Evening star., 1900-03-31

llTt, as lne phrase HOOk, line anu
sinker, on 'the sleepy mare" from the
west. The rest of the horses in the race
were at any old price, up to 80 to 1
against.
Imp went out and led for a while. and
then her lack of condition told on her, and
she quit dsmally, permitting a horse that
was at 30 to l in ,ne batting, the rank
outsider named Beau Ideal, to come on
and win easily. 1t was no satisfaction for
the Washington men who confidently fig
ured that Imp would win the race in can
ter to exclaim to each other, II knew she
wasn't up to a race yet, but most Of them
made use of this exclamation, anyway.
That race simply another illustration
Of the weli-known uncertainty Of Benning
spring FORM, or the lack of 1t. After
leaving Washington Imp went on the New
York tracks, where the know-it-all turf
writers of Elephantiasisviiie compiacentiy
wrote that she was a counterfeit and
false alarm and no good in general, and in
few weeks she began to win stake races
and to beat the giants of the eastern turf
at all weights and conditions. and make
them look cheap. When she went on and
won the great Suburban ION the Bit" as
the stable hands put 1t. these same turf
writers veered around and announced that
they "knowed all the time" that Imp was
good when right, and when the sleepy
mare'-so called from her quiet demea nor
ana Indifferent manner at the post-Went
out and made the mighty Ben Holiday look
lks 81 horse in the race for the Brighton
cup, tIit SttiIlc luTl writer's VINO haQ said
at Benning in the first days of the racing
season that Imp was overrated came out
and declared that she was the mare of the
century. 1mp's case is dwelt upon, how
ever. simply for the purpose of illustrating
the dlfnculty of landing on the right horses
at the inaugural Benning meeting When
such racer gets beaten off ana distanced
at Benning by a lot of cheap skates and
then goes on and captures the blue ribbon
events of the eastern turf the fact ia
brought home to the race-going population
In this neighborhood that the spring game
at Bennfng, in SO far as the betting end of
1t is concerned, is largely matter of clos
ing the eyes and sticking a pin in the pro-
gram after the feminine fashion of picking
winners.
Starting the Season.
Imp will begin her racing for this wear
she is again entered for all the great east
ern stakes-at Benning, and may perhaps
try for race next week 1t will be inter-
esting to see If she repeats her distressing
performance of last spring or gives the
racegoers of this community a chance to
see her in something like her true form.
Most or the horses, as has been said
1nat race at BenniHg at the spring meeting
make their Initial essays after being pent
| up for several months in coid-weather quar-
ters, and thus il is that many of them that
| have conciusiveiy proven their excellence
the season before show up so poorly in the
|
| Gus, hne-iadyfsh propositions. and great
numbers of them are what is known as
| not weather horses-that is animals that
| do not begin to round to shape until the
suns rays become good and strong: just as
| there are plenty of base BAH pitchers whose
| twirling arms do not arrive at their full
| strength and cunning until the hot weather
| sets in for fair.
| Up From New Orleans.
Another uncertain element OF the spring
racing game at Benning is the introduction
in the races Of horses that have been rae
| ing in New Orleans during the winter
| Many of these horses that come up to Ben.
| ming from the crescent city have beer
| raced to a frazzle. and are weary of the
| game, that when they are sent to the
| post at this course they perform no better
\ than the short of work" animals that are
| making their initial tries fort season
| On the other hand, some of the horses thai
| come up from New Orleans have had just
| about enough of 1t down there to keer
| them on edge and hardened up, so thai
| they pull down many of the purses at the
| Benning meeting. Here is where the study
| OF form comes in The man who pick.