Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22
FINE DAYS OR OUTSIDERS
! AND FOLKS IN THE PUSH

Birmingham mas enjoyed six days of
first-class sport and each day the crowds
grew and enthusiasm increased accord
ingly.
Many have been discrediting the es-
Inmates of the State Herald as to the at
tendance each day, but it was utterly
impossible yesterday evening to calcu-
late the number.
1t is known positively that 5000 admis-
sion tickets were disposed of. and there
were fully one-half as many more with
season tickets. Then the fact that it
was ladies' day and no tickets taken up
in that quarter. together with the own
ers, trainers, Jockeys and attaches SWELL
ed the number present into five figures.
The jam was tremendous. The grand
stand, paddock, betting ring club house
balconies and all the intervening space
between these and the outer track was q
solid mass of humanity. such as has new
er been seen at one time before in the
history of Birmingham.
One horse owner wired his wife from
the reporters desk that the crowd was
the biggest he had seen since he left the
east, and his estimate was 10000 He
said to the sporting man of the State
Herald that the meeting was such an
unqualified and remarkable success that
Wnen ne W1feu nome about 1t FRIDAY 1t
was discredited.
1t was an amusing sight to watch the
plungers around the books, the number
of which were increased by two. The
men lined up one side cashing in and oth-
ers scrambling for tickets on the other
was an odd sight indeed. To properly
describe 1t the writer would suggest that
one draw on his imagination thusly:
Imagine 5000 men who had been without
food for three days crowding around
philanthropist on a box giving out tooth
some sandwiches. In so doing one might
paint the picture presented yesterday
afternoon. The crowd did not resemble
humans, but creatures possessed With
all this everything was orderly and
peaceable. s-s-s~=ss-s <-'-' '-77s e =
Saturday with some Is termed sucker
day, but 1t is hard to tell who were the
suckers yesterday-the plungers or book
les.
Every race was played from favorite to
last chance, and it was thought by know
ing ones that it was a break even.
Only two favorites won out the feature
of the day being T. Murphy's ride on La
Fiesta in the fourth race, pulling down
the purse by half length in a hard drive
from Cossack.
How the Races Bnded.
In the first event, five furlongs, Albert
Sidney was the favorite at to 2, closing
to 5. He got off second by head but
went to the front at the three-quarter
pole, winning handly from Lady Maud
by two lengths. Palmetto Boy was left
at the post having wheeled around as
the flag fell
The second event, seven furlongs was
captured by Springtime, a to l shot,
the favorite, Miss Perkins, not showing
!. better than fourth place. Gamer ran
away hall, mile, followed an eighth by
Maxima, in a false start Springtime
had all the speed of the party. winning
handily by four lengths from Guard.
The favorite, Sauterne, captured the
third purse, six furlongs, driving one
and a half lengths away from Albert s..
the second choice. In this race Rosa
lind III was left at the post, having per-
formed a like feat to Palmetto Boy. AS
trolfina showed early speed but failed to
get in the money. Sauterne did the win
ming In the last sixteenth.
The surprise came in the fourth race,
La Fiesta, IL to l shot, with the little
Irishman, T. Murphy. up, winning in
hard drive one-half length ahead OF
Cossack. These two ran like team to
the one-sixteenth pole, but the former
drew away here amid tremendous cheers
from the vast multitude Masonic Home
and Bessie Nichols, thought to be good
things, were never dangerous.
Pat Tucker, with Pap" Barrett up,
was the lucky thing for his admirers,
Etarre, the favorite, managing to come
under the wire last, to the chagrin and
discontinue of her admirers. Pat got
away last when the flag fell, but jumped
to first place at the three-quarter POLE
winning from Northwestern by three
quarters of a length. The latter would
no doubt have won in two more jumps
but they were not on the programme.
The programme for Monday Is filed
up with good things, and with pretty
day excellent sport Is promised. Besides.
the regulation five races there will be
novelty in the shape of pony race, gen.
tlemen riders.
The Entries.
Following ore the entries for Mondays
races: