The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-06-20
THE MUSIC OF THE HOOP BEATS
Brings Joy to the Hearts of the
horsemen.
Opening of the TrottIng Season at
Saco and Fairfield.
Barney LIS Great Fight and Gallant
Victory Against Misfortune.

SAco, June 19.-The first summer meeting
of the Saco Driving Park Association be.
gan in this city today. Owing to the fact
that 1t is the busy season with many of the
merchants and also to the disagreeable prev
alence of raw east wind the attendance at
this afternoons races was not large.
The events were two in number with $500
purses in each, 500 to go to the winner, $50
to the second, $50 to the third and $40 to the
fourth. The classes were $50 and 2.35. The
80 class was called first. and out of field of
13 entries the following started and in the
order nance: Lucky, j. II. Twombly, Lew
iston; Kate r, James Quarter, Biddeford
Blacksmith, o. w. Ramsey. Rochester. N.
H.; Iron Age. E. A. Weymouth, Milton
Mills, N. H.; Misfortune, NJ. Leonard,
Providence, r. L. :; Barney L., p. ii. Lennon,
Portland! Golden Tonic, owned and driven
by George l.. Parker of Grey, was entered,
and his owner drove him on the track, but
formed him that they would be obliged to
put another man behind the horse. Parker
became insolent in his refusal to allow any,
one else to drive his horse, whereupon the
judges suspended him and sent his horse to
the barn.
In the first heat of this race the word was
given with Lucky good length ahead, Mis-
fortune ON the run and the other horses
trailing. Lucky's lead was short lived for
Barney l., the Portland horse footed past
her at the quarter pole as though she was
hitched. blacksmith also forged ahead of
Lucky and the contest was between Black
smith and the Portland horse. Barney l..
won the heat with Blacksmith only length
behind. Iron Age was distanced. Time of
heat, 2.40.
The second heat was sort Of hurdle race.
Barney l.. got away in the lead but broke
and all the other horses followed the exam
pie, except Kate r., the field of horses acting
like lot of colts at pasture. Kate II. OBJ
tanned a lead of six lengths before the 9TH
ers settled down and held it to the close. In
this heat Barney l.. was third. Time-243.
Blacksmith finishing good second, and Mis-,
fortune third. Time, 2.43a.
The last named mare had not been acting
well and the owner thought he would take
off III. G. Rankins, who had been handling
the ribbons, and put ON the veteran John f.
Haines. 10 the surprise of everybody
Haines won the heat in 2.42, the mare trot-
ting like darling and lifting her head but
once, and that on the home stretch when
passed by Barney l.. The last named horse
was only half length behind Misfortune at
the finish.
Another heat was now necessary and ex-
ctement was high. The sports were betting
on Misfortune and giving odds. The word
for the fifth heat found the Providence mare
and the Portland horse neck and neck. Bar
ney broke, and gaining little took the pole.
Misfortune swung out and caught fast clip
down the back stretch, but on the turn went
off her feet. The other horses were scarce two
lengths behind the leaders and ii was any
body's heat. But ON the second time round
the three tail epders fell back and the race
was left to the leaders. Neck and neck they
came down the back stretch, first on the run
and then trotting like the wind. At the fin
ish Barney L. led by a length. MIR. Haines
claimed Barney cut him at the first quarter
and Barney having run nearly all the way,
he claimed the heat for Misfortune. The
judges evidently thought the running
honors were easy. After consultation they
declared it mo heat and ordered
that a new driver be put behind Blacksmith.
The reason for this was the evident hippo
droming that horse was getting. The horse
is green and without record and his owner
anxious not to get one. In the
heat just described Blacksmith was pulled
almost to walk on the home stretch, other
wise he would have got the heat and a
record, as all the others had run more or
less.
The final heat was for blood. Both the
driver of Barney and the mare were deter
mined to win. The horses got the word well
in line and Barney and the mare both ran to
the quarter. Then Barney Strengthened
away and put in good licks. Misfortune
headed him twice but each time broke and
fell back. The Iinsh was exctin with the
Portland horse only nose afead of the
Providence mare, and Blacksmith with Fred
Maxwell in the sulky, only step behind.
Following is summary of the race.