The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-10
Race rack and
Stable Go5sip

There was a yearling sale down at
Lexington n few days ago. that would
rather incline one to take peSSlmsllc
view of the business of breeding. Ut
elsP, Lexington may have deg nerated
as yearling market. At all events,
seven yearlings, by the Derby winner
Spokane, were sold for the amazing
sum of s126 Think of It! Sons ana
daughters of the horse who lowered the
colprs of the pride of all Kentucky
Proctor Knott. The lowest price
reached was $3.50; without a doubt the
very lowest price for which thorough
bred yearling was ever sold. There was
no dissatisfaction in regard To their
breeding. on the dams side. They were
all out of exceptionally well-bred mares,
but were in bad condition when offered
in the sales ring. Some of these young
steers may, and doubtless Will, prove
broad winners.
Spokane was a well-bred horse being
by Hydcr Ali. out of Interpose-a we'll
bred mare-and there is no matter of
doubt that he was a good race horse.
Not only did he beat Proctor Knott in
the classic kentucky Derby, but he set
a time mark that was never before. or
since. reached in that event-2:3412; and
REPEATED the performance, few weeks
later in the great American Derby at
Washington Park, in which he again
best the country could send against
hirh If anyone had been so rash that
MAY day at Louisville, or that June day
at Chicago, as to prophecy that son
or daughter of the Derby winner they
were then cheering would be sold as
yearling for $3.50, that rash individual
would have been summariiy thrown
over the race track.
Spokane had done fairly well IN the
stud: quite well when his opportunities
are considered. He was taken down to
Kentucky after his racing days were
over and put in the stud. Now Spo-
kane was not a product of Kentucky,
and | have always thought that the
Kentuckians were not particularly IN
love with his breeding and were rather
chary about sending their best mares
to him. His opportunities having been
thus limited he has not had so good
cha nee as he deserved. | know of quite
a number of his children who are WIN
ners and, in fact, | am quite sure the
majority of them have earned brackets;
so let us hope that even the poor. de-
spised $3.50 son of the Montana-bred
horse may some day earn fair meas
ure of the acclaim which so often
greeted the ears of his illustrious sire.
San Francisco Daily Racing News.
Sitting in the cafe of the Auditorium
annex in Chicago one night last week
Wak a group oil some Oh the bSSl- hli'Ni
turfmen in the West. Stories OF heait
disease finishes. big bets and lucky
winnings were being told when one OF
the party brought up the name OF
* d. Rogers, the outside man of Ed
die Austins book. whose meteoric hlghl
as a plunger across the western turl
is well known to all those interested in
running races. Rogers is little. dried
up hooking youth. who looks to be about
Is wears but who is Is. or at least ne
acknowledges to this number or years.
Owing to his small stature and youth
full appearance he was mcknamed
KID" by the frequenters of the betting
ring But what Rogers lacks in size
he makes up in nerve and those bookies
WHIP have handled his money say that
he bets il like drunken sailor. IT IS
sail of him that If he went to race
track With $500 in his pockets ana saw
something in the first race which ne
faIced. he would bet the $4,000 and
keep the $40
Last spring when the winter meeting
cloBed in this city. Rogers, says an eN-
change, who had worked for Eddie Aus
tin all season, was compelled to draw
a few days salary i'm, advance to get 70
Memphis with. one day during the
melting at Memphis, Rogers held
confidential chat with the sheet writer
and the ticket writer in Austins book
and the result was that those two IN
dividuals handed over $40 each into
Rogers keeping. The Kid who had
a 10 spot added it to the two other
$40. which made $50 altogether. With
this small bank roll he started in To
give the ring a whrl. 1t was agreed
between the three partners that the $50
was to be wagered ON Rogers choice,
and that if ii won. the win 1ingS ana
capital were to be parleyed on the next
race. also on Rogers choice Again If
fortune favored the triumverate the en-
tire pile WAS to be Wagered III the thlrd
horse in the next race, also Rogers
choice. To cut a long story short, 1t
cam be said that the first horse won, so
did the second and third. and as Rogers
had parleyed the money as agreed upon
his $50 bank roll had swollen to $1,000
The next day Rogers was still in great
form and at the end of the racing $1,000
more had been added To the roll. Rog-
ers told his partners that he had good
thing FOR the next day which he intend
ed betting the entire roll on, and as his
chbice would be at good odds, and If II
won. why the firm would have money
to burn. The sheet writer and the
ticket writer weakened. however, and
concluding that 81 200 was a good
enough investment for their 80. drew
out and left the nerVy little plunger to
go ii alone. Rogers told his partners
that they would be sorry, but they only
shbok their heads. Unfortunately for
thtm. and to their chagrin. rogers
gobd thing Went through. and as he
go to / for his money. he won $4,000
on the race which added to his capital
wagered gave him $4,000 profit. After
that Rogers kept adding to his bank
roll until he had over $4,000. He land
ed in Harlem with this sum and made
tho bookies up there open their eyes with
wdnder al the manner in which he bet.
He frequently bet as much as $1,000 on
4 race and although he lost these kind
Of Wagers more often than he won. he
Would only smile. He finally took il
into his head TO make books and as
experiment cost him S. 500 in two days.
he quit and returned to the ring and
continued his plunges until where IS
Rogers now% ] asked the narrator Of
this story.
HOh he is somewhere around Chi
cago. ! heard to-day that Eddie Austin
bad engaged him TO work for him in