The Butte inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1901-1912, 1901-08-31
the SEASONS RACING.

= the SEASONS RACING.
On Monday the race meeting tn the
city Of Butte will come to an end. It has
been a long stretch Of sport. The race
goers will not be sorry to see the num-
bers of the last winners hung out by the
Judges and the business men Of the city
will express no regrets at the end OF the
protracted session Of speculation which
attracted money out Of its ordinary
channels. The Labor Day handicap will
be run Monday and when this last big
event is decided the Butte public will be
willing to say farewell to racing until
another year. The meetings at Helena
and Great Falls. lasting a week each,
will close horse racing in Montana foe
the season. It has been great sport while
it lasted. and the general opinion ap-
pears to be that it has lasted too long.
Fifty-six days is the term Of racing in
Butte this year. This is the longest
meeting ever held on any track in the
west outside of San Francisco. Three
years ago a 60-day meeting was hell.
and the racing divided between Butte
and Anaconda, but never before in
city the size Of Butte has such an ex-
tended meeting been held on race
course. Small wonder, then, that Butte
patrons Of the track feel that they have
had all the racing that Is required to
keep them interested in the performances
Of running horses.
Much of the history of the race meet.
| ing which ends Monday will never be
| written. The officials at the track are
reticent regarding the condition Of the
associations exchequer. They say that
there is nothing on the books to discour-
age them, and that racing will be re-
sumed at the track next year. This an
nouncement has been construed by many
to mean that the racing association has
| come off winner in a large amount. II
this is the case, few will withhold tho
proper expressions of praise and con-
graduation from the management. The
| promoters of the races took chances at
the beginning, and by dint of close fig
uring and rigid economy they made both
ends meet, and perhaps more. The public
footed the bills and withstood the long
drain upon it's cash without serious COM
plant. AS racing center Butte is en-
titled to first place among the cities of
the west. Residents of the city who
patronized the track did SO without re-.
gard for expenses, and the association
profited accordingly.
| ~ Of ho fra
that could be desired by lovers of sport
Several records We're broken during the
meeting The track record was lower I'd
second and established at 1:41, AMI
i other notable performances were given
by the thoroughbreds. After the horses
were the rule, and, barring few shady
J incidents, the sport was genuinely good
The association offered and paid Out
nearly hundred thousand dollars II
purses. Sixteen hundred dollars per dag
. was the average. These purses brough
) frst-class stables Of horses to Butte, ane
J many of the owners will depart with nj
small sum in their pockets as result
of their operations here. The heavy win
ners were c. w. Chappell, w. S. Stan
) field, ]. S. Campbell, Duncan Cameron
t and w. D. Randall. They profited in tn
t order named. These were owners VIII
brought horses here from distant tracks
5 and their winnings aggregate abou
t $40, 900. Resident owners also won IL
t many of the events. H. L. Frank
, horses were among those which cam
y under the wire in the lead. and Butt
: citizens shared in the glory of winnin
e purses from the crack racers fror
: abroad.
d Those who saw the harness horses rae
n were not enthusiastic in their praise Q
O this form of sport. Yet each year j
e Montana will see more harness races o
It the tracks of the state. It is poor spol
h for the gamblers. but for men whose al,
y is to improve the breed of Montan
v horses, 1t fills a long-felt want. Til
II association gave away 5000 in purse
l. to trotting and pacing horses: This
n no small encouragement to breeders. an
will result in vast amount of good
- establishing Montana trotters in a col
81 spicuous place at the race meetings ,
ID the west.
= Betting at the track. was at all tim'
ID heavy. According to the association