The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-04-26
The Great RaCes-6sWaHlet Flag
Triumphant!

l Saturday the 10Th, the day appointed fol
, the trial of speed between the Mallet
, mare and Mr.. Peck's grey stallion, ar
4 rived, and long before day was well
broken, crowds were seen coming into
town from all directions and by all roads
Everything was excitement and nothing
| talked about but the coming event, in
; fact, such had been the case in our little
town for more than ten days. Anxious
faces were to be seen on every side, and
l every face in that condition represented
a friend of st. Landry's favorite "Flag,'
for many said the little mare was not in
proper training, been resting too long
upon her laurels won over two years ago.
etc. To tell the truth, stock in the little
mare was at a low ebb.
About ten o'clock our attention was
p drawn to the stallion as he walked
through the street, on his way to the
track, with his jockey upon his back,
y and we felt the star of the mare had set,
and ere the day had closed, that she
would be walked back to her stable a
beaten animal. The horse was a beauty,
showing perfect symmetry of form, NOV
ing with a firm elastic tread, and show
ing n every movement that his training
had been perfect.
On arriving on the track we found
over q thousand spectators were already
ON the ground, and as far as the eve
could reach, in every direction, could be
seen crowds hurrying towards the spot.
The horse was quietly walking I'D and
down the track, followed by crowds,
each motion, and every look being well
noted by the knowing Ones, and after
each look the next motion was to pull
their pOcket-bOoks out and go towards
the main crowd to look for some DOOR
fellow who wanted to lose his money on
the mare. Cries could be heard on every
side OtferlngfrOm one hundred to single
dollar, and some offering two to one on
the horse.
Suddenly it seemed as if every man on
the ground was yelling, when lookingi in
the direction in which every eye was
turned, we saw the "maren with her
cover on, led by her groom toward the
track. When she arrived she was taken
possession of by the man who had al
ways started her in every race she has
ever run. She seemed to recognize his
touch, and in a second the excitement,
under which she seemed to be laboring
on her arrival, was soothed, and he quiet
ly walked her backward and forward to
gether accustomed to the crowd.
She moved with her usual quick and
nervous tread so peculiar to her, with
just a little too much fire and spirit flash
ing from her eyes for her friends to be
willing to back her against the horse
who was as Quietasa lamb. "Getready! "
came from the judges, and in a second
the little mare, shining like silver, had
slipped from beneath her covering and
her racing saddle was being buckled on
her back. In a few more minutes her
jockey, dressed from head to foot in red,
was perched upon her back, and her
starter" stood at her head holding her
firmly. 1t was impossible to see the lit
tie beauty without being willing to risk
a few dollars on her. So her friends
must have thought, for we ceased to
hear the betters on the horse offering
their bets to the crowd, but we did see
one young nan jump off his horse, and
offer to bet it against fifty dollars on the
mare, and as the horse was worth over a
hundred, we imagine all their bets had
been taken as no one took him up. Two
or three feints were made preparatory
to the final start, the mare behaving in
rather a vicious manner, trying to go
anyhow, but the horse being under per-
feet control. Such was the excitement,
after the riders had been mounted, that
a whisper could have been heard from
anywhere in the crowd.
Atthe word Go !" both horses bound
cd forward, the mare getting about three
feet the start. The mare was cut once
or twice at the start by her jockey and
went through without another lick, the
horse, in the meanwhile, being whipped
from the jump. Shout after shout rent
the air when the horses neared the crowd
and they saw the mare leadingthe horse
by about twenty feet, coming down to
her work in handsome style. Like a
bullet from a gun, she shot through the
polls, a winner by twelve feet, $50 the
judges decided) and more than one man
in that crowd felt his heart jump with
relief as he Joined in the huzzas for the
fastest native horse of St. Landry.
A bet of two hundred and fifty dollars
was offered by the owners of the beaten
horse to run the race over the same day,
but the owner of the mare refused to al
low her to run again on the same day,
as a race had already beenmade against
the celebrated Kildare mare of Lafayette,
to come off ON May 10th, for the sum of
two hundred and fifty dollars, the dis
lance being seven acres, the race to be
over a track at OF near the junction.
We understand that the mare will soon
be sent to a different parish, to some
friends Of the owner. who wish to run
her. Go where she will, we guarantee
that she will always be the first at the
come out,s provided the distance is not
less than three hundred nor more than
six hundred yards. She will never dis
grace her native parish.
G111oa ryrsf n n h o1o-o --o -, 5o-.4a.