The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-06-03

Tom Brown, manager of the Spring
fields, entered nine Ponies in the free
for-all at the oval yesterday afternoon,
while Manager Leonard had 10 flyers.
Among them was the old war horse
Dad Clark, and Dad stayed with the
bunch all through the race. 1t was a
hot finish. The racers went neck and
neck from the distance pole on the
home stretch, not hairs breadth be-
tween them. Just before the finish was
reached the Ponies went off their feet
and the Farmers came under the wire
winner by scant head.
Burns was judge Of the race When
the contestants were on the backstretch
Burns didn't use his opera glasses and
there were a few things that Burns
didn't see. But neither suffered more
than the other and the judge was ex-
cusable for the contestants were behind
a shed in the middle of the grounds
when he made his decisions.
1t was a great day for a CHAMPION
ship race. The sun shone bright and
warm and the track was in excellent
condition. 1t was fast from the baking
it received in the sun and the day was
so warm that rheumatic joints lin
bered up and allowed the old timers to
get on flight of speed equal to that of
the youngsters.
Before the race was started each
bunch took a turn at warming up. The
Ponies were watched by about 700 peo-
pie who came to see them on their first
appearance in Worcester The Ponies
showed up well. They weren't beauties
to look at because of the way they We're
harnessed. They wore black all over
with white stockings, which rather daz-
zled the eyes of the spectators as the
Ponies warmed up. There was unusual
interest in the Ponies Some of them
once followed the grand circuit and
when the fastest company got together
they were among the money winners
all the time. To be sure they have not
the flight Of speed of former days,
neither have they the stamina, but they
are game and try as hard in the slower
class as they did when they started on
none but the big rings. Others are
green ones who have not yet made a
mark because they have done nothing
but compete at matinees.
The Ponies had lot of coltish ways
about them and made considerable
trouble for the judge. They are not
thoroughly broken to harness, for
everything they didn't like chafed so
badly that it set them kicking like a
herd of bronchos from the western
wilds. Their manager watched the race,
but he didn't try to keep them in sub
lection, and they bucked so much that
they We're liable to kick over the traces
at any time.
The Springfields were guilty of con-
siderable jockeying all through the
game. The judge had a mess of trouble
watching them. Several times the Judge
called fouls on the Ponies which made
them kick worse than ever. The man
ager took a considerable part in one of
those kicks when Burns called a foul
which Brown resented. But the judge
was firm and sounded the bell, calling
the Ponies back to another start.
Each team spent 10 minutes in scor-
ing before the race was called, and
each showed good speed during the
working out process. At the hour set
the Judge took his proper position and
gave the word. The Ponies were the
first to cross the line. They scored
ahead of the pole horse and went away
at a merry clip. After crossing the line
it looked like runaway race The
Worcester animals acted as if they
wore hopples, which were a misft,
while the Ponies shot in front with
speed enough to win in canter. Be
fore the first turn was reached the
EOUl6S ndQ SuCll d 4Ccd Nlielb tAAG bgNAN
makers dropped dead, and everybody in
the grandstand thought the Worces-
tiers would not reach the distance pole.
The Worcesters acted badly at the
line. They broke badly and refused to
make a start at all. Manager Leonard
urged them by entreaties and com
mands and looked as if he would IKE
to use the whip, but it was hdies' day
and the presence of the fair sex IN
doubtedly restrained him.
But. the Ponies didn't get far away.
They rounded the first turn all right,
but then went into the air and stayed
in the middle of the turn, dancing
around as If the race was over Man
ager Brown Gained them down, and
before the Worcesters were pulled to
their feet, the Ponies were off again.
However, they didn't get far before
they left their feet again. and while
they kicked and bucked, the Worees-
tiers settled down to their gait. They
struck it heavy and went past the kick
ing Ponies.
When the local animals were a short