Worcester morning daily spy. (Worcester, Mass.) 1888-1898, 1898-01-30
SOME FAST WORK.
Worcester's Speedy Horses on
the Avenue.
old Fayorites Give the Much Touted
New Corners Big Drink at the
Well of Defeat.

boulevard Saturday afternoon. 1t was
the quality rather than the quantity
that counted On several occasions this
winter, more rigs have come down the
course at top speed than whirled by yes
terday afternoon; but all these former
brushes of the season combined, did not
afford to the intelligent hors5man half
the delight he could derive from any
one of a half dozen speed trials that
took place during the afternoon.
Three of the heats were corn crackers
and more than repaid the Giscomftures
Of those who went over 10 see the rae
ing. The three great heats of the af-
ternoon afforded great finishes, the win
ners in each case being driven out under
the whip.
The sleighing was as good as it has
been any afternoon this winter. The
crowd that lined either side of the course
was far greater than on any previous
afternoon. 1t seemed as j. fashion had
decreed that Worcester's four hundred
among the light harness horse brigade
should congregate on the snow path.
They were all there. The rigs ranged
from the light Bailey cutter or skeleton
sleigh, attached to which was fast
performer, to the elegantly appointed
family sleigh drawn by either coach or
matched driving horses
Considering the number Of teams upon
the ward, it was surprising that there
was no serious accident People APP
peared inclined to violate every one of
the unwritten laws of the road Instead
of keeping as far to the side of the road
as possible. that the centre way might
be free to the racers, the sleighs crowd
ed in on both sides, placing some of
those who wanted to speed their charges
at a decided disadvantage. Then a few
persisted in speeding the wrong way Of
the course, endangering everybody else
Frequently drivers, becoming tired Of
riding up and down, would stop by the
side of the avenue and compel every
body to turn out for them
There were officers stationed at either
end of the ayenue--at Pleasant street
and at Highland street-anl another at
Elm street, through which many drive
on and off the course. But three off,
GERS on foot cannot patrol that portion
of the boulevard given up to the trot-
ters. What is needed is a couple of
mounted officers, and until these are Sc
cured, it will be impossible to make the
road drivers live up to the laws of the
course.
The racing Saturday afternoon showed
conclusively that Abbie V. is going to
have harder time to defend her title
to the queen of the avenue this year
than since she made her advent there
three years ago. IT would be unfair to
say she was dethroned yesterday At
the same time she was beaten in two
out of the three heats. To-Day her po-
sition seems shaky, but she may rally
again and retain her honocs by virtue
of that bulldog disposition that made
her famous when she was on the track
in Gen. Turner's string, aud which she
has continued to show in MIR. Taylor S
hands
Valence, although she was driven by
the hand Of master reinsman, had to
drink from the well of defeat, for she
was shown the way down the avenue
in all of the three heats in which she
was started. Not only that, but the
third time down she tired badly, and.
although Mr.. Knibbs applied the whip
to her vigorously, she continued to set
back in the breeching. Although Va
lence may have been a good Campaign
err in the string of Geers, she is not
proving the snow horse that her admir-
ers had anticipated. Much less is she
showing her ability to defeat the gray
mare 1t was principally to do this
a
figure in New York.
The honors of the afternoon were cap
tured largely by two old-timers. 1t was
some time ago when Arthur Wilkes and
Major Wonder took their present rec
ords, yet Saturday afternoon they were
up with the leaders each time. and
each had the pleasure of passing the
hhlsh llne Just ahead of the Aberdeen
mare OF Mr.. Taylor. Arthur Wilkes
has undoubtedly been down the avenue
more times in company, than any other
horse that now frequents the course
But, for all that he is still fast and he
seems better this year than when Mr..
Healey first purchased him. No small
amount of Arthur's achievements are
olrectly due to mis- owner who handles
the gelding with remarkable skill.
Two years ago the cry went up that
Major Wonder was a "has-been." in the
parlance of the horsemen. He had
paced some very good races out west in
the early 9O's, but many said his DAYS
OF usefulness were past, and that he
would never be able to hold his own
alongside Of horses having records many
seconds slower. The gelding's track
Work OF the past season seems to have
improved him. Certainly he is in good
condition, and, hltched to a light racing
sleigh, he came down in charge of his
owner E. S. Pierce, with the speed of
Kansas cyclone. He had sufficient
speed to nose out Abbie v. one heat, and
such footing as that of Saturday was
against the PAGER rather than in his ia
yor.
1t was about $50 o'clock when r. C.
Taylor drove on to the avenue from Elm
street. He was seated in his high sleigh
behind Abbie V. Up to that time there
had been no fast miles. The crowd that
always congregates at Elm street cor
ner Whenever there is any racing, quick
ly recognized the mare. There's old
man Taylor." He'll make 'em all stepr'
and similar expressions, were heard
Mr. Taylor and the gray disappeared
around the curve at the foot of Newton
hill. Soon he came in sight driving
his mare down the course for a warm
ing-out mile.
MIR. Taylor and his first love, Abbie
", had been on the avenue only a few
moments when John w Knibbs. sitting
behind the chestnut mare Valence
swung on to the path. She, too, was
booted. Like Mr.. Taylor Mr.. Knibbs
sent his charge down the line, and she
was apparently going WE'LL Valences
owner, r. f. Taylor, watched the mare
move from behind his old trotter. Silas.
UP to the time that Abbie V. and Va
lence came out. there mad been no fast
speeding. But with their appearance,
the speeding began in earnest. with the
mares as two of the central figures.
First, Abbie Y. and Valence were start
ed together They turned well up on
the grade by Sunnyside. but before
Highland street was reached. the gray
had good lead of two lengths. Then
Mr. Taylor let Valence draw up a little.
but at Elm Park he gave the mare her
head again, and she cut out a lead of
three lengths between herself and va
lence. The two finished in that relative
position
The two went up again, but when they
came down the second time they had
COMPANY with them and II was evident