The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-10-23
PREsUMPscoT PARK.
The Matched Race Yesterday a
Close and Exciting Contest.

About 200 people were present yesterday
afternoon at Presumpscot Park TO witness
matched trotting race. The weather was
warm and pleasant, and the attendance
would no doubt have been much larger had
the public supposed the contest would be
the close and exciting one 1t proved TO be.
The purse was $500 and was contended for
by the gelding Little Jim, by Don Fulano;
the gray mare, Lady Independence, by Mes
senger Knox; and the mare Clara O., by
Phil Sheridan.
The race was called promptly at t.30 o'clock
and after considerable scoring the horses
were given the word, and they left the wire
In the following positions; Lady lnue-
.pendence, first Clara c., second; Little jim,
third The send off was good one, but be-
fore going a dozen lengths Little Jim broke.
and went around the first turn on run.
Lady Independence and Clara q. went up
the back stretch close together. with Little
Jim trailing behind, a position which he
occupied during the heat, much to the dis
appointment Of his friends. The mares
kept well together until they were going uD
the back stretch ON the last half when the
gray went into the air,and lost, by the break.
The positions at the finish were as follows:
Clara c., first; Lady Independence, second;
Little Jim. third. Time. 2.40.
There was long and tedious wait betwesa
the first and second heats. IL was no fault
Of the judges, who did their best to get the
horses onto the track. But the drivers Of
the trotters for some reason or other waited
and waited, and 1t was over an hour before
the second heat, after about the usual amount
Of scoring, was started. Little Jim again
persisted In doing considerable running at
the outset, but finally got settled down TO
business, and took the lead. At the finish
the positions were: Little Jim, first Lady
Independence, second; and Clara @, third.
The judges, however. gave Lady Independ-
enee the first place, setting Little Jim back
to second place on account Of his running.
This decision caused some dissatisfaction
among the friends Of the geldIng, but the
judges said they wanted 1t understood that
It was not running race and adhered 10
their decision.
In the third heat there was some very close
trotting, and the three horses were Tapped
throughout. BY this time, however,, the lit
tie gelding had got settled down TO business,
and he won by about half length. Lady
Independence was second, and Clara third.
Time, 243.
The fourth and fifth heats were repetitions
Of the third. Both were very exciting. and
the contest between Little Jim and Lady
Independence was very close, and until a
heat was ended II was not possible 10 tell
which would be the winner. The Lady
showed she had good sttying powers, and
gave the gamey little geldIng a real "horse
race" as the saying is Everyone was well
pleased with the afternoons sport, pnd came
away feeling that the race had been tr0tted
on its merits. Those who predicted the affair
would be hippodrome had nothing 10 say.
and again 1t was proven that even prophets
sometimes are wrong. The judges were
L. T.. Wescott, w. III. Smell and j. w.
Hitehings. and they filed their positions
we'll The summary Of the race follows:
PREsUMPscoT PARK, Oct. 22.--Matched race
for purse Of $500.
J. s. Jordan, rs, Little Jim. ......3 4
M. Jordan, ms. Lady Independence. Q 2 2
Albert Cobb, ns Clara @ ............1 3 .
Time-2.4o, 2.43, 2.42. 23os4. 2.41.