The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-07

ers OF Good Racing Watch Little sonr
Perkins Put Halma Under the Wire an
Easy Winner--Everybody Shuts Up shop
and Goes to Churchill Downs--Martin
Does Some Fine Figuring on Basso, but
There is Too Much Speed in Front of
Him--Scenes at the Downs.
| Louisville, KY, May 6.-Fair ladies
waved their handkerchief and sturdy
men Joined in the lusty sheer that
! greeted the son of a great sire when
Hanna passed under the wire, a winner
! of the twenty-first Kentucky derby this
! afternoon. Such rejuvenated activity
and enthusiasm was never before wit
messed in race course, for the historic
| Churchill Down presented scene that
will go down to posterity. The Ken
| lucky derby is an event to which all
| kentuckians look forward with a just
! pride, and this afternoon, the new
Louisville Jockey club established a
new era in the history of racing in
/ Kentucky, the home Of the thorough
breds.
1t was grand victory too. for Bryan
McClelland's entry. That Kentuckians
! have not lost their enthusiasm for the
horse was evidenced by the crowd that
thronged the superb stand, betting ring
and every other available place TO See
the classic event. 1t will never be
known just how many pairs OF eyes
centered upon little Soup Perkins when
he guided Hanna under the wire an
easy winner, but the most conservative
place the number at p, 600.
Before the arrival of the noon hour,
the Journey of the thousands TO Church
hill Downs began. The boulevard lead
ing 10 the course was crowded with
vehicles of every description from the
I antiquated two wheel conveyance to
the more modern English cart. All the
/ city buildings and many of the larger
establishments gave a half holiday TO
their clerks and all went to see the Ken
, lucky derby.
SCENES AT THE DOWNS.
AT the Downs there was a scene never
before witnessed in the history Of that
grand old course. The magnificent new
stand, which has a seating capacity of
nearly 10000 was inadequate to hold the
vast throng. Every place of vantage
about the stands, the paddock and the
stables was occupied, while in and
about the betting ring, from the time
the first odds We're chalked on the board
until the flag fell in the closing event,
was almost one immovable mass. Men
jOstled against each other and essayed
TO elbow their way through the throng
in their effort to place their money, but
the fifteen bookies who were there TO
accommodate the public could not
! handle more than one-half the money.
Halma won the derby as he pleased
and not once did Perkins find it neces-
sary to use the rawhide, for the colt
assumed the lead from the very fall Of
rl.af foo cot l,n IN hn n
He was not urged a foot of the route,
and when he passed the stand for the
last time there was four good lengths
of daylight between the son of Han
over and the hard-ridden BaSSo, who
was second.
There was enthusiasm when the first
two events We're run, but when the WIN
ners were posted in the second race,
there was augmented activity, for the
Kentucky derby would soon be a thing
of the past. The sound of the saddling
bell had hardly died away before Cura-
tor. with Overton up, came out OF the
paddock and cantered around in front
of the stand. The Bashford Manor
coli was applauded. but with the APP
pearance of Laureate it increased and
when Halma, with Perkins up, and
Basso, with Martin astride, paraded in
front of the vast crowd, it gave vent TO
its approval with one long continued
cheer that lasted almost until the cam
didates had reached the half mile pole
where Starter Pettingill, flag in hand,
awaited them.
IN THE BETTING RING.
While the thousands were eagerly
watching the horses that were TO con-
test for the grand event, all was actiV-
ity in the betting ring. If 10000 people
endeavored to place a bet on the first
two races. everybody wanted to back
their choice in the Kentucky derby,
and the bookmakers found it an ar
duous task to handle half the bills that
were showed at them. Halma, on per-
Torrance, was entitled to be favorite,
and he was, in the Judgment of both
the spectators and the boOkieS, for the
first odds posted were to .. Even at
| these prohibitive odds there was a rush
to place money on him and when the
| flag went down the best obtainable
was l to 8, while several books had
rubbed him off the board. Rasso was
not without friends for early in the day
| the information was freely circulated
that he was the winner, and loads of
money went on him at TO ! 70 win
and to : for the place but not once
did the odds change after they had
once been posted. Laureate. too. had
a big following at to >, and to 5, for
| the place, while Curator at 10 to !, was
not altogether friendless-
At 3:55 all eyes were turned toward
the half mile pole, for there the four
derby candidates awaited the order TO
start on the journey which was TO
make one of their number famous.
/ They lined UP and in the first attempt
were sent away well punched with
Halma. the favorite, showing in front
by a neck. BassO second. Laureate
| third and Curator last. There was not
a lengths difference, however, between
the four horses.
MARTIN FIGURES ON 1T.
Martin wanted to save Basso for the
| final struggle and as they rounded the
| first turn he drew the Falsetto colt w
and at the quarter was last, but he
! took good care that the distance which
| separated him from the black colt
Halma did not become too great. Hal
ma had the lead by a head from Cura-
I TOR WIN had moved I'D q second while