Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-06-04
WOMEN RACING HORSES.
Riding That Dre,c Shouts From ThronO
In Colorado.
rDenver Tribune

of horsemen, and, in fact, everybody in
terested in racing, for months before 1T
took place. Twenty mile races have not
been run often enough to make them
common, yesterdays being the eighth
run in this country. The challenge was
issusd by Miss Pinneo in November last,
to any lady rider in the world. There was
but one to pick up the gauntlet thrown
down so boldly by the Colorado girl.
Miss Nellie Curtis, of Topeka, Kansas,
accepted the challenge, and agreed that
the race should take place at the spring
meeting of the Denver Jockey club. Both
ladies have been working hard TO perfect
themselves in making rapid changes and
accustom themselves to long and rapid
rides since that time. Miss Pinneo was
known to be a graceful and accomplished
rider of remarkable endurance, she hav-
ing shown her skill in two twenty mile
races last year. Of Miss Curtis nothing
| was known. She had never ridden in a
race and had never been heard of before
she accepted Miss Pinneo's challenge
The few people who saw her ride at sew
eral of her morning gallops across the
| rider, she did not sit upon horse with
half the grace or ease that Miss Pinneo
did. From the time this race was circu-
lated, Miss Curtis was looked upon with
distrust, while additions to Miss Pinneo's
| army of friends and hackers were made
daily.
That those who first saw Miss Curtis
ride were correct in their judgment was
demonstrated to the IL, 900 spectators who
witnessed the contest yesterday.
The Greeley girl is sturdier rider and
more thoroughly horsewoman, while
her power of endurance is something phe-
nomenal. Miss Curtis is not so comfort
ably at home in the saddle as Miss Pinneo
is, and she showed fatigue after her sixth
mile, while she hasn't the strength to
make the rapid changes necessary to the
success of a rider in a long race. TWAS
with difficulty that she finished her thir-
teenth mile yesterday, while Miss Pinneo
was much fresher at the close of the
| twentieth mile than she was when she
scored the first half of the race.
At half-past O'Clock the judges rang
| the bell and called for the horses for the
twenty-mlle race. A few minutes later
Miss Pinneo, riding Missouri Bill, ap-
peared on the track. The people recog-
nized her at once, and she was given a
most fattering reception. She wore a
jaunty jockey cap of blue, which became
her well, a tight-fitting riding habit of
black velvet, with delicate cluster of
| roses and forget-me-nots at her throat.
While the assemblage was still cheering
Miss Pinneo, Miss Curtis, seated in a
barouche, in company with several Kan
sas gentlemen, drove across the track
into the enclosure and al1ghted.
Like her companion from Greeley
she was attlred in handsome
black velvet riding suit. 1t was rich ly
embroidered in colors on the bosom.
Her dark hair was caught up neatly un-
der Jockey cap of black. Her face was
fresh and animated, and her movements
were quick and energetic. AS she mount
ed Tom, handsome bay horse, and
rode up before the judges stand she
created a most favorable impression. AS
the two ladies sat upon their horses, the
eyes of the vast assemblage turned critic
ally upon them, they made picture OF
robust womanhood that could not be ex-
celled They are both large women,
well formed, and the very picture OF
health. Neither is beautiful, but both
are fine specimens of the strong, self
reliant women of the West.
Judge Tough announced that Miss Pin
neo had kindly given the pole position to
Miss Curtis. Miss Curtis gracefully &C
knowedged the compliment with d bow
and smile, and the crowd showed Its ap-
proval in the usual way by cheering.
Then the ladies drove their horses
above the wire and scored for a start
They were on line as the judge dropped
his flag and gave the word 60. 1t was
exactly forty minutes and thirty seconds
past 3 o'clock. If the entire race had been
as interesting and exciting as both the
start and the finish of the first mile, it
would have been one of the greatest eX-
hIbitions of horse racing on record. Tom,
Miss Curtis's horse, bounded eagerly to
the front under the singing cut from his
fair riders whip Miss Curtis kept this
lead past the first quarter post,
and led by several lengths
at the first half As she sped by, Miss
Pinneo closely following on Missouri
Bill, the time-keeper's watch registered
l:O1 for the first half. Miss Pinneo sat her
horse beautifully, and urged him forward
with her slender riding whip Missouri
Bill smarted under the lash, and, throw
ing down his head, increased his speed,
passing the Kansas lady before the pole
on the third quarter was reached; but the
latter regained the ground that she had
lost, and on the last stretch Missouri Bill
and Tom Numbered through the dust
side by side, passing under the wires
nearly tie, Miss Pinneo being perhaps
a neck ahead, having made the first mile
in 2:10. E
Miss Pinneos place for changing horses
was few rods north of the judges stand
The horses were kept inside the enclos-
ure, between the ira ks, and were led out
to the opposite side of the track, immedi-
ately in front of the lower end of the
grand stand, ready for the mount. While
Miss Curtis was speeding on around the
track to the first quarter post, where a
fresh horse was waiting for her, Miss Pin
neo refined in Tom and drove up alongside
Bismarck, who was standing quietly
alongside the fence Without touch
ing the ground she jumped from the
saddle to Bismarck's back, and almost be-
fore the spectators knew that change
had been made, she had given her fresh
horse the whip and bounded off after her
competitor, who had not yet reached her
changing place. This was the quickest
change of the day, not occupying more
than seven seconds. Before Miss Curtis
was seated On the back of Cub, her fresh
horse, Miss Plnneo was spinning around
the course, nearly quarter of mile
ahead
At the end of the twelfth mile Miss
Curtis suffered greatly from fatigue, near
ly fainting when taken frem her horse.
Her face was bathed and her head tied up
in handkerchief, and, with her hair
still flying. she started on her thirteenth
mile. Miss Pinneo made her seventeenth
mile four miles ahead of Miss Curtis, in
2:34M Miss Pinneo made her eighteenth
mile In 2:501s, before Miss Curtis ran her
horse under The score, finishing her thir-
ee. til mile in 9:O91a. She did not ap-
,ear arain on the track as Pinneo's COM