The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-10-03
Two Fine Races at Rigby Park
Yesterday.
ST. CROIX AND THE SEER HAVE
A BATTLE ROYAL.

and Hickok - They Arrived Yes
the Great Stallion Race Today-Carrier
Pigeons Will Take the Result to Port
land.
| The October race-meet at Rigby opened
yesterday very auspioiously as far as the
weather, the track, the horses and races
| We're concerned, but there was the same dis
| couraging attendance that has prevailed
| during the season. 1t was to be expected
| perhaps that most of the people would wait
| for the great stallion race today but it was
| also to be expected that more tha couple
of hundred or SO OF the most enthusiastic
| horse-cranks would witIess the beginning
| races of the meet, yesterday.
The two races req uired five heats to
decide the victory and most of the heats
were SO oleanly and closely contested
| with such unexpected and exciting results
/ that the simplest kind of decently large
| audience must have reached. Portland with
their cheers of enthusiasm. But the crowd
| wasn't big enough to cheer yesterday.
The track was in superb condition.
certainly there is no such track in Maine,
or ever was, and few its equal in the coun-
try.
1t may perhaps justly be said that one
reason for the small attendance at Rigby is
i that the attractions there are not sufficient
| ly advertised throughout the state. Though
Portland people have no excuse for non-at
/ tendance because of not being sufficiently in
formed yet when Starter Isaiah Pompilly
| arrived from Lewiston he declared that
the people up there didn't know about il. +.
Another prominent Maine h orseman, resid-
ing in the interior of the states said that he
| was on his way TO Boston. but learning of
the races for the first time on sreaching
| Portland decided to stop over.
The people have got to know about a
| good thing, in horse racing or sanything
else, or the good thing is of nosvalue, and
| in ordersfor them TO know about it, it must
| be pounded into them by proper use of the
papers.
But to return to the races. Besides Start
/ er Pompilly, Levi F. Gould of Melrose
Mass, and e. H. Greedy of Bar Harbor
were the judges. MI. -Gould was very much
pleased with Rigby Park. & He said that
it was very different from what he used to
see in Maine some years ago. He especially
praised the judges stand and said that it
was much better than that at Mystic
/ There were seven starters in the 2.40
4 class. Freeman, entered by E. J. O'Day Of
Portland, and driven by Ira Woodbury., was
| new to the track, as was also Mountain
| Maid, owned by j. A. Brooks of South
| Paris. clumsy horse, with good stride,
however, when fairly under way.
| Emma Westland, a two year old colt, had
the pole and after good deal of scoring
| got good lead on the start, but dropped
| behind at the first turn. Freeman tooksthe
lead and kept it all the way ars~nd win
ming easily, with only one skip. Amber
| Odell was a close second all the way. At
the first turn, Nelson's Ouija and Pat
I Kanes Harvard came together sand Ouija's
| left fore hoof was badly cut, causing her
to come in last and to be withdrawn from
the race. She will probably be laid up for
| some time.
The second heat was. more exciting.
| Woodbury. with Freeman of course had the
| pole but lost it at the first turn. Amber
Odell forged ahead close pressed by Gipsey,
but the latter broke three times on the half.
| Freeman was close behind trotting, with
out skip, and they all came down the
home stretch together, when to the surprise
| of every one Emma Westland came up in
| line with Amber Odell and Gipsey and won
| by neck. The little two-year -old made
one of the prettles st victories of the day and
considering her age, the performance was
/ remarkable. On that unexpected home
| stretch, Mountain Maid came up from the
rear and took fourth place from Freeman.
| In the third heat Emma Westland had the
| pole and held it to the first quarter when
a break put Amber Odell in the lead The
heat throughout was one of the best + the
/ day or season, and on the home stretch
| four of the six were almost neck and neck.
| But Emma Westland again dashed ahead
| and won by neck. At least the heat was
| given to her though there was come opin-
| ion expressed that her breaking should
have given the heat to Gipsey especially
as st. Croix in the preceding heat of tho
2H class was, set back for breaking.
| There was surprise at the end of the
| fourth heat. 1t WAS getting late and chilly
and most of the spectators hoped that
| Emma Westland would win it and finish the
| race. But the little two-year-old lost
| her feet several times and so did Gipsey
and Amber Odell. These were punched
| till the home stretch, when to the surprise
of everybody, the black mare, Mountain
Maid, that hadn't figured in the race at all
| before, came down abreast and won the
race easily in 2.32 3-4.
l uc Hill dLu NtSt AEdG r6SulGeu IN gene
raj enthusiasm. The little two-year -old,
| Emma Westland came in ahead and won
| the race, after hard struggle with Gipsey
and the black mare, Mountain Maid, that
| won the previous heat. THE greatest
! two-year-old in Maine,'' cried Hod Nelson
and no one said him nays for it is fact.
Secretary John Barrett who bred the mare
and owns her sire, Westland, 2.29 "a, re-
ceived hand shakes and congratulations
and of course Mr.: Nelson referred Gn his
| quiet but expressive way) to the fact that
| the game little two-year-old belongs TO the
| same family as the great Maine stallion,
| that will fight with Directum today
| Following is the summary:
2.40 Glass. Trotting. Purse $500.
| Emma Westland, M, by West
land, J.F. Barrett agent, Deer
in) (StanwooD Il 2 /
Mountain Maid, bl NJ, by Major
Boone, J.A. Brooks, So. Paris,6 /
| Freeman, G, by Hambletonian
lWoodburyj WOOD y '' S