The Portland daily press., 1897-10-20
SOME FIRST GLASS SPORT.
The Meeting for Maine Horses at Rigby a
Success.

The experiment of holding meeting at
Rigby park solely for Maine horses was
commenced yesterday. 1t was decided
success for an opening day and the at
tendance was much larger than the
management dared hope it would be when
The meet was first talked of. The crowd
of three hundred people who went out to
the park to witness these races was a
| typical Maine gathering. The horsy
fraternity from Kentucky and Massachu-
setts with it's loud neckties, diamonds of
paste and staggering manner was con-
spicuous for Its absence from the track,
and in its place was assembled goooly
NUMBER of prominent citizens of the good
old Pine Tree State, who enjoy good
horse racing and are willing to go miles
| to see it. The races yesterday were all
| spirited contests, and every heat WAS won
on its merits. The crowd was very en-
thusiastic one also, and in brief 1t WAS an
old fashioned country fair transported to
metropolitan mile track.
| The officials were all men we'll known
| in Maine horse circles. The starter was
| C. S. Dorrithy of Boston, and right we'll
did he perform his duties. The judges
were john F. Haines of Old Orchard and
/ II.
DR.. Huntington of Portland was the
clerk of the course.
In the 2.20 class there were only four
starters and of these Tack Hammer Nor
rill Of Portland owned by h. q. Summer
was the favorite. This horse who went
a mile on half mile ring at Iopsham in
I2.171l the equal of the state record was
counted upon as sure thing but he
didn't like Rigby apparently and in
every heat brought up the rear of the pro-
cession after series of bad breaks. Halle
Rollins belonging to j. W. Holland of
Saco turned out to be too fast for the
Others in the bunch and took the race in
straight heats P H. Doyen's bay mare
Ola Westland with mark OF. 2.22 made
| at Rochester this year was second in
every heat and gave Halle Rollins all she
wanted to do to keep her position. The
second heat of the race was by far the
most interesting for 1t was this heat
which saw the closest finish between Ola
Westland and the Rollins mare. The time
| in all of the heats was much slower than
was anticipated but this was due rs
much to the cold weather as to any one
| thing.
In the 2.S2 trot and pace were seen three
hair raising finishes and the heats were
much closer than any which Rigby has
seen during this season. In this race was
| G.. n Trefethen's mare Julia and to the
credit of Portland be it said that she kept
all of the rest of the field guessing from
the word go and has an excellent chance
of landing the biggest slice of the purse
today, for the race was SO badly split up
that it went over until today as un-
finished.
In the first heat Lucy Luce owned by
M. L. Getchell of Lewiston drew the pole,
| but lost 1t at the upper turn where
Mtldreth II. owned by j. S. Jordan of
Portland got into the lead. At the third
I 49,, ~ a lzxxf4 M
Gregor of Portland got up alongside
Mildreth H. and the two had lively
race into the stretch. Here Julia came
| up on the outside and from that point out
| gave Ben McGregor all he could do to
hold his own. The finish was close with
tho McGregor horse only little in the
lead. The time was 2.26 IA.
In the second heat Julia and Ben Nc
Gregor had it all the way around the
track. Julia outpaced the McGTegor horse
in the stretch and won the heat after the
hottest kind Of work which was only
finished under the wire with Julia a nose
in the lead.
The third heat again saw Julia win
ner and this time the whole field was
punched for the entire mile first one horse
and then another setting the pace. Julia
kept closely down to her work and took
the heat, after another heart dis
ease finish. 1t was sun down before
l
this race and at the finish it was so dark
that the race had to be postponed until
noon today. In this heat Julia led for
half the mile and then went up into the
air. She could not gain back what she
had lost and Mildreth Fl. had it out wit h
Ben McGregor to the wire in a close
finish. Julia came the last quarter slowly
and barely kept from being shut out be-
hind the flag.
The races today include the Iady's
race, the unfinished 232 race, the 1924
class and the 2.3S class. In all of these
there are some fine Maine horses which
will fight every heat out to the end with
great spirit.
The summaries:
$50 Class-Trot and Pace-Purse $500.
Halle Rollins, b m, by Choralist,
dam Dafodill by Prescott (Jor-
dam
Ola westland, b m, (stanwood) 2 2 9
Gen. Mack, b 8, (Stewart) 3 8 3
Tack Hammer Morrill,, b 8, Wood
bury 4 4
!, Time-2 90 ga, 2.23 IA. 2.24 "a.
2.32 Class-Trot and Pace-Purse 5000.
II (Unfinished.)
Julia, b m, by Mckinney Knox,
dam untraced (RamsdelD Q 6
Ben McGregor, bl g, by Charles
. 81. Wilkes, dam untraoed
(Nelson) 1 Q 2 8
Mildreth H., m, by Prescott,
dam by Daniel Lambert
M ia0fssnl Maid, bl m, (HaydenjS Z 3 3 !
Lucy Luce, Oh IN. Woodbury. 4 5 4
Nelmah, g, (Hunton) 6 5 5
Time-2. 261-4, ABBA. 1926 a.4, 2.27 IA.
4