The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-26
CHAPTER XII.
THE FOURTH DIVISION RACES.


clded But for few flags one would have
hardly recognized that days fun Of this
sort was proposed, and that the race carl
there are cards, gentlemen, shows no less
than five events, not including the "moke
race " to be decided. No Crimean race
! meeting could be brought to a satisfactory
| conclusion without this latter institution,
and there is a Light Dragon who IS the
| very bette nOir Of all owners of likely mules.
and vino well nigh sweeps the board Il had
| well nigh said of cups of purses for this
| interesting race.
There is an absence of stands tents and
good many other adiuncts of an ordinary
race course, notably the total absence Of
ladies, which gives a business air to the
whole thing, which is utterly fictitious Ia
reality there is no q of gossip and laugh
ter over the whole affair, and although the
races are all correctly printed on the card
there is little attempt at keeping Newman
ket time here. We start comfortably when
every one is ready, nor are there any very
close restrictions about colors, breeches and
| boots most OF the jockeys have managed,
! but racing jacket IS not strictly de regeur,
| although from the number of them that
crop up it seems that a good many men
must have been impressed with the idea
| that it was useful thing to slip into the
bottom of bullock trunk. There is much
| quiet lunching going On-nOt such as you
see at EPSON, or at the back of the stand a.
| Ascot, but Just snack. and glass OF
| phiZ, you know" yet partaken of amidst as
much mirth and good fellowship as ever it
was at the aforementioned meetings az
| home.
The great event of the day is the Dvis-
| ional Open Cup, for which there are only
| four competitors, but those four are sup
| posed TO be the best representatives that the
army can boast, though they might not.
| perhaps, prove of much account amongst
| lot Of selling platers at Newmarket. These
| things, you see, are comparative, we all
| know the proverb of the one-eyed man,
and the present quartet represent the kings
| of the Crimean turf. About the merits of
| the four there is much difference of opin-
| ion-that the Bantam and Thunder are the
| pick of the basket Is generally conceded ,
| which is the best is a matter OF contention.
In turf parlance they can both race and
stay, but whether they are safe jumpers is
a little open TO question. The second Diris-
| ional Open Cup is q steeplechase-that is the
| best imitation that three miles over arts
| fetal fences can compass.
| Handy Andv's party, who are very sweet
| upon their horse, begin picking up all the
long odds they can obtain, they swear that
| tt cir horse doe MT know how to fall, and
| that what he may lack in speed, will be
| more than compensated for by his superb
| jumping powers. AS for the owner of the
| fourth, he fairly admits he's afraid the com
| pany is little too good for him, but says
| that he likes ride, that his horse is very
well and safe jumper, that he shall Just
trust TO the chapter of accidents, and that
! be shall. at all events, have good view of
! the race. That the til should be deeply
! interested in the cup, is not surprising. Is
not the Bantam the property OF one of the
| own officers! And is not Hugh Fleming
going to ride it himself2 There is a certain
| IL -,
| the coloneps tenner to the drummer's shill-
! ing, the regiment are on to a man. There
! ts much discussion about the stone wal,
about which the owner of Handy Andy and
his friends are esq eciellv jubilant.
"Tean an ages" cried the former, mai or
| Of the Connaught Range s, 'av'it was only
a foot higher I'd come in alone There's
not one of the lot such Topper as my horse
| Why, I'd lay level fifty I'd rice him in and
out Of the pound at Balinasloen
A little way off Hug Fleming is in earn
est conversation with Byng. He is careful ly
| listening to his mentors final instructions
before weighing our.
You see, says Tom, nicely as the Ban
tam jumps, still he's young at the business,
and it's quite on the car Is he may make a
mistake if he's Hurried. We know be can
Jump the stone wall and that's the uglest
| fence on the course, we've been schooling
| him over one just like it for the last three
weeks. Take good pull at him when 1t
comes, aud let him have 1t easy. The only
| horse you can't afford to let get away from
| you in the race is Thunder, and fancy hell
no more want to hurry at the wall than you
will AS for the other two you've so much
the heels of them you can catch
| them any time. Whether we can
beat Thunder we don't quite know, bat any
how l don't think you'll find you've much in
hand"
Nee less to say there is no ring. and such
wagering as there Is is done
More than one holder of her
maiesty's commission tries his prentice
hand at book-maSinE and gets bitten with
a madness destined to cost him dear in days
to cone. A little buzz of criticism
runs through the crowd as the competitors
for tie cup take their preliminary canter
Thunder looks very fl :" who will lay
me three to one to a tenner about tho Ban
to ~ what the douce does Tom Josk ms
mean by running that old crook of hisn
He's good horse, l'il take fifty to five
about his chance" Good horse if You like
but he's got into rather too good company
this time" "You can put it down." and q
babel Of similar remarks are banded about
as-the preliminary Over-the -four competi
tors make their way to the starting post
Being the race OF the day, and numberin
50 few runners, their jockeys have con.
trived to appear in correct costume. The
flag falls without delay, aud n once the
rider of Handy Andy takes the horse to the
front, and in the words Of his owner-"I}e
gins pounding away in real earnest" The
horse certainly is a magnificent jumper, but
ne can go only one pace, and his jockey il
quite aware of it, He knows that ms chance
Of victory must depend upon Thunder and
Bantam either falling, or from their rider.
in the fear OF such casualty, suffering hin
to obtain SO long a lead that they are unaOl,
to catch him, but the artllleryman who Il
riding Thunder, is cunning Of fence, and wa.
well-known between the flags before thu
war broke out. He is not the least afrai
/ of his making mistake at present, OuC ht
does know that tired horse is very aot L
, thunder and thinks tnat he would ra the
have a little In hand and be able to take tina
, wall easy in the second round, for they havt
: to traverse the course twice
Handy Andy mean while sails gaily along
in advance, with Thunder lying al his qua
tors; the black jacket Of Hugh Flemaa
some two lelgths IN arrear, and Tom Jos
kins on his old crock whipping in.
3 And now came one of those curious Incl
dents which, when seen on a race-course
always remind one Of the way the colo~ec
bits of glass fall apart on the turning of 6
kaleidoscope. Ashley came to the wall, the
young IrlSEman who was riding Handy
Andy, thinking his horse was accustomed &
il, sent him az the jump with wild whooI
and Il )urish of his whip. The result was
disastrous; for, swerving from the whip