The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-23


Thousand Saw the Performance at
chicago-A Fourth Quarter Which
Was Done Mt 20 Seconds Clip,
lineage, August 21.-The 25, 900 persons
VINO went to the Washington park course
today saw the fastest heat ever paced and
probablyithe fastest fourth quarter. The
ooholtlons were GOOD for fast time. The
track was springy and fast and the
weather was warm, but during the earlier
part OF the afternoon there was quite
preeze which the PAGERS had to breast
through the half mile of the back stretch.
lhe chief event was the match race be-
tween Joe Patchen. 2.o1 1-s, and Star
Pointer. 2.01 ga. The conditions were
That they should pace three heats and
nave the inside position alternately. The
toss OF a coin gave Patchen the pole for
the first and third heats. Notwithstand-
ing this advantage, Star Pointer won all
three heats handily, out-footing the black
horse
In the first heat they got away we'll to-
gether. Rounding the first turn Patchen
secured lead Of length. The first
quarter was covered in 80 10 seconds, a
S02 gait. Turning into the far side, they
faced the wind, but Pointer began to
come up, tapping his antagonist, and the
pace was increased, the half mile being
done in one minute. flat, or 20 10 seconds,
second quarter, 1.5S gait Then the
wind and the terrific pace began to tell
on them and the timers caught them at
| the three-quarters post in 1.32 1-2 or a 2.10
gait. At that point, Pointer, travelling
on the outside, had fallen an open length
behind Patchen. Swinging in the
straight, McClary called on the bay horse
and he responded with one of the greatest
bursts of speed ever seen on a trotting
track. Steadily, inch by inch, he crept
up on the black stallion. Curry shook up
his horse, lifted him and laid the lash on
his flank. He responded nobly and let
out another link pacing without waver.
But he could not shake off the bay. Inch
by inch Pointer crept up on him and
finally won but it only in the last
half dozen strides d only by a nose.
and two seconds and first heat record
was marked up. This made the time of
the last quarter 80 1-2 seconds. If the fact
| that Star Pointer was an open length to
the bad at the three-quarter post Is con-
sidered, it Is evident that Pointer must
have gone the last quarter in about 80
seconds or at 1.56 gait, which was prob
ably never before equalled In the fourth
of a race in which a previous quarter had
been paced at a 1853 gait The strength
with which Pointer finished in this heat
made it almost a foregone conclusion that
he would win the second and the race,
especially as he would have the pole in
that heat. When they were given the
word, they went away at evens, but
Pointer was never headed and won at
will, by two open lengths in 2.04 IA. The
| first quarter was covered in 80 seconds;
the half in 100 "a and the three-q uarters
| in 1.32 1-2.
The third heat was repetition of the
second and was done in 2.o4 fat. The first
quarter was covered in 30 Ia seconds, the
half in 1.02, and the three-quarters In
1873.
1t took four heats to decide the ali pac.
ing event, Lady Nottingham taking first
honors. In the third heat Dick lost his
footing and fell just as he rounded into
the home stretch, throwing his driver,
Meagher, heavily to the ground and in
juring him quite severely, though not
dangerously. The horse escaped with a
few scratches. The summary:
| q ~ IA