The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-06
AS TO GENTRY,s RACE.

A Gentleman of this City Thinks the
PhiiadeIphiB Judges Were Right
Wednesday. and that McHenry End
Curry Had Prepared tor the Ameri-
can Public IA Beautiful Game OF
Thimble-rig.
A gentleman of this city, thoroughly
posted on matters touching the turf, but
who shrinks from the publicity of news
paper mention, kindly gave yesterday to
a News AND OBSERVER reporter his opln-
ion of the ruling of Wednesday by the
Philadelphia judges
The race then between Patchen and
Gentry was eagerly watchede ven at this
distance by the many admirers of the
North Carolina stallion, and the final
news created little less than a sensation
among many who were inclined to be in
dignant
The views here expressed by the Raj
eigh gentleman in question puts another
color upon the whole performance, the
accounts of which must be judged by the
public according to the best judgment OF
each one.
Said the gentleman:
ut seems as if, after all, the judges
were correct in the matter Of the racing
hippodrome at Philadelphia. 1t is true
that every horse is the property of his
owner, and the owner Or manager Gas IN
this case) has control OF him up to the
moment of his starting in race; but
when started, the horse is the property
of the public, and, until the race is over,
is under the control of the judges. This
is so entirely the law of harness racing
that after horse once starts he cannot
be drawn without the consent of the
judges, under any circumstances. If the
judges think race is not being driven
on its merits, they have power 70 take
any one or ali the horses under their own
control, and substitute for the drivers
others of their own selection, or even
after a race is over, if they are satisfied
there has been any crooked work, they
can declare the whole race absolutely
void.
"NoW Philadelphia is one of the Oldest
trotting towns in America, and nowhere
is clean sport of the kind more literally
sustained or more highly appreciated.
But the very fact that they do appreci
ate and support clean sport makes them
intolerant of anything crooked. And
they are up to every move in the game
and can detect the symptoms ola ''j0b"
with great quickness. 1t seems appa-
rent in the light Of the recent races of
the horses that McHenry and Curay had
arranged for regular hippodroming
campaign with the two stations. They
Of course realized that so soon as the
absolute superiority Of either one of
them became manifest that the drawing
D wer of the combination would be gone.
They therefore prepared for the Ameri-
can public a beautiful game of
thimble rig, arranging between them
selves under which thimble the pea
should be found. That they were caught
up with SO early in the performance is a
great benefit to honest racing.
cit is no doubt just this kind Of thing
which has caused Capt. Holt to think OF
abandoning the turf at the very threshold
of a career which promised TO be phe
nominal. Such things have before this
driven many other gentlemen from the
turf, and the interests Of pure, clean
trotting sport has suffered greatly by
their absence. Such things will con
tinue to drive gentlemen from the turf
until, as has happened once before, it
will be positive degradation to own
trottiDg race. !"