The San Francisco call., 1897-10-02
STAR POINTER
BEATS PA1CHEn
Lowers the Pacing-Race
Record by Half a
Second.
Six'y-Five Thousand People
Witnessed the Wonderful
Performances.
but PatChen Weakens Near
the Wire.

SPRINGFIELD, ILL, Oct. lin race
that was witnessed by at least $4,000 pee
pie Star Pointer, on the Illinois State Fair
grounds this afternoon, not only
maintained his reputation as the
king of PAGERS by defeating ~Joe
Patchen but he also lowered the
worlds pacing record (in a race by half a
second, making a mile in 2:00H-the re-
cord in race having been 2:01, which
Star Pointer made on Saturday, Septem-
ber IS, at Indianapolis, when ne defeated
Joe Patchen.
Star Pointer was greeted with tre-
mendous cheers by the assembled thou
sands as he passed under the wire in the
third heat, and the announcement of the
lowering of the worlds pacing record in a
race was receIved with tuInultuous ap-
pause.
The great race between the two fastest
PAGERS in the world had the result o1
bringing on the State Fair grounds the
biggest crowd ever assem- bled there. II
is estimated that there were $1,000 people
on the grounds--the largest nun ber ever
known at a State fair in Illinois.
In the grand stand not even standing
room was obtainable. Thousands OF peo-
PIE lined the racetrack on both sides foi
fully one-third of It's length. The track
was in splendid condition.
When the two great PAGERS made their
appearance they were greete d with cheers.
They got q nice start, Patchen having the
role, but after going few hundred feet
Pointer broke badly, and before he recov.
cred Pstchen was about an eighth OF a
| mile ahead of him.
Patchen finished the heat in Jog in
2:14. amid cheers, with Star Pointer 200 TO
| 800 feet behind. The first quarter was
made in :301I, the half in l:e214, the
! three-quarters In 1864 and the mile in
2:14.
Star Pointer was given the pole in the
second heat and the two horses starled
even, but Joe Patchen soon broke and
lost d zen or more lengths. He gained
on Pointer toward the three-quarters and
rapidly overhauled him, McCieary hold
ing his horse back.
Down the stretch it was a pretty fight
between the two, but Pointer maintained
his lead and passed under the wire half a
length ahead. Pointer made the first
quar-. er IN 80, the halfin 1903. thIee-quar-
ters in 1861 and the mile in 2:06, the last
quarter being made in ;2912. +
! The third heat was wildly exciting
one and was a race for blood from the
start. After three Intellectual attempts
the horses got off together. Pointer soon
took tn lead and in the first quarter he
was one aud half lengths in the lead.
The black pulled eff some toward the
half, and when that VAS reached Pointer
was but three-fourths of a length ahead.
Then Patchen lost and gained again, and
at the three-quariers Pointer was not
quite one length ahead.
When near the wire Patchen fell behind
however. ana Pointer won by five or six
lengths. The tine by quarters was as
follows: FIRST :29M; second, LOO; third,
| :301%; mile, 2:G0%
The record for 1897 for stations was ais
broken by William Penn in the first heat
of the tree-for-all trot, he making the
mile IN "2:07M Penn won the race in
straight heats Best time, 2:07A.
The weather was intensely not, and
scores of men and women who had stood
in the sun along the racetrack for hours
with the mercury 81 in the shade, fain ted.