River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-07-17

When Wyeth went under the wire
first in the fifteenth American Derby
at Washington park, June Fl, John
A. Drake, the owner of this animal,
stood among a lot of fellow members
of the club one of the,happiest men in
the land. Was it the $40, 456 that the
stake brought him that made this
rich man glad? Was it the fact that
he had realized about 100000 in
wagers on Wyeth? Was it that he had
paid a large sum for the son of Wads-
worth and wanted to Twin him out? '
Those who have watched the career of
this bright young turfman and club
man since he began to follow the
races know that none of these things
caused the flush in his face and the
merry laugh that followed.
He was thinking only of being the
first member of the club which gave
the greatest race meet in the land
to win the classic. And furthermore,
he was delighted to think that his
Judgment in the matter of trainer and
Jockey had been better than that of
his acquaintance.
81 knew that Enoch Wishard was the
greatest trainer in the world" re-
marked Mr.. Drake, as he drew a check
for $4,000 to hand to the man who had
prepared Wyeth for the Derby, and
could not see how the people could
overlook his grand work in England
when he trained animals for the stakes
over there and took them from the
l.
Wyeth is a good horse-he is not the
best horse in the world by any means
but his ability to race, together with
Wishard's ability to condition him for
the race, were, in my estimation, al
most equivalent to a victory before
the contest was begun.
'Besides, there were many who
wanted me to put up another boy.
They played upon my feelings, telling
me that little Lucien Lyme, the Ken
lucky boy who rides for me under a
retainer, was incompetent; that he
was too Inexperienced to pilot horse
in a Derby. But I knew that Ken
lucky blue blood flowed in Lyne's
veins. I knew that no one could i'm
pugn his motives or successfully at
tack his honesty. | knew that his
father had come up from the blue
grass country to see Lucien ride. |
knew also that an honest, conscien-
tious jockey will always win if his
mount is good enough. SO [ told my
friends who had backed Wyeth that
Lyme was good enough to ride for me
in a $4,000 race. The boy proved
to be heady, steady and true, and
when the mighty Heno tired under
Bullman's hard riding, Wyeth, guided
as if by an Isaac Murphy, came on
and won.
1.-THE next thing on the programme
is to prepare for the Derby of 1908.
I have few two-year-olds that |
think will do for candidates. If there
is none among the lot by fall, I'll pay
out about $4,000 or so for one or two
that will do, and try to repeat my
Derby luck What's the use of having
money if you can't buy the best there
is on the turf? And what's the use
of looking at the size of the purse,
if you win? Racing is the sport of
kings, and while l am no king, I'm
proud to be an American citizen whose
colors are first in the American Derby.
If Lyme continues to ride as he HIS
been riding, it will be Lyme up with
the turquois blue silk colors on his
back" And then Mr.. Drake went out
to play golf, after which he went out
on the boulevard with his racing auto
mobile.