Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-12
WHEN MoUHESNEY WON

TT was along toward the fall Of last year
| that began to mako nuisance OF my
| self b. my offensive manner OF expatiating
| to my friends upon the matchless merit
| Of the western race horse McChesnsy." dis
maIly remarked a well-known Washington
| sportsman and club man, a member OF the
hunting set. IT was around Chicago quite
a Loo last summer. and I saw all OF NC
Chesney's great races on the Chicago
tracks. By the end of the summer was
more than convinced that there wasn't
four-legged trick in the world that could
beat him, with all conditions fair and
square.
when I returned to Washington and
started to tell the fellows what wonder
McChesney was they aroused whole lot
thusiasm over the horse They told me.
manner Of superiority Of all easterners In
discussing the claims OF western race
horses. that there were forty overnient
handicap horses racing on the eastern
tracks that were capable OF running rings
around McChesney at any distance from
jump to four miles, and then they lay back
and grinned and strung me when paWieo
at them that they didn't know what tney
were talking about. and that, in my opin-
ion, McChesney. II he had lived in the days
Of Bucephalus and Pegasus, could have
given both Of them fifty pounds weight ana
half miles running start, and then nave
lost them In five furlong sprint. On, 1
was enthusiastic about McChesney, all
right and when the talk began last fall
about match race between McChesney
and Hermis. the eastern champion among
the three-year olds, all but came to blows
with coolies of the fellows who had the au-
dacity to EXPRESS the opinion to me that
HermiS had at least a fair chance to finish
second in a match race with McChesney.
/ went down New Orleans last winter
especially to take look at McChesney
running down thereof. yes, of course,
the Mardl Gras happened to be on when
struck New Orleans-and when McChesney
got slaughtered in the Montgomery handi-
cap at Memphis last spring l didn't craw-
fish little bit in my opinion of him, as
cribing his defeat to the fact that he had
been overcampatgned.
When, after the eastern racing season
was well under way, and McChesney was
brought east, the talk started again of a
match race between McChesney and Her.
mis-. followed by talk of other match races
between McChesney and Waterboy, Nc
Chesney and Africander. McChesney and
Irish Lad, and so on, became so positively
vicious in my plugging for McChesney that
the fellows nick named me the Mad Nc
Mullah.' and solemnly pretended that they
were making arrangements to have me put
under restraint.
"All of the propositions for match race
between McChesney and the eastern turf
champions fell through. to my intense
gloom, owing, believed then. and as I
believe now, to the fasteners fear of stack
ing their pets against big Mac but even
then did not let go of my plugging habit
for the western thoroughbred. I told EN-
all. in what must have been the most exas-
perating and nerve-racking manner of
gloating that they'd be camping out II ever
they made. the foolish break of playing any
horse on earth. English Derby winners not
barred, to beat McChesney. BY the time 1t
was announced, a couple of weeks ago, that
To(NL
Chesney had become a sort of obsession
with me. On the night that McChesney's
name appeared among the entries for a
race. for all ages. at a mile. on the following
day, telegraphed to Algy Daingerfield, the
secretary of the Benning track and the as
sistant secretary of the Jockey Club, ask
Ing him II McChesney was really going to
run on the next day, or If he would be
scratched. Mr.. Daingerfield replied immedi-
ately that McChesney was sure starter,
and took passage on the owl train for New
York that night. At last I was going to
have chance to see my beloved McChesney
make the conceited New York racing people
sit up straight
We'll. 1 won't go into details about the
race-the dope books will tell you all about
1t. McChesney got licked. and by two
year-old-The Minute Man. McChesney was
carrying. virtually. a bale of hay on his
back to the two-year-old's ninety-some
pounds. but he got licked all the same The
twO-year-old, however, had to traipse over
the mile course at a speed never before at
tained by twO-year-old-1.3S and a small
fraction-to do the job. and McChesney was
right at his witEers at the finish. But
nose Is as good furiong in a horse race
and McChesney was trounced good and
proper. incidentally l was separated from
a little matter of $500, which l put on Nc
Chesney at to merely out of sentiment
l figured that $3.50 was pretty good interest
on an investment Of $500, which the bookie
would only be able to hold for about fif-
teen minutes. But the bookmaker's still
holding 1t.
Il returned to Washington after McCbes-
ney's defeat, stood for the stringing that the
gang handed me over the horses licking by
two-year-old. and still kept up my riot
Gus roofing for McChesney When, on Sun
day. saw by the entries that McChesney
was going In the Twin City Handicap on
Monday. Labor day. and that the vaunted
HermiS would also be starter L again wired
TO MI Daingerfield to find out about it, and
he replied that McChesney and Hermis
would surely start
Il was at the track on Monday. in a
iather OF anticipatory frenzy over the beat
administer to Hermis and all the RESI- of
the big field
Il was so fumey. in fact that when the
betting opened on the race leaped into the
betting ring and put my $500 down on NC
Chesney at to s. when. il I had only
waited few minutes. I could have got as
good as 21k to 1. When the horses were on
their way to the post climbed up to the
with rapture. Not only was going to be
indicated for my long year of vociferous
shouting for McChesney. but McChesney
was going to win me back the $500 had
lost on him when he was beaten by the
two-year-old. and tidy little bundle to
boot.
We'll. McChesney's win was all right
He fairly smothered his feld-made 'em
look like Langley buzzard trying to beat
out a real buzzard. The ensuing ten min
utes are bowling, delirious blank to me-
and. as you perceive, I'm not able to talk
above a whisper yet
1T took me about twenty minutes to cool
out of my frenzied gloat. and then 1 sped
into the betting ring to collect my 81 800
And the same will be about all. I didn't
get the $1,000. I had clean and absolutely
forgotten. In my enthusiasm over the horse
and his race. the bookmaker with whom l
had made the bet. had no more idea of
the location of the bookmaker than 1 have
now of the location of Beirut. As a rule
when l make bet In big betting ring /
take great mental precautions to remember
the place where 1 make the bet-I count
the number of stanchions and fix my book
makers position In his relationship to the
numbered stanchions, or count the electric
lights. and place him that way, and in ad-