Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-04
THE BEST ON RECORD.
That's an AuthOrity's Prediction of
the Coming Trotting Season.
POINTERS ABOUT STAKE RACES.
How Calvin Looked at Chicago Friday,
and Other Baseball News.
GENERAL SPORTING NEWS OF TIE DAY

According to the best authorities on the
matter, this year is to be the best on record
for trotting races. Interest in the grand
circuit and other meetings is increasing every
day and the thousands of horse-race patrons
in Pittsburg are keeping in line with every
body else as far as enthusiasm is concerned.
In discussing the prospects of the coming
trotting season prominent Eastern author
lty says:
This year the monetary value of trotting
events is greater than usual, and the growing
popularity of stakes for colts and fllies has
started number of rich premiums that will be
well worth competing for when the total for
feits are in. BY thus taking a leaf from the
notebook Of experience on the running turf.
there promises to come complete revolution
in the distribution OF money for the swift STEP
pers in harness. The old plan was to offer a
number of purses for horses in various classes
and TAX the owner 10 per cent of the premium.
As the prize money was distributed in four
parts. namely, SO. %. 10 and 10 per cent OF the
sum offered, the impost was out OF all proper
lion to what could be won, as on the maximum
amount, or hrSt money, the tax was 70 per
cent, while the owner who secared the fourth
money merely got back what he invested.
A Cumbersome System.
"This cumbersome system gave rise to prac-
tees that lave been very detrimental TO honest
racing, and the lingering traces of these will be
felt for some time to come. The most repre-
hensible IS known as the conditional entry"
which. IN spite of direct prohibition in the
rules Of both the American and National AS
sociatians, continues quietly to work HARM
Secretaries OF driving clubs and associations
come into competition during the season, and
those who nave star performers or good stables
do not hesitate to take advantage of the de.
fnyr rbpIT A { m
that while all the horses shall be named there
snail only lie payments made on those that
actually start. This arrangement swells the
entry Inst. which rivals the circus posters in
promising more than is seen in the ring.
stake events canEot OF course. be thus
manipulated, especially If the horse has TO be
named with the first paymen-. The two largest
prizes of the grand circuit, the Flower City
stake at Rochester for the $50 class and the
Charter Oak stake at Hartford for 2:2U trot-
tiers, still Open by selling the privilege of max
ing nomination later on. By this method any
one can invest without owning any Kind of
urotler. and at 4 moderate cost have a chance
TO speculate on good trotter developing un-
eNpectcdiy. The Merchants and Manufac-
turers' stake for the 2:24 class at Detroit and
few Others are arranged in the same way, and
the first named has always been productive of
an interesting contest and, like the Rochester
event, has been won in faster time with each
renewal.
Both these LOCO fixtures for this year closed
recently, the Detroit stake, with l3 subscrip-
tions and the one at Rochester, with about the
same number There has always been a GER
tain amount Of confusion about the name Of
the latter, for Rochester was long known as the
Flour City till the seat of the wheat empire
moved further west, and the term was
longer appropriate. When the Driving Park
Association decided to open $4,000 race for
2}0 trOtters they called 1t the Flower City
Sta le but the identity of sound with the old
name proved misleading, and the race is for
thIs reason frequently dubbed Flour City
Stake instead of the much prettier name
adopted by its projectors"
About the Wallace Deal
The same authority has the following to say
about the sale of Wallace's Register: Every
body who knew anything OF ex-Register Wal
lace understood that he held out for S2OO,OOO as
the price of his register, merely as a bit of
bravadO which he hoped might succeed. While
the price agreed on-SlS0 OOO-seems to be in
excess of the limit fixed by the breeders, it is
in fact only a trif1e over the Sl000 after all
for the profits OF the past seven months are in
cluded. This brings the actual cost down to
about SIG 600.
"Wallaces threat that he would prosecute
anyone who tried to start another register was
pure 'bluf," for there has been one in exist
ence at Boston for several years. and he tried
legal recourse to suppress that rival without
success. The factls that Wallace made fatal
mistake when he estranged Leslie L. Macleod
who has done most of the editorial work for him
in recent years When Macleod left him last
March his downfall began. He was too old
to FIGHT as he once could, and his enemies
closed in on him. When he was robbed by his
treasurer, near relative. he arrested Mr., Mac
Leod out of petty spite. Mr.. Macleod severed
hls connection with the Wallace Register Conn
pany and took position with the Chicago
HOrSeTdn. Left without his first Lieutenant
the Register did not last lonr, for in less than a
year he has had to surrender, and will only be
remembered most disagreeabIe Old man
who might have retired with an honorable
record but for his greedy and pugnaeious dis
position"