Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-31
RACING IN THE MUD.
A Hard Time Guessing the Winners
Experienced at HOmewood. .
SEE-SAWING DONE IN THE HEATS.
Regulator Finally Won the Pace and Prince
- A Got the Tr0t.
EVENTS OF INTEREST In OTHER PLACES


could guess the winners were few and far be-
tween. Three PAGES, a trot anda match race
were scheduled, but only pace and trot
could be finished. The races should nave
started promptly at 12:30, but it was 3 before
the bell rang up the horses for the 225 pace.
1t had been n question whether there would
be any races, and when the horses appeared
they were loudly cheered by the hundreds Of
undaunted enthusiasts, many of whom had
arrived at the track in time for the original
schedule for the start.
From noon till o'clock every train carried
passengers for Homewood and from there
they stopped over the mud roads or
rode through the rain to the track, offering
odds that not heat would be go. Yet they
hung on to the hope of seeing q race and
plowed their way to the track until there
were about $500 people present. That was
an immense gathering considering the
awfulness Of the we8 ther and was the big
gest crowd ut the park this week. Officers
of the association looked dismally at the
crowd and told 'might have been stories" If
it had been fair weather.
Good Guessers Missed Everything.
1t was really the first day that it was at all
interesting trying to pick winners. On the
other two days three straights went right
along, but yesterday the fields were large
enough to keep things lively. At the begin
ming favorites were left out in the cold-or
rather rain-but they at last stopped home
and won, after everybody had decided they
were not in it and were guessing the other
way. Then in the meantime Ozark horses
would wheel into line and kick mud in the
eyes of the crack flyers as they hustled
down the home stretch at something like
2:4S gait. -t-f- ~-
Tie time made was excellent considering
the track, which started in heavy and came
out sloppy. Some one facetiously remarked
that the horse who won the last race got
along swimming1y," but he was doubtless
trying to guess another horse as winner, and
his sarcasm was bred of an empty pocket.
There were some peculiar incidents in con-
nection with the days races, and some
people"-always, authority for rumors-
talked suspiciously of some things being
hard to beat. A horse would go out steadily
and in an instant would go OFF his feet and
lose good length. Then he would shoot
up and hang onto the heels of the leader for
an instant and a little thing would get him
onthe jump again to the CONSERVATION OF
men who had Staked their confidence ON MS
ability to be winner.
Regulator Got the First Race.
When the bell rang up the first race six
horses were lined UP. Regulator and Henry
III were having it nip and tuck as to who
should be favorite. Mac was tipped for a
sure winner and the ease with which he
that would be all that could be wished by
his friends but it wasn't. In this heat Henry
HI and Regulator seemed to be the only
horses in the race. They moved out easily
; enough and Henry II led straight through.
At the start Mac was left behind. He went
along at 1eisurely pace until he got into
the stretch, when he seemed to take in new
life and landed in third place, pushing Regu-
lator hard for second. Henry III had very
little trouble going in first.
In the second heart Henry was the card.
Everybody seemed to look upon him as u
winner, but he proved bad one. Mac got
away well, with Regulator and Shaker keep
ing him company. Henry III was left behind
after the turn was made, and from that on
he ran cleararound into the stretch: Though
he finished close in on the heels OF BeSsemer
he was shut out for running. Mac led the
way to the stretch, and from there it was o
hot fight between Mac, Regulator and
Shaker, but the former won and the others
followed him in the order named -ta
A One-Mile Procession. ~
The third heat started out in a bunch, but
before the quarter-mile pole was reached it
was little more than procession, with Mac
in the lead and Regulator second. There was
no show of q race all the way, and Mac went
home in q center as though there was no
need for more than a walk. Regulator was
two lengths back, Shaker third, Billy B
fourth and Bessemer distanced. This per-
formance made Mac q hot favorite and he
was looked upon as a sure winner.
Only four horses showed up for the fourth
heat. Mac had gone as steady as could be
the first three heats and hardly had O break,
but he seemed unmanageable for the rest of
the race. He broke at the start and could
not be kept on his feet. In the fourth heat
he came in last and came very near being
shut out. Regulator won with but little
trouble, followed by Shaker and Billy b.
The fifth heat was repetition of the fourth.
Billy and Shaker Withdrew before the
sixth heat and it resolved itselfinto match
race between Mac and Regulator, each hav-
ing won two heats. Mac was still favorite
and performedall right until the stretch was
reached, when he exploded and Regulator
won easily.
THE SUMMARIES.
First race, 2:25 pace, purse. 500
Regulator, br. S.. E. H. Mclean,
Mac, blk. g.. A. W. Root, Butler;:..S 4 2