The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-08
NEWS and GOSSIP
OF The RACE TRACK.
As Far as 1t Has Gone, Racing at
Delmar Park Has Been Clean
al and True to Form.
THE QUESTION OF FRAUD.
Racing Associations Would BE
Foolish to Lend Themselves
to Anything That Savors
of Unfair Dealing.

Xs far as Delmar Park has gone--it is but
eWeek old-it has produced very even and
vssy clever racing. in every way the
racing there has been much superior to the
Fair Grounds meeting. especially in the
application OF form. Strange as the track
iss and new. the horses have done very
much evener work on 1t than they did at,
the Fair Grounds. In the thirty-eight races
run at Delmar Park last week but one
looked bad, and the best horse won that
one even II some back Of him were not
trying. Tho track Is beautifully located
and IL a very fine property. 1t proved lar
better than any one expected. The first
week at Deinar Park was In many ways
decided success. 1t is to be hoped that 1t
WIN maintain its initial velocity IN this re-
6ard.
+Mn. Bruen's unfortunate starting closed
the Fair Grounds meeting under cloud
NeHyas scarce Mr.. Bruen's fault. His start
ane was bad. Yet we have seen Mr.. Dade,
xifo has done well, make many quite as
bud starts in the week at Delmar. For
tsHately for him Mr.. Dade has not been
leaving any hot favorites like Narro at
the post. Consequently the wall is not as
loud as it was in the case OF Mr.. Bruen.
srhe leaving Of varro. or rather the let
ding on OF Peaceful in that last race at the
Fair Grounds. made lot of trouble anu
Gala, in for deal Of criticism. On the
1ace OF 1t, this criticism does not seem
reasonable. Mr.. Celia is not fool II he
y the ay ons have one
to another he would scarcely be idiot
enough to betray himself, to .'tip his mitt:"
an the patois OF the stables, by using his
horse m the AFFAIR peDpcialv he
could very probably manipulate Others. IL
ME- Celia wanted to "deaden'' Varro or
house TO do It with. 1t IS too like the old
tale Of shooting an enemy with bullets On
which your monogram was engraved.
AZ far as any racing association is con-
cernsd it is hard to see how it can hope
to make anything in any other way than
by:sbeing strictly on the level. Just how
the association which controls the St. Louis
race tracks can make money by running its
plants upon any other than an honest basis
q million dollars invested in racing plants
Is fYer the racing public imagines that they
AS1tpve.. connive at or even know Of with
on Furnishing fraud. that million will be
w6fth just 85oooe, the vaine Of the bare
re9A estate on which the tracks stand. Horse
owners. bookmakers. 5ockeyA trainers, bet
16hey being that Yay-though rich crook
raNhs association can be anything but hon
WKoever may. thrive through fraua-and
they are few-track owners must and will
40 doubt fraudulent races are run, or.
what p more probable. certain horses run
fHpdulent races. Save in a three or four
9 race. How can you fix fifteen-horse
nee4s II Il true that many horses are not
Tlaoen Out, and are not always meant" or
trying. but come horses in every race
1sestryfug, and one of these trying horses
as Gahle to beat the one who is supposed to
There was one race at Delmar Park last
week which. am morally certain, was Of
tbs Kind. The 3avorite seemed to be dead
g = lons shot shot , when third horse came
Okepufse. may be mistaken. but the bet
ting and the action Of the horses in the
xeoe and Of the losers after the race would
Hhere IS many a slip 'twixt the cup and lip;
surely there is place for many mishap be-
B64 starts. bad riding. cuts or, humps and
luQk all combine to make 1t a hard mat
fer TO pick winner or to fix a winner.
IN e In individual horses. Some men have
an idea that the way to operate a stable il
60 pull horse six times where he can win
shot and bet g on him. There IS a lot Of
6ol5h, rather than any combined fraud. 0-'
ont thing which can be said in favor of
otab!e-boy Jockeys, such as We have about
81 Louis. is that they are less liable to be
pArttee to fraud than skilled artists. Being
10 them az 1t is to Jockeys who are men and
Mhoee riding career Is about wound up.
They are not slkillful enough to play star
parts in ticklish Jobs. nor old enough to be
direct parties to them. II boys Of the class
riding at the Fair Grounds are crooked It
Jockeys OF the older class know enough to
% crooked without assistance.
And even when you, give full license and
he. turf. many allegations Of fraud are re
made which are unreasonable. Yet men
who should be sensible believe them have
Eees at Delmar Park on July l.
Ae was warm and legitimate favorite,
Though Tom Collins is a world-beater in the
b Inns previous races IN his own going were
6ad. but he had been rested and freshened
No lot, which means good deal in the
Mfatef anticipated this in his prognostica-
eienU Of the races for that day. as a refer
1cGFuder get out and run the first half in
60 n the mud with Tom Collins, knew he
would dntsh last. as would any horse not
nsaFvelous mud runner who did the same
thing. Yet there were many cries of fraud
In this case, though the result was a per-
4ectly legitimate one. brought about by the
manner in which the race was run.
Figuring on one race he ran along with
General McGruder, every other race run by
Fred Heesig this season Is crooked. He
ran nix fsirlongs that day in 1:13k. and has
been beaten In 1:15is. same weight. tracR
and rider. several times since. Thus q
horse viii run good race as well as 8
bad one.
The races where danger exists of com.
b3ned fraud are those three-horse affairs
OF course, individual owners will not Try
'Wl,n horses. and now and then a book
maker may have one dead. Yet there never
weS an experienced bookmaker who did
mot want them to run on the square, fol
running that way he can make most money
The racing at Delmar Park SO far sur
passed that OF the Fair Grounds that on
cannot help feeling sorry that the Board o
Stewards OF the latter track should make
po9160le for certain parties they found guilt!
=, OF Improper practices at the Fair Ground
% resume operations at Delmar Park O
any other track. Last week every .persol
4air dealing was refnstated to the privileges
oe Deamar Park and all other Turf Congress
8. TRACKS. bar the two negro riders Rose an
s Henderson. Lewis Thompson. who wa
4 suspended for the running Of his horses un
der Henderson, was reinstated. Just VIII.
= THOMSON was reinstated and Henderson
MAS mot was not made public.
While Il may be that the parties suspend
-. "a. Fined. ruled oil, and otherwise pun1she
3 ~ the Fair Grounds authorities, were uil
{ 3uDtly dealt with. and that only reparatio
has keen done them. Il so. II would seer
thar the Fair Grounds Board OF Steward
Wa6- Aasty and ill-advised Ia its action. ]
% no small thing to charge fraud and rul
1nrxvun tanUy