Omaha daily bee., 1898-06-29
SUMNER RACE MEET OPENS.
Omaha Fair and Speed Association Serves
Some Excellent Sport
THREE WELL CONTESTED, FAST EVENTS
Good Crowd Watches Game Fight for
the Money and Sees Some Very
CreditnbIe Time for the
Senson Made.
THREE WELL CONTESTED, FAST EVENT

A nice card Of sport was furnished a fair
crowd at the fair grounds track yesterday
afternoon, the opening day of the summer
light harness meeting of the Omaha Fair
and Speed association. For an opening day
the crowd was as good as could be ex-
pected, and gave promise Of good assem-
blages during the other four days of the
meet, when better cards will be offered.
Today and Friday will probably be good in
attendance, for they are ladies' days, when
all Of the gentler sex will be admitted free
OF charge. Thursday and Saturday will be
the crackerjacks in the way of offerings.
The weather was fine except in one re-
spect. 1t was warm enough to get all the
speed possible out of the flyers. and the
sunshine was plenteous enough to set off
the pretty basin that stretched out before
the eyes OF the spectators beyond the track.
But it was uncomfortably windy. Possibly
1t did not affect the people in the grand
stand, but the prosecuting of the breezes
across the track very seriously interfered
4 with the going of the horses.
At that, though, there could be no kick
coming on the article of racing that was
Aexhibited. Every one of the heats were
corkers and some were decidedly exciting
and called forth the applause of the grand
ELtHls lHtit NNlN hhht wv ~
won until the home stretch was reached,
and that's a hot enough propositionFfor any
body. The great racing of PaXton's Mer-
chant was one of the features of the day,
particularly in the first heat OF his race,
when he made the mile in 2:25-a great rec
ord for a 2-year-old in June weather. In
both the other events on the card, the 300
pace and the 2:35 trot, there were miles
made in 2:14 and 2:15-not SO worse. The
tlI-. ,,-.l,r In,p,, Iacly ItJ MT RIM
because he arrived at noon and was not in
j condition to go on the track, but he was
4 exhibited and will take his turn today.
| The work of the officials was eminently
satisfactory. The starter was the we'll
known western horseman, 0. p. Updegraff,
who got the animals off in great shape.
The Judges were Dick Smith, Walter Phelps
and George NJ. Swigart and the timers were
Herbert Martin of Columbus and Warren
Cowles of st. Joseph.
Only Two to start.
II was shortly after 2 O'Clock when the
first event of the afternoons card, the trot
for the 2-year-olds, was called. There were
four entries, but two were scratched, leaving
only Critic, a Falmont colt from Ellsworth.
Kan, and The Merchant, Billy Paxton's
great colt, by the Conqueror. In the first
heat the two went away beautifully after
they had been called back a couple of times.
1t was a pretty race all the way round to
the head of the home stretch. They went
neck and neck to the quarter pole, where
Critic forged ahead by a nose, but at the half
The Merchant was up to him and COM
menced to pull ahead; Critic was catching
him at the three-quarters, but when he
turned into the home stretch he broke and
-, The Merchant logged in full four lengths
to the good in the excellent time Of 2:25.
The second heat was an exciting and
rather humorous sort of a race. The two
horses went away together again, but before
the turn was reached The Merchant dropped
to a pace and went up in the air. Before
he was brought down just out of the first
turn. Critic was at the quarter. The Mer-
chant put up a great stern chase, cutting
down the daylight between himself and his
opponent fully two-thirds before the three
quarter pole was reached. Half way to the
home stretch both broke. Scott Mccoy
brought The Merchant down to earth before
Critic and the great Conqueror colt entered
the stretch in front. Critic gave him a chase,
but he pulled under the wire a half dozen
lengths to the good.
Lots %
There was n big field Of entries in the sec.
ond race, the three-minute pace, for a purse
OF $500. They were: Fanny Putnam, b. m,
Christmas McDowelD, w. Stevenson. Wash
ington, B c.; ] Fl B. b. &. (Nelson), John
N. Nesbitt, Dallas, Tex; Sam A, $. G., Filler
Wilkes (Anidon), H. NJ. Anidon, Wichita,
Kan; Nashawena, b. m, Baron Wilkes
(Chandler), Riverside farm, Berlin, Wis,
IN John r, b. G., Bluebull RusselD, Ed Robert
son, Omaha; Wiggaletta, 6. m, Dumas
IKirby), Runnells & Kirby, Jacksonville.
H.; Brightnight,. b. m, knight (Creary),
w. ]. Creary, La Belle, Mo-; lie Roy, CHI. g.
Fergus McGregor Parkerl, Edward Parker,
Colorado Springs. Colo; Lulu Lobasco Gel
more), NJ. Gilmore. Alliance, Neb.
In the first heat they went out under the
wire in a nice bunch, but were strung Out
by the time the quarter was reached, witt
Lulu Labasco in a good lead. Fanny Put
nam, the favorite. was well up, but broke
badly at the quarter. 1t was a procession al
around to the three-quarter pole. with Lulu
Lobasco first, John r trailing her and Wig
galetta a close third. At the three-quarter:
Russell sent John r into the lead, but Nc
Dowell with Fanny Putnam, who was fourth
overlook him before the distance wa!
reached. Fanny Putnam came under tn,
wire an easy winner, with Wiggaletta sec
ond, John r third and Lulu Lobasco fourth
Fanny Mcdowell started out in the heat
of the bunch in the second heat and KEEP
IL all the way to the head of the home
stretch with the gray unknown, Wigaletta
trailing her close all the way. Kirby brough
his mare alongside the favorite at the turf
and it was a beautiful race all the way in
The two were head and head way up to tn,
wire where Wigaletta pulled ahead a nose
although Mcdowell whipped his horse hard
John r was third all the way to the three
quarters, where he got lost in the bunch
Sam A coming In third, lie Roy was dis
tanced, The time was good, 2:15.
There was another pretty race I'm tn
Annual Bales over o 1000 600 Boxss
-~Q1uvWE~-