The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1891-05-16
An Immense Crowd Gathered to Wit
ness the Derby at the Louis.
Vile Races.
1t Was q Tame and Uninteresting
Affair, Compared with
Other Derbys.
No News from the Charleston or Itata
Forest Fires Still
Raging.
The Louisville Derby.

the Derby proved stale, flat and uninter-
esting, the regular spring meeting of the
Louisville Jockey club was most aus
piciously inaugurated at the Churchill
downs to-day. The city war overrun
with strangers, attracted here by the
democratic state convention, which as
sembled at moo and adjourned in honor
of the occasion. Attracted by the races,
people followed the horses from Nash
vile and Lexington, and the whole state
emptied itself into Louisville, where the
coming equine champions were to meet
in a heart-breaklng test of stamina and
speed on the turf. Scotch Irishmen from
all over the United States were here to
attend their convention, and of course
they helped swell the crowd. An ad-
vance delegation of Elks, a day in adj
vance of their national meeting, were
here, and there were thousands of
strangers from southern Indiana, north
and central Tennessee and West Virginia
and Ohio who came in just to see the
Derby. The attendance was fully 10000.
OF course the Derby was the great at
traction, and the public took what luck
gave them in the preliminary ace
with the greatest good humor. 1t
had been announced that the
starters in the Derby would be Hart
Wallace, Vellera, Georgetown, Balgo-
wan, Kingman and Easton and Larabie's
pair, High Tariff and Poet Scout. Hon.
Bill Owens of Georgetown, owner of
Georgetown, concluded his colt was not
fit and refused to subject him to the try
ing ordeal and he was announced as a
n%on.starter. The fourth race was the
Derby and the horses were given the
flag at the first attempt. "They're off,"
from the thousands of throats came next,
the seventeenth Derby was making,
and there was such crowding and bat
Ting for the first view of the racers.
Slowly a pace was set with High Tariff
making the running; Balgowan at sad
die girths and Kingman and Hart Wal
lace we'll up. The pace was slow and
at half positions were unchanged, a long
way from the wire. They passed the
stand in the same order, but on the
back stretch Hart Wallace and High
Tariff joined strides with Balgowan
at his same old place. The gap opened
up to two lengths, but the motion of
Murphy's arm let slip a little head
room that Kingman had been asking for
and the gap was slowly closing. The
pace was quickened IS the mile wa fin
ished. Kingman's stride was as regular
and his head was in the air although
Murphy had been gradually improving
his position. Rounding the last
turn before the Strengthening out
time, Kingman's head was down, but he
seemed not anxious to put the pace at a
l%ivelier speed. He had the others beat
at any time and the only n that made
a show against him was Balgowam. A
furlong from the post Kingman was IN
aver terms with Balgowan; the rest were
beaten back. The struggle was brief.
Another kink of Murphy's lines went
out, the whip descended and the colts
response was a burst of speed that shook
the hard-whipped and hard-ridden Bal
gowan off and sent him winner of the
Kentucky derby of 1891 by an open
length. Balgowan was second, a length
from High Tariff, and Hart Wallace a
half length to the rear. Nobody expect
ed fast time, for there was nothing to
make Kingman run, and, with the track
heavy with dust, there was no disap-
pointment when Capt. Williamson hung
out from the stand the figures 2:524.
The distance was the regular derby
route, n and one-half miles, and each
carried 100 pounds. Spokane's time with
Proctor Knott in the 1889 derby was
2:3415. There was but little enthusiasm,
for the others seemed out classed by
Kingman. The pecuniary value of this
years derby is about $4,000.