The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-04
BIG KICKS At THE TRACK
Starter Caldwell the Butt of a
Heap of Censure.
THE RECALL FLAG WANTED
Good Horses Left at the Barrier While
Dogs of the Veriest Type Canter
in Ahead of All-Probable
Changes TO Be Made.

Special Correspondence of the Standard
San Francisco, Dec. 31.--The main
topic of interest among the men VINO
back their opinions on a horse race
with their coin at the Ingleside ana
Oakland tracks is the need OF recall
flag at the Ingleside course. On Mon
day last thousands of dollars were
burned up and men who never kick
over their losses when they get run
for their money were justly indignant
when the heavily backed favorite,
Lucky Dog, was left at the post with
his jockey. 'Skeets" Martin. on the
ground instead of in the saddle There
can be no question that the penciiefs
raked in a big divvy by this tiuke, for
there was probably as much money
went in on the Dog to win as on all
the rest of the starters punched.
The fluke was repeated in the firth
race when Imperious, a heavily backed
second choice. was left standing, turned
the wrong way when the barrier went
up. AS in the other race thousands
went into the pockets of the bookmak-
ers without a shadow of chance for
the men who backed their judgment.
The murmurings were both iouc and
deep and there were many who declared
that hereafter they would cof4fne their
attendance and investments to the Oak
land track.
There has not been a day since then
free of the cause of complaint and the
climax came to-day when the starting
of Mr. Caldwell was the rankest by far
seen on the California tracks this sea-
son. In the fifth race, at q mile and an
eighth there We're 10 starters, and all
but four practically left at the post.
San Marco was one of the unfortunate
n
lengths the worst of the send-off, ran
such a race that showed conclusiNely
that with anything like an even break
he would have won hands down. As II
was. he finished third and was beaten
only two lengths by Persons. who was
also a favorite. The grumhlings could
be heard on every hand, and even many
OF the bookmakers expressed the optn-
ion that the deal was not a square one
for the men on whose patronage the
Ingleside stockholders depend for the
dividends that have fattened their peck
cts ever since the track was opened.
The grumblings almost broke into
loud roar when in the last race the
heavily backed favorite. Moylan, was
left with his tail to the barrier when
IT was sent up by Caldwell. or the
eight starters Major Cook and Meadow
Lark were the only ones that got off
and the others We're never in the hunt.
And these are the reasons why to-day
the racing fraternity is predicting all
kinds of disaster for the lngleside track
unless the recall flag is once more In
PRODUCED and players of form given a
run for their money, win or lose
Another thing that has occasioned
lot of talk was the defeat of May w,
iby Libertine on Wednesday. That such
q colt as Highland should get out in
front of such snrinters as Tea Rose and
May w. and lead to the stretch and
then all get out of the way and allow
old Libertine TO gallop in in the slow
time for the track of l:1iis, in the face
of such horses as May W. and Tea
Rose put up at Oakland, was hard for
form players to understand. The Mon
tana mare did not certainly run up to
the form shown in her previous starts.
Truly horse racing lis a most peculiar
sport, especially to the form player who
banks his all on good judgment and
then goes to the glass when the good
thing comes in behind to see what
fool looks like and If his hair has turned
white from premature old age.
Officials at both tracks have. under
serious consideration, change TO
monthly meets at Ingleside and Oak
land instead of alternating fortnightly
as now. The horsemen are unanimous
in favor of the change as the cost of
moving from one track to the other
becomes a heavy burden before the
argued that the horses would run truer
to form If the meets were more con-
rinuous at each track. 1t is highly
probable that the change will be made
at the close of the present meeting at
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