The Portland daily press., 1898-07-23
An Afternoon Of Fast Races and
Exciting Finishes.
A BOSTON PAGER FALLS DEAD ON
THE TRACK.

Turning Down of Eayorites
Rigby ran into streak of good luc k,
| yesterday, and succeeded in clearing UP
| The postponed race and clearing from the
new card the regular allotment of events
| The weather was perfect the crowd one
of the largest ever seen at a class meet
| ing, and the track, though a tritie heavy
at the outset, owing to the severe drench-
/ ing of Thursday, got down into it's best
form. The, racing was exceptionally
fine, from the decisive heat in the race
brought forward from yesterday, to the
last heat of the concluding event. Favor
ties were thrown down in every race on
the regular programme, which goes to
show that merit, and not influence under
| the grandstand, is what counts at Rigby
| this year.
| A sensation OF the afternoon was the
sudden death of L. D.. PAGER owned by
L. e. McEntee of Boston. T. D. was
campaigner, with mark of 2.22, and
had figured in grand circuit events last
year. He was much faster than his class
but had never been money Garner.
Only one heat was necessary to end the
ali trot which hung fire since Wednes-
day. Nick, the chestnut gelding from
Hudson, Mass, who lacked one heat to
settle his claim to first money, headed the
field all tho way around, though the
General and Timbrel pressed him hard.
Success, who had the talent with him at
the beginning of the race, two days ago.
was forsaken by his friends. He strove
hard to redeem himself, but was not
equal to the occasion.
Two horses from Newmarket, N. H.,
Lillian Odd Mark and Gano Wilkes,
carried off the honors in the 2.24 trot and
2.19 pace, winning them in straight
heats with big fields against them. In
the trot the bay mare Happiness, owned
by O.. E. Croft of West Chester, Pa, had
been picked to win and she was driven
hard for it, but the New Hampshire mare
was too speedy for her. Every heat was
worth watching, the positions of those be-
hind the leader continually changing.
only for few seconds at time, Driver
Kent keeping up his sleeve a reserve
which he applied whenever needed.
| This was Lillian's second appearance
on race track this year. Her first race
of the season was at Concord where she
won third money. Her mark today
dropped from 2.2l IA to 2.1s 1-2.
| There was a field of IL horses in the
2. 10 pace. A Boston gelding, Terrall S.,
was regarded with highest favor before
| they got the word but he was in too fast
company. Gano Wilkes, who had won a
four heat race at Concord, got mark
of 2.2O1.4, and captured another race
over Sanford shalt mile ring, proving the
best thing in the field. 1t was no easy
winning for him, however. At different
| times during the race he was headed by
Young Glen, Terrall S., Alice Hal and
III. B. c., but his greatest strength was
| in the finish, and he always managed to
shake out enough extra speed just before
the wire to land him. The race cost him
five full seconds from his Concord mark
of 30 Ia.
1t was in the second heat of this race
that the Boston PAGER, I. D., ended his
career. He had finished in the rear rank
in the opening heat and was doing no
better in the second mile. Just before the
seven furlong post was passed Sterling
noticed sudden change in his horse.
First he became unsteady in his gait,
,uade a few skips, then swerved toward
the fence and fell. The driver jumped in
time to save himself. The horse never
moved after he struck the turf His head
was canted against the fence in a man
ner which gave the impression that his
neck was broken, but an autopsy
showed that the trouble was with his
heart. A blood vessel in that organ had
been ruptured.
The real sport of the afternoon conferred
| in the 2. IA trot, which required four heats
| to find a winner. Prince Lavalard, the
gray stallion from f.thol Mass, whose
mark of PIP IA, won at Providence
| two weeks ago, gave him precedence in
the preliminary rating, was not in the
best form. He had been TWO days in a
stock car and arriving here Wednesday
night had no time for working out. An
hours walk after the rain ceased last
evening was the only preparation he got
for the race. He met more than his equal
IN the gamy little Much Ado, from the
stock farm at Franklin Falls, n. H..
Nancy Time and Sid McGreggor showed
up well in the brushes, but lacked speed
at the finish.
| The summaries:
9.17 Trot-Purse 800. (Conoluded).
Nick, oh G, by West Wilkes,
dam by Yazoo, (Woodury) 2 2 1
General, b &, by Sidmore,
dam a thoroughbred,
(O'Neil) Is 3 2
Success gg, by Sherman,
dam untraced, (Demarest) 5 al 5
Timbrel, b G, (Payne) 4 5 8 8
Bivor, g, (Marston,) Z Z 6 6
]. T.. g g, proctor and
Lowe). s 3 2 Z
7. Il. D., g, (Burch) 2 4 4 4
Queen Wilkes, br ID, (DwinaD6 dis
Time-2 IA IA, 2.15 IA, 2.143-4, 2.13 IA,
2.13 IA
2l4 Trot-Purse $500.