The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-08

brilliant contests between high-class horses
were the Inaugural. which the great mare
Yo Tambien won, beating Highland by a
which was won by Clifford.
The success OF the Fair Grounds and the
boom in racing which took place during
the latter eighties and early nineties. caused
the upspringing OF several tracks OF infe-
r.or class in this neighborhood. The East
81: Louis track was the first 70 open. and
and Sportsmen's Park courses These
courses alone gave St. Louis as remarkabls
exhibition OF what depths a sport may fall
to as any city has ever witnessed. Con-
t!nuous racing. electric light and winter
racing. syndicate betting rings and gamo-
of the evils attached to racing by certain
of these tracks. The wonder is that the
sport survived in this locality at all.
Races by Electric Light.
Racing. such as II was. nourished on all
the tracks for several seasons. The East
ST. Louis and Madison courses at one time
attracted an excellent quality Of horses.
Simmons and Doctor Rice participating in
some of the events at those places. During
its first summer of electric light racing the
South Side track would often have starters
from among the horses then stationed at
the Fair Grounds, and one occasion a horse
named Tramp was brought To the course
and won two races on the same night.
The racing at the East 81. Louis track
was wei pa'roniSed. and the hrss winter
course. South Side Park had a winter meet
ing. also about the same time. and the
Sportsmen's Park and Madison tracks also
conducted similar meetings.
During the winter OF 1ss4-e the Turf Con-
sress began to take cognizance OF the rae
ing of horses over hard. frozen tracks and
stepped In to put a limit on the business
rule forbid1inS racing during. the mont rs
of Dec mber. January and February above
q certain degree OF latitude. was passed,
and this measure was aimed especially at
the tracks which were then in full blast
here. and in certain portions Of the East.
The penalty prescribed for racing during
those months was outlawry for the track
horses and every one connected With the
sport. The meeting at East St Louis came
course obeying the orders of the Congress
The Madison track continued its meeting
however. and in the winter Of 1896 the last
winter racing was conducted in Illinois.
Shortly afterwards the track shut Its gates
and never reopened.
The East 81. Louis track enjoyed a good
patronage during the summer OF 1895, and
then closed down during the Fair Grounds
passed a law in the spring of that year
forbdding betting on races. and this la !.
was the death knell OF the course. Its
gates were never reopened after the Fair
Grounds meeting. and the track is now
cut up by railway switches.
In the fail of the same year the track at
Sportsmens Park was constructed, Fred
Foster being the presiding genius He DIS
Won der Abe, and all through the winter
months racing flourished over the track
The next summer both the Sportsmen's
Park and South Side tracks were operated
ter both had meetings in the daytime The
next spring n law was passed by the Mis-
souri, State Legislature prohibiting winter
racing and combining the meetings to ninety
shut down. and have now passed out Of ex-
4stence.