The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-06-04

The Decoration day road and track
races were the events of the past week
and have started speculation as to the
outcome of this seasons racing as re-
CARDS the probable champions of the
road and track. The road race was a
big surprise as road races usually are
The biggest surprise was the failure OF
the scratch men to land the time prize,
as with such a field of scratch men as
LAWYER, Lucas, Bywater and Cutting
it, was not thought possible for the
time prize to get away from all OF them.
Lucas, LAWYER and Cutting were, OF
course, put out of possibility Of win
ming the time prize by accidents, but
Bywater rode his best from start to
finish and he was looked upon as the
strongest possibility of all of the
scratch men.
Ensign's splendid performance sur
prised even his most sanguine friends
and his ride was remarkable one. I'm
der the circumstances, the condition of
the road and the head wind made II
seem almost an impossibility to even
approach the course record, which was
made under favorable circumstances
and still Ensign not only equaled the
previous time, but bettered it by j
considerable margin.
The ride of Samuelson, the Provo
boy stamps him as a rider of endurance
and promise. Before the race the han
dicappers were censured for placing
him so far back, as he had never rid
den in public and there was no basis
for figuring him out as a one-minue
man beyond mere form. The result of
the race, however, proved that the
handicappers builded better than they
knew, for Samuelson lost first time by
only a fraction of a second.
He was trained by his brother, T. NJ.
Samuelson, who has been familiar
figure in previous road events. The lat
ter says that his brother has had but
very little training and previous TO
the road race Tuesday had had but two
rubdownS in his life.
The track races in the afternoon of
last Tuesday were successful in point
of attendance, far beyond Papa Smiths
most sanguine expectations, that is, if
the wheelmen can justly claim the hon
ors or credit for the immense crowd
which filed the grounds. This the
horsemen are not willing to concede,
but the wheelmen say the crowd was
there to see the Terrible Swede" and
to compare the riding of the local men
with the rider who has made many a
crackerjack lower his colors in de-
feat.
The Swede came up to the expecta-
lions of the crowd and he won his races
with an ease that did not give the
spectators a chance to get excited. He
rode with long, steady sprints that
strung the field out in a hopeless man
ner.
In justice to the local men it is only
fair to say that not one of them who
competed last Tuesday was in condi-
ton. Hoiger Jensen made an unpaced
mile in 2:13 four years ago, when a
mere slip of a boy and the fact that he
could not hold onto a pace of 2:15
or slower shows that he was not in
shape TO ride Tod Game, who has a
killing sprint when in condition and
who has beaten Cooper. Murphy and
Wells out in long sprint was left
lengths behind in the half mile race,
which was ridden in the comparatively
slow time of 1903, and he refused to
ride in the mile race on account of lack
of condition. Gum has been working
on the road race and has trained in
differently and was winded at the fin
ish of his first trial half mile heat.
Edmonds was the only man who rode
as though he was in condition and he
put Up fairly creditable perform
ance, but the riding of the local men
as a whole was a miserable perform
ance.
The amateur races were full of life
and go and the "pures' put up good
exhibitions. samuelson and Ensign
again covered themselves with glory
and their riding was all the more meri-
torious in view of the fact that they
had ridden in a long hard road race
in the forenoon.
The local men have settled down to
hard training in good earnest and the
next races will see a much faster lot
of men than those who competed the
30th. Sharman is the best trained To-
cal rider and Jensen, Edmonds and
Gum will show marked improvement
when they next appear on the track.
Samuelson, the Garden City lad, has
ambitions and has challenged the
Terrible Swede" to a 50-mile match
race. He believes that he can stay with
Lawson for that distance and the latter
is willing to give him a chance to try
what he can do.
Lawson and Papa Smith have been
negotiating all week with a view to
pulling off a big meet June II, with the
Swede as the chief attraction in 4
24-hour paced competition race. Law
son says he can get his electric tan
dem or internal machine" here from
Chicago in time and has telegraphed
to have it all in readiness for ship
rived at between Lawson and his |
string of riders and the Calder's park |
lawson, liver Lawson !
Glen Turville and Oscar julius will |
start at o'clock Saturday night and
ride until the same hour Sunday night. /
June IL. Julius is the best long-dis- |
lance man among Lawson's string, with |
the exception Of Lawson himself. and |
he will probably start scratch with the |
Terrible Swede.". The others will all
be given handicaps. The riders will all |
have allowances, but will start to- !
gether and Lawson and julius will |
have a certain number of laps to gain
on the handicap men.
A letter was received from Julius |
yesterday saying he would start from
Sacramento for Salt Lake this week.
In case the 24-hour race is not put on
next Sunday It will be run off June
25. This would give some of the local
riders a chance to train |
and get into condition to compete with /
Lawson.
Sanction has been applied for by
Papa Smith for the following events
and entry blanks are out among the
racing men for meet next Sunday,
June II.
One mile open professional handicap.
One mile open amateur handicap.
One mile invitation professional, fer
Utah riders. r
Unlimited Australian pursuit race.
One mile professional record trial.
The unlimited Australian pursuit
race will he the first race of the kind