The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1883-12-29
RACING HALF A CENTURY AGO.
How the Jockeys were Glued onto
Their Horses Instead of
Using Saddles.
louisville Commercial.l

speaker was all old man of seventy.four
years with frank, open face, and pleas
ant address.
81 attended the first race that was
run Oh regular course in Kentucky.
1t took place in the fall of the year 1877,
on track near Crab Orchard, KY, which
afterward became famous as the Spring
Hill course, | Twas mere lad then, and
attended with my father. There We're
several entries, but the race was clearly
between horse named Yellow Jacket.
and big bay mare. People had clus-
tered from all parts of the State to wit
ness the event. There was but little
betting, the novelty of the contest being
the attraction. From that day to this
l have always made it point to be pres
ent and witness the races. | have been
on every course in America, owned some
of the fastest horses of the day, and the
strangest thing of all is that never gam
bled cent on horse race.
81 remember how the jockeys used to
ride in the olden days. They had no
saddles, and each man who mounted
horse was required 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 sufficiently strong to
keep the rider in his position and enable
him to ride with safety.
81 trained the horse which won the
stakes in the first exciting race in Ken
lucky. speak of the famous horse Josh
Bell, who ran three heats in l:50 over
the course in Lexington. This was in
1887. I afterward sold Josh Bell for
5000, fabulous price for racehorse
in those days. l 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 1888 he
beat the celebrated Sarah Bladen, after
an exciting race at New Orleans, for a
purse of $1,000. Jim Bell subsequently
became the greatest three-year-old racer
of his day.
4" 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 sxteen-mile race
over the old Oakland track at Louisville.
"Forty.four years ago saw the Gray
Eagle and Wagner race, undoubtedly the
most exciting contest ever run in the
world. Every State in the Union was
represented There were no railroads or
other transportation accommodations in
those days, but people aocked from every.
where, and the attendance on that day
numbered easily $4,000. Kentucky was
represented by the great Gray Eagle, and
Virginia by Wagner. From the first it
was evident that Gray Eagle or Wagner
would win the race They took the lead,
and as they rounded into quarter stretch
Gray Eagle led the way by an open
length. Both jockeys applied the whip
vigorously Wagner gradually closed
the gap and landed at the stand half q
length ahead of the great Kentucky
steed. The stakes were $4,000, and, in
addition to this, Campbell, the owner Of
Wagner, told me he had won more thar
Sl3, 900 on side bets. In those days poo
selling or regulated system of betting
was unknown.
"The man who wished to gamble gen
orally proclaimed from box. An agen
always accompanied the capitalist t.
make report of the bets his employel
made. An instance which tended to in
crease the excitement of the day was tn
death Of man named Peck. He was
Kentuckian, and had bet every cent h
possessed, amounting, believe, to Sl5,
900 on Gray Eagle. He stationed him
self near the spot which marked tn
finish, and when he saw that he had los
he dropped dead on the spot. I hav
witnessed every event of Importance j
the way of racing since that memorabl
,day, and have never seen, nor do eS
/ pect to see, contest SO exciting or fu
of general interest. A barrel of none
changed hands on the result. Althoug
I I am past seventy-four years OF age, l al
still training horses. My headquartel
are at Spring Hill course, near Cra
/ Orchard and I expect to turn out man