tors eager to put their lust dollar on old John
IIarpcr's horse. The hotels caught the III
lection. and soft words and whispers gave
plrre to adv-likc discussions of the morrow
on the piaZZaS. while the halls were almost
converted into betting rooms. Greater
swing was given to speculation ahoul mo
night when the clouds gathered around
the moon. and there was every proSlrtt
that .Jupitcr PIuvillS would he king OF the
racc.tr;lck today: But cloudy morning
gradually gave way to Il bright sunny day
tlr hottest we have had since tho meeting
BEGAN. The grand stand was occupied
much earlier than uStml-"rery one hurry
inc from Tire breakfast table III oruer |" So
cure a GOOD seat from whence 10 witness inc
.rrr,t race. Carriages followed one another
in rapid succession. and pedestrians W'Grd
through the dust aS though they cared
nothing for it. All along the route one
could catch scarce Il sound save the WORDS
lsl>Srtt and Lon-lrow. On reaching ihc
track | III once went 10 IiarpcrS stables.
Everything was IL quiet and orderly *
usual: Lou-tilow stood a> meek Is II lamb
in his stall. and there was n"thln@t" lea'' one
Ia >,rpr,pSr That the Great struggle between
,l,r rival stables would he over within iii
bnur Both sides were confident of victory.
both depended on the merits ol thcir u"
Spcrtiyc horses. and both were wrong. The
I,.-t l,y-f nf lr
a,a.iIrutS That ever occurred on \ racc-cour>c
The bnylr sounded for the contest he
tween the giants Of the racing world, and
~ fr>t Lon-trlow and then Ea>~ctt gaIIoprd
;ja,t tho stand the excitement was intense.
lIad they been WILSON'S or .Ialmli-r.irk> they
could not have received Il greater Ovation
than was cNlltingy given To them. They
took their places at the neutrality-suspicious..
mile post. inst above the stretch. and were
oil at the first start. II WAS most painful To
look around aud study the varied EXPIRES
>unS Of rotlutcllanrt- some looked ~ crave
as Judges, others were nervous Ind trrll-
bling; others again looked Is though h"r.
dcrinu on all attack Of acute mania. As the
horses passed the stand for the first time
one ,Ipruaiuu, shout rent the air. aud
every one hustled aud jo>tlcd i'll spit"
of lie earnest cntrcatic> "i IN" pole"
that aiI would keep their seats. III"
horses swept round the lower turn at II re-
mcndollS pace, and when halfway h"n"
were close together Bl>>rtt leading !N about
half Il length. At that moment john Nor
riSScy cried out, " Louri,lIoW'S beat. 1t
WAS too true. Something" had gone wrong
with the great horse. and his lriricrS looked
distracted On struggled the game horse.
kcrpinm close on the quarter of his adNrI-
>arv, budging not IN inch. holding llI> own
lElwuiccntly. bur unable to gain II foot on
him. Down the ulEtrtcr->trctrlI c:llilc III"
pair ut pace unknown on the >aIato-ii
track The whip. the spur were pied;
everything thai Il rrrrr jockey could TO WAS
done: 4 veil went up from tn" excited muI-
ttudr. and l';l>>rtt passed the Judges stand
thrrc-,iurrrt"rs Of Il length ahead Of Lon2irl-
low. The scene which followed i ndrScrilrI-
bic. Tie roInrrd iurk,y> and trainers yelled
like uaniac~, tumbIcd over one another
and fought To EI To the Judges stand
first. Hats and sticks literally rIarkcnrd
the mir. and | am not sure that many
Il coorcd >tabl,-hoy was not tossed al"tt for
10Y. In the grand stand men shouted AMI
almost embraced ole another: ladirs. though
half alarmed at the torrent OF excitement.
waved their handkcrchiclS and araSoI>-
and. for what The greatest Roman of alI
his species was beaten through Il cruel acct
dcut. which in all probability ends his racing
career. When poor u"cl"w failed at that
halfway home point he had not broken down,
IL many supposed. The plate Of hi> shoe had
broken in half, had turned up. and had torn
the soft part ol the heel, immediately under
tnc lrtlock. ! ~aw him come TO the Judges
stand after being pulled up, and, though
! had not Il cent of inter st in the race.
my heart was sore for him a. he limpcd
along. There was the cruel iron and the
torn flesh, and the beaten hero, VAN
pushed. not by superiority. but by II
rare ill.lorttlnc. only tlirrc-qulartrrS Of Il
length behind. and under such disastrous
circumstances, and that. too. in the fastest
known rI'c--lhlcc minutes and iiity-nlnc
seconds. 1t is feared thai I.on"irllow will
never run AGAIN. The >tabIc-boys had The
greatest difficulty in getting him 10 his stable.
and il j. said that his injury Is Il permanent
one. l:ut what Il disappointment 10 the dis
Interested lovers of sport, of whom old John
Harper himself leads The van. Should Long
fellow never again appear. his friends will
always claim him is the superior 81 any
hor,c of his day. and yet Colonel Mcdaniel
can claim that the Long Branch decision Is
reversed. 1t is sadly unsatisfactory; il Is Il
termination 10 Il racing career which bid fair
10 be- one of the most brilliant the racing
world has ever known.
TIE RACE.
They were started from the thrcC-qlarlcr
pole Every eye WAS rivcttrd To the spot.
The ill" fell, and they were all of together.
ON the stretch Ba>>rtt comes To the front,
aud i, making the pace 1T Il terrible rate.
| hey COME 10 the stand, and cheer greet,
them rs iia>Srtt passes under The string Il
l.ugth ahead of L.on-iclluw. who WAS Tour
lengths in advance of Defender. When they
went around the turn the same hot pace was
kept mp. and Ba>Sctt would not let iUnglrl-
low reach his head. They approach the
gturtrr-polc. Longlciow get, closer TO the
llying BlsScti, and II cheer goes up from his
hackers but when they pass that point hi>
nose is only ut IjisSctt's ail-Drlrndcr ont of
the race. As they rush along the back
stretch Lon@trlow is urged forward and
laps BtS>clt. The sight is /; beautiful one
and the excitement is intense. Now Bas-
set gets away again and at the hall he is
leading his great competitor Il length.
and again the cheers roll out over the
culIrsr. Now again, on the lower turn. Ea>-
>ett is crowded upon and Lon%ir!ow i, again
lappin" his quarter. The shout continue
and increase in volume, but ut the three
quarter pole BaSsctt is away three-quartcrS
OF Il length. Now they come up the stretch.
LonglrIiow comes with rush. The excite
mcnl is intense. He heads Bassett The
lnem are hoarsc with shouting. ard the ladies
Sb,pt veil IA them 'Ebav pe.,r rho stand aud