Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-26
SADDLE AND SULkY z

Frank Hutchinson gives the following
account of the most famous play ever
made by Riley Grammar. the noted
plunger:
The most sensational play Grammar
ever made occurred at the Gravesend
race track in the fall of 1894. Grammar
booking in the ring the day the
keenes' great colt Domino was sent 10
the post for match race with the vest
ern wonder. Henry of Navarro. Fred
Ta'ar, then Americas premier Jockey
had the mount on Domino. and Sam
Dogett was up on Navarro. An immense
crowd was al the track and nearly 100
books were doing business in the ring.
The opening prices laid were 3 to 8
Domino. s to 5 Henry of Navarro.
Grammar considered Navarro a better
horse than the Keene colt. He looked
around the ring for a few moments and
noted that to . was the top price
against Domino. Then he chalked up
to 5 in big figures opposite the black
colts name. with no price against Ma
varre. For the next IL minutes Gran
mans box almost carried away by
the rush of bettors anxious to get on
before the price was out. for Domino was
a big favorite in the east.
Take your time" sang out Grammar.
THAT price will he there when they go
to the post
The money came in fast that Gran
nan shouted: Nothing less than 500
bets"
James r. Keene's commissioner bet
him $4,000. Foxhall Keene got a ticket
reading 1000 to 5000 Ike Thompson
got in for SO 600, and George Wheelock
bet $4,000 with the young plunser. Gran
nan was one of the fastest money hand
lers ever seen on a block. and 1t is safe
to say that his clerks. who of necessity
We're the speedest men in the business,
never worked as hard as they did dur
ing that brief half hour.
The 81 600, $500, and 500 bets were soon
all in. Come in. now. you pikers'
shouted Grammar. "Anythins over 500
There was another rush that came
near swapping Grammar and his work
ing force but before the horses We're
called to the post Grammar was taking
81 bets and the price had not been cut.
He handled practically all the money
bet on Domino that day. Not another
ptnciler in the ring laid to against
the keene colt.
Grammar watched the race from the
stand and he was. to all appearances,
c9o'er than any ither person on the
grounds The colts raced head and head
all the way round to the head of the
stretch. Then Henry OF Navarro began
to draw away. At the betting ring his
chestnut head showed half a length in
f.o of the black. Then poggett seemed
to go to pieces all at once. He wobbled
Al ,,4,1
able to gather himself together and help
his mount a particle. Meanwhile Taral
was riding the finish of his life and he
was certainly tinisher those days. The
"Dutchman" working like demon. just
managed TO get the Black colts head up
in time to catch the judges eyes on even
TENS with Navarro. \ dead heat was
the official verdict.
Grammar gave no evidence of undue
excitement while he gaZed at the stir
ring finish. II thought NaHarre's nose
was in front. but WAS not at the wire.
was his comment.
All Grammar had to- say concerning
Doggetts weak finish was to offer the
opinion that if Lonne Clayton, Navarro
regular rider. had had the mount the
colt would have Won by a length. and
that he was right in this surmise was
proven shortly afterward at Morris
Park where Navarro. with Clayton III
the saddle met and easily defeated
Domino and Clifford in a three cornered
match race. AS good as AZ to l was
laid against Navarro on this occasion
and Grammar won large sum of money.
After the Henry of Navarro Domino
dead heat Grannan's sheet showed that
he had taken in, in round numbers, $t",
600 Against this sum he had laid SOL
60U. Grannans profit from splitting
tickets" as the dead heat was not run
off, was something over 5000 He had
not laid a single dollar against Navarro.
When asked after the race why he did
not bet his money on Henry Of Navarro
at S to 5 instead of laying against Dom
inc at 4 to ). Grammar said Il did not
think l could get much on
Today Grammar finds himself where
he started a dozen years ago a hotel
elevator boy. so far as his finances are
concerned. But he has lost something
more valuable than the thousands witt
which gambed on the race track His
health is shattered and his nerve is
gone.
Whether Imp was the greatest mare
the American turf ever saw is ques
zion, though many assert that she was
uhefe is no uOubt. however. tildt Ioi th'
last two seasons she was the most pOpu
lar piece of horsetiesh in the east. Whe1
the names of Miss Woodford. Thora
los Angeles. FirenZi and Yo Tamhiel
are recalled, ii is hard to place the blacl
mare on a pedestal above them. Boil
Firenzi and Los Angeles won NOR
money than Imp did. the former in 4
races netting $ll6,156, and the latter il
1GS races putting some $4,000 to he
owners credit. Imp, however. ran con
sderably more races in her career. a
she started 1873 times, and landed il
stakes and purses money amounting t
So, 924-Breeder and Sportsman.
----
Robert Curran of Butte, who is at