The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-10-31
OLD TIME RACING.
How the jockeys Were Glued Onto Their
Horses Instead of Using saddies-rhe
Great Gray Eagle.wagner Race I'm 1889.
louisville Commercial. ]


~ guess am about the oldest turfman III
America" said Henry Farris to CONNER
cial reporter recently. The speaker was an
old man of seventy.four years, with frank,
open face, and pleasant address.
II attended the first race that was run on
regular course in Kentucky. 1t took place
in the fall of the year 1917, on track near
Crab Orchard, Ky which afterward became
famous as the Spring Hill course. was
mere lad then, and attended with my father.
There were several entries but the race was
clearly between the horse named Yellow
Jacket and big bay mare. People had clus-
tered from all parts of the State to witness
the event There was but little betting, the
novelty of the contest being the attraction.
From that day 10 this have always made it
a point to be present and witness the races.
i have been on every course in America,
owned some of the fastest horses OF the day,
ard the strangest thing OF all is that never
gambled cent on horse race"
II remember how the jockeys used to ride
in the olden days. They had no saddles. and
each man who mounted horse was re-
quired TO wear homemade linen pants A
vial OF honey was poured on the back OF the
horse, and the honey coming in contact with
the raw linen, formed an adhesion sufficient
" strong to keep the rider in his position and
enable him TO ride with safety"
a. trained the horse which won the stakes
in the first exciting race IN Kentucky.
speak of the famous horse Josh Bell, who
ran three heats in 1:50 over the course in
Lexington. This was in 1887. L afterwards
sold Josh Bell for $4,000, a fabulous price
for a race horse in those days. also
trained Jim Bell, full brother to Josh Bell.
He was the first horse that ever cleared
mile in :46 in America In the fall of 1885
he beat the celebrated Sarah Bladen, after an
exciting race st New Orleans. for a purse OF
&, goo. That day sold him TO ID. III. Kin
| ner for s., 600. Jim Bell subsequently be-
came the greatest tbree-year-old racer OF his
! day.
Il also trained and owned Denmark. He
ran $50 miles in public races, the majority
| OF which he won. In 1888 he came in winner
| of a sixteen mile race over the old Oakland
| track at Louisville.
"Forty-four years ago saw the Gray Eagle
| and Wagner race, undoubtedly the most ex-
| citing contest ever run in the world. Every
| state in the Union was represented. There
were no railroads or other transportation ac-
commodations in those days, but people
| focked from everywhere, and the attendance
on that day easily numbered $4,000. Ken
lucky was represented by the great Gray
Eagle and Virginia by Wagner. From the
| first il was evident that Gray Eagle or Wag-
ner would win the race. They took the lead,
and as they rounded into the quarter stretch
| Gray Eagle led the way by an open length.
Both jockeys piled the whip vigorously.
| Wagner gradually closed the gap aud landed
at the stand half length ahead of the great
| Kentucky steed. The stakes were $50 600,
and, in addition to this, Campbell, the own
| er of Wagner, told me that he had won more
than $1,000 on side BETS In those days pool
selling or a regulated system of betting was
unknown.
The man who wished to gamble generally