The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-09-04
GENTRY's LAST RACE.

A Graphic Account of it by an expert
eDced TuTfman Who Was an Eye
Witness--The Accident Prevented
his Winning Joe Patchen not I'm the
Same CIass--NO PAGER on Earth can
Beat him When he is Right--He is
Noble. Game and Fast, and Will stay
in the Grand Circuit--He Races Too
daY, Also.
John r. Gentry will try conclusions
to-day with Joe Patchen and Robert J.
in Philadelphia,
1t was a mistake to say, as was said in
some Of the papers a few days ago, that
Mr.. l.. Banks Holt would take the bay
stallion from the grand circuit The
truth OF the matter is that there arose
some talk as to the so called bets that
Mr.. Hfl 1t had won on the horse, while
the fact is well known hereabouts that
Mr.. Holt never bets on any race. Thus
it came about that rather than have such
suggestions constantly brought forward,
Mr.. Holt became so outdone that he said
he preferred to have his horse off the cir
cult than to be troubled longer in such
way.
In this connection, what follows will
be interesting, taken from the Horse
Review of August 27th:
I'm the course of a letter to the Re-
view, Mr.. L Banks Holt, we'll known
among all horsemen as one of the own
ers of John r. Gentry, denies the pub
lished statement that himself and Mr..
Scott, joint owners of the champion,
desire to race their horse against any
horse in the world for any amount of
money" Mr.. Hollis explicit statement
is: 81 never raced horse for any other
consideration than the purses offered by
associations and never bet a cent in my
life, and if Gentry ever started in a
match or other race than for a purse it
was done without my knowledge or
sanction" We take pleasure in making
the correction, and regret that the error
was inadvertently allowed to find its
way into these columns "
The race of Gentry, Patchen, Robert
] and Mascot at Fleetwood, on August
goth, is still fresh in the minds of News
AND OBSERVER readers, who will look
forward with more eagerness for the
news tonight, as Gentry continues to
improve in condition. Next week at Lex
ington, where the track is, by the way, a
faster one than the Philadelphia track,
which is heavy and Of bad reputation,
Gentry will start again and no doubt
creep up on himself in way to please
his many admirers.
One Of the most experienced horse
lovers of America thus writes of Gentry's
performance at Fleetwood, August 29rh.
he was an eye witness and tells the
story graphically. His letter Is dated
the Both, and he writes:
Il think there is not possibility of
doubt that Gentry would have won his
race yesterday had an accident not &C
Cured one third Of a mile from the wire
N the third heat; half of the spokes were
broken out of one of the wheels of Mr.
McHenrY's sulky and a half dozen or
more of them wound around the hub
At the time of the collision the tire
bursted and the horse finished within
about two lengths of Robert j. with the
wheel prac ically dragging on the ground
1t was a miraculous escape from a serious
accident, and | think its occurrence must
have been very largely due to the extreme
careless on the part of the driver OF Joe
Patchen. / watched each heat with
almost breathless anxiety, for you
certainly know that Gentry is
warm fayorite Of mine and il would
have given me the greatest possible
pleasure to have seen him won. How
ever, the result of this race ought to con-
vince any unprecedented person that Joe
Patehen does not belong in the same
oloco ac vcY1p o,raot borca Tho Lif, bIa al,
horse was in every heat excepting the
first, at the finish, half dozen lengths
behind Gentry and beaten apparently
handily by that old campaigner MascoT,
who went the greatest race Of his life.
At the time tbat Patcnen went into tbs
wheel Of Gentry's sulky they we're just
past the brow of the hill and slightly be-
You'd the point Of the rocks which you
will remember at the Fleetwood track
and Gentry was Tapped on Rob
ert j., and becoming very strong.
OF course it is probable that my warm
attachment for your horse prejudiced me
to some extent, but it seemed to me an
impossibility for the pony PAGER to shake
the son of Ashland Wilkes off at the
speed he was showing. The finish he
made with broken wheel and bursted
tire which certainly must have added
one hundred pounds to the weight he
was drawing, convinces me that no
PAGER on earth can beat him when he is
right and he certainly was right yester-
day. He is the most noble and grand
animal, enduring, game and fast that
ever wore harness, and / shall never
tire writing about him"