The San Francisco call., 1896-05-28
A Good.Sized Crowd Attend the
Closing Day at Bay
District.
TWO COAST RECORDS BROKEN.
Thornhill Wins the Three. Mile Event.
Senator Bland First in the Fare.
well Handicap.

Adios, old Bay District. Farewell to the
scene OF many historic equine struggle.
Au revoir to the stamping ground of the
Celestial plunger, Little Pete, and the
colored confederacy.
The track that was the scene of Katie
Pease's great conquests, of Wildidle's su-
pe-b performance. and the renowned vic
tories of Foster and Mollie Mccarthy, is
now thing of the past. The battles of
those noble equine giants and the deeds of
the turimen of those distant days will
forever be a bright page IN the history of
the California turf, but better be forgotten
many race of more recent period.
All OF 5000 people turned out to do
homage to the farewell day of the old home
of the California Jockey Club. Not at all
out of the average, the racing was very
jerky. First choices found it difficult to
keep their heads above water, Thornhill,
victor in the three-mile race, being the
only one to score.
However, this by no means signifies that
the days sport was poor. In two instances
coast records were broken-one being of
long standing. The three-mile record
made by Norfolk in 1865 was reduced three
quarters of a second, and in the Farewell
handicap Sen ator Bland clipped quarter
of a second off the mile and a quarter rec
ord, held jointly by Laura Gardner and
Semper Lex, covering the distance in 2:07
fiat.
AT the conclusion of the racing wonder
ing eyes feasted on work of devastation
and ruin not unlike the awful DEATH
dealing tornadoes or twisters of Iowa.
Hardly had the winner of the last race
been led from the track than an army of
men began battering down fences and
four-horse teams started in narrowing up
the lightning-fast track. The work of de-
struction was fastened, SO stated Henry
Ach, the director-general of the club, upon
intimation that the grading contractors,
Warren d Malley, who have two year s in
which to fulfill their contract, might let
the course for bicycle race or a baseball
game, and thus "Shylock be deprived of
his pound of flesh"
Thornhill won the three-mile selling
event. He opened at 6 to 5 and receded to
II to in the betting. Waiting on Duchess
of Milpitas and Uncle GILES for two and
half miles, he sailed to the front and won
as he pleased in 5:2612- Uncle Giles took
second place in drive from the Duchess.
The farewell handicap over one and a
quarter miles for 5000 purse and q silver
cup ended in big upset The Lone
stables entry (Rey del Bandidos) and
Yankee Doodle were backed down from 13
to to 8 to and 1. Yankee Doodle
managed to finish inside the money.
l shot, took the lead in the stretch, and at
the wire got the verdict by a head over
Nebuchadnezzar, who had cut out the
running from the jump.
Mike Donovan's Decision opened an to
5 choice for the opening race at six fur
longs, but did not seem to be in much de-
mand, receding to ~ to 1 around post
time. The wise coin went in on Joe Cot
ton, cutting his odds from 81 to an II to
choice. Decision ran well to the stretch
where she ''blew up" Big Chief then took
the lead and in drive took the purse by
head from Cotton. Coming up on the out
side, Miss Pollard secured show honors by
a narrow margin.
There was no pronounced choice in the
betting on the race following, also over six
furlongs. At the close Bergen's mount,
O'Fleeta, at threes, had a slight call over
Coda. Getting away in the lead, the latter
filly led throughout and passed the wire
length before Arno, with Marionette in the
show.
On weighing in it was found that Amos
rider was five pounds short of weight and
he was disqualified. The horse opened
favorite at to 1, receding to s, with the
bookies looking for coin. The disquali-
fication gave the place to Marionette and
the short end of the purse to Banjo.
Frank Phillips fast horse Flash made
his initial appearance in California in the
tve-furlong scramble with fourteen start
ers that was third on the card, and opened
G to fevorite. The stable did not fancy
him to any great extent and he receded in
the betting TO 211 TO l. America, the 3 to
second choice, captured the race very
handily at the end by two lengths, with
Pecksniff securing the place in drive
from George Rose.
The mile and quarter hurdle race was
a grand pyrotechnic display. Three
Forks, backed down from 10 to to L,
went out in front and got so far ahead of
his field that he won by himself, passing
the judges fifteen open lengths in front of
the patient, enduring to favorite. Hello.
Everybody got aboard the "warm one,"
and the race will 60 on record as one OF
the best things that ever came off.
Shields, the barrier cham pion," sat
astride the to favorite Hymn in the six
furlong sprint that came next. A bad leg