Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1900-07-27
EARNED THEIR OATS,
Good Racing at the Valley Fair Ground
Saturday Afternoon.

Frank waIte's PWtney wilkes Took the
Special Race, and Walter BartIett's
Black Bess the 2.lO Glass, After Dead
Heat with It. +. Turner's Ellen T.
Eight hundred spectators saw the speedy
equines of Brattleboro earn their oats Sat
urday afternoon, in races at the Valley
Fair grounds. The special races brought
out only two starters w. II. Minors H.
H. and Frank Waite's Putney Wilkes,
both driven by their owners. The three
half mile heats were very much alike, Put
ney Wilkes winning easily. II. II. showed
good style and each time the start looked
like lively race, but on approaching the
back stretch H. II. broke with regularity,
and Putney Wilkes gained a lead of sew
eral lengths, which was maintained with
out great effort. The time was 1.2j, 1.20
and lis IL, with the quarters in 43, 50
and 81. The "purse" was 80 bushels of
oats, in prizes of 20, 10 and 10 bushels. j.
G.. Bakers Rose Almont was entered in
this race but did not start.
The Valley Fair would be fortunate il
the race of the 2.40 class could be repro
duced the last week in September All of
the heats were sharply contested, but the
first one, ending in a dead heat, was as
pretty fight all the way down the stretch
as will be seen anywhere.
In the first heat A. T. Cobb's Rodney
X, black geding, driven by Tam Ferriter,
had the pole; in the centre was the vet
eran driver, Tom Miller, who held the
reins over Black Bess, owned by Walter
Bartlett of West Brattleboro, while on the
outside the rotund landlord of the Brattle-
boro House, 7. Frank Turner, guided his
own bay mare, Ellen 7. The horses got
away in a perfect start, but Rodney X.
soon went up in the air and Black Bess
took the lead, followed closely by Ellen 7.
Black Bess had less than a lengths lead az
the quarter, but was two lengths to the
good at the half and all the way around to
the upper turn. Ellen T. came fast out
nto the stretch, drew up on level terms
with Black Bess, and the last so yards
were fought out head and head, with the
spectators bowling their approval. People
disagreed as to which horse won and the
decision, dead heat, was the only fair one.
Rodney X. was back several lengths. The
time was 40 for quarter, 1.20 half, at
three quarters and ,. 10 for mile.
The start was A l again, but Black Bess
went to the front more quickly than be.
fore, and at the quarter was four lengths
to the good, with Ellen T. and Rodney X.
neck and neck. Mr.. Turner attempted to
repeat the tactics of fast finish, but al
though Ellen T. gained two lengths in the
stretch she was still two lengths behind
Black Bess at the finish. Rodney X. was
four lengths behind Ellen T. Time was
80, LII, 1.5S, 239 Ia.
In the third heat Black Bess went to the
front quickly, and had a lead of two lengths
most of the way. Ellen T. and Rodney
K. were on nearly even terms much of the
distance. Ellen T. again came fast toward
the wire, but could only pull Black Bess's
lead down to a length, Rodney X. being
the same distance behind Ellen T. Time
was 40, 1.19, 1.5S, 2.39 Ia.
A heavy shower drove a large part of
the spectators from the ground at this
point, and the last heat was trotted in a
heavy rain. 1t was procession, with the
horses in the same order as in the other
heats. The time was 10, l. %, POI, PA 1-2.
Charles Miners Vega, 2.10 1-2, the fast
est tIOtting stallion in Vermont was ev-