The sun., 1898-12-11
COULD RUN IN Il RAIN.
Rank Outsider Walked In, Eating Peanuts
Down the Stretch, n Winner.

From he Washington Star.
81 noticed in reading the results on other
tracks this morning." said one of the book
makers drawing in" out at the BenninRs
course in conversation with party OF turtles
few evenings ago. that that old plug Shield
bearer won race at long odds at Nashville
yesterday. Shieldbearer cost three or four OF
US who were booking at the st. Louis track at
the opening of the spring racing this year from
$4,000 to $4,000 apiece. l myself was had
for the latter figure. Yet l can't see that any
of us were at all to blame in writing the figure
we did on Shieldbearer. But the way 1t came
out like to have got my nerve for fair.
Il had seen Shieldbearer jogging around In
the ruck Of his fields ever since he was two
year-old, and he's now member OF the aged
division. He was never OF much account. 1
had never lost dollar In laying any old price
against him until this occasion. The reason
that we lost on him so heavily on the spring
race at st. Louis was because we had all long
ceased to dope up on Shieldbearer. his per-
formances were SO uniformly bad. and we quite
overlooked the fact that he came OF a breed Of
'mudders' He had always done better on
sloppy tracks than in fast going. We forgot
about that. however in making him the rank
outsider in the race I'm going to tell you ABOUT:
But. even had We remem bered 1t, It wouldn't
muddy until the horses went to the post.
There were sixteen entries in the race. and
they all went to the post. Some OF the lot we're we're
them at short prices-one even money favorite,
couple to = shots; then take your pick out
ranging from 20 to l up to 800 to !. which we
all laid against the, rancid outsider. Shield;
the weather at the opening of the days game
had been beautifu ful and sunshiny. the first
At he on
the third race the sun still shone. but big
black cloud. was rolling from out OF the west.
with a good deal OF suddenness. but we were
too busy taking in money on the favorite and
was started. Before that big black cloud slid
over. the face OF the sun party OF four seedy-
their appearance. BUT yet form players. MS
n; stand; % and each 5 Of EN- EN- put s. il Iow6 on
That sort OF startled me. became aware
Of the increasing darkness in the betting
| the rain started before the horses were off
in the race Shle!dbearer might not be such a
cassed chs as Sa @aSr s S IN" rubSsd
my slate to 50 , e l. leaving I'VE Or three others
| boys had meanwhile edged around and put
y down few dollars each with the other layers
the odds had given them am
! didn't look like young fellows that had money
noted the pr Progress gre @ q that big @ black cloud TO-.
ward the track. and they took chance on It's hit
the rail- rain did come come they hey Knew that Shield:
1@f 2p pr al oS % e the1
We'll when the horses went to the post that
whirling black cIoud--it had turned in color to
| Il sort OF mixed green and yellOw-was right
overhead. and the field had hardly lined up at
the barrier before tho storm came along. 1t
| Then the wind suddenly ceased and the rain
began to come down. 1t was the thickest rain
sheets: SO SO that that S Soa could hardly hardly . ses the
on Of the STAND The track was sea
mud in no time at all. But the starter kept at
his work. and. after couple OF false starts the
! him on my sheet | had been thinking a, good
practically left at the post and then the horses
| disappeared around the iirstturn IN the binding
"a thss an SHa wSch II ises oons
ned to come GO doTh RID tn torrents M MEyerg6ody IN IN
come con euro around % to ths Sf inshng ing post tS ' 'o' "
Well q course. you all remember what t. hap.
neGMGd Shield be, bearer @ came & In al alone H,, with
| shieidbearer walked in. eating peanuts down
panied and gallopInG easily, We at first thought
fallen down, or been struck by lightning. or
sonnet s2msthhing9mt no they hey came Hp after awhile
| ABOUT naU n lurlOnK DhcR OF NhleluDturer. ana
| all strung out. We cOuldn Z any OF us make out
| Shieldbcarer's number when he Just cantered
n9m!h her 9ll right. :, They we're right behind me;
Why, certainly Nothing to il but Shield
| beurerr
What the dickens Is the, name OF that
horse asked thousand people in the stand.
| Then the cry went up:
| "'Shieldbenrer. at 800 TO l y
| -, Now. | don't suppose any OF us belongs to
the sentimental lot, and the stand was packed
| and Iammcd with people who had their money
| down on the favorte; but when old Shield
| bearer came caperinE back 10 the post. covered
with the mud that he had had to take in tho
! early stages OF the race. you ought to have
| heard the. hand they gave the fine, game old
! nag for his gallant periormancel The crowd
! Just stood up and yelled for Shieldbearer and
the old horse seemed to understand that he
| was getting an ovation. for he pricked his ears
| forward and danced around in front OF the
Judges stand in great style, like as II he wore a
| two-year-old
~ paid out to the four crafty youths the
| as did the other few layers who had been hit
the same way: but after that. when the betting
| ring began TO get dark and when the betting
| on a race opened, l got into the habit of look