The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-10
Fear weakens them in wind and

start. Fear weakens them in wind and
limb.
A word as to condition. An ill-con-
ditioned horse of course, no matter
how game or speedy he may be, can't
go the Handicap distance. A nervous,
fretful horse may be on edge a day or
two before the race and become stale
which is almost as bad as being out of
condition-upon the very day of the
contest.
A final point; instructions" or rid
ing according to orders bother a
jockey tremendously at times and
often keep him from winning. Condi-
tions now and then arise which make
it possible to follow instructions with
out losing the race Instructions are
good enough for men who are not fit
judges of pace, of distance or of the
qualities of the animals they are rid
ing-careless, hot-headed or thick
headed fellows; but men who possess
all the qualities which these good-for-
nothings lack require no instructions
These are proper only in the cases 1
have cited, and for green boys. And
speaking of green boys-they are a
positive bane in a race. They run zig
gag in every possible way to gain posi-
ton, and being no judges of distance
often collide with and upset a good
Jockey and his horse in trying to "cut
are the cause of most of the casualties
on the race track. But, thank heaven,
II Is seldom that a green boy is injected
into a Handicap.
Now to take a kodak view of the
horses. Henry of Navarro rules as ia
vorite, the betting being three to one
against him, with Clifford a close sec
ond at five to one. These are not ire
mendous odds, considering the fast
company they are in, and when we fur
Their take into consideration the fact
that the great 3-year-olds, Ben Brush
and Handspring, who are wonderfully
speedy and game, have 80 to i quoted
against them. Then there come Kee-
nan. Is to /; Lazzarone. 20 to 1; Halma,
IL to /; Sir Walter, II to 1; Hornpipe,
% to i; Nanki-Pooh, 10 to /; King Ar
thur IL, so to 1: Counter Tenor. is to /,
and Senator Grady and Saragossa, full
in the books. All of these are flyers,
and If Henry and Clifford shall get off
poorly and have all or any consider
able part of these in front of them, ii
would be a tremendous task to run
around them. Their great danger would
be in getting "ocketed' in the stretch.
That happened to Clifford in two OF
three of his great races here in the
East He seems to have hard luck in
bunch" 1t also happened to Lamp
lighter and other great racers in the
past. when really inferior horses won.
A Handicap or a Suburban is not like
a match race. or a race with only four
or five horses in IL. Pockets" are a
frequent occurrence in these. and
rank outsider generally wins. The
great Tenny is the only ravor1te in the
past seven years that has won in
Handicap. Hornpipe last year and DR..
Rice the year before were genuine out
siders. Not one man in a thousand
thought they had any possible chance
of winning. There is a pretty fair
horse. for example. in Bright Phoebus.
He won the handsome Realization
Stakes last year. and yet 40 to ! is
quoted against him. l should hate to
have him on the pole We're l mounted
on either Henry or Clifford, and had TO
pass, say Sir Walter. Ben Brush.
Handspring and Keenan,. or any other
good quartet before getting TO him.
He might win out. as did Old Diablo
most Unexpectedly a few wears ago.