The Washington times., 1903-09-05
MCCHESNEY BEATEN.
BUT NOT DlSGRACED
John E. Madden's The Min
ute Man Finishes Two
Lengths Ahead of the
Western Crack.
Smathers Did Not Back His
Entry, Although a Heavy
Commission Went in on
the Big Chestnut.

NEW YORK. Sept. 5.-McCbesn.,
idol Of the West and South. made his
hrst appearance on an Eastern rare
course yesterday in the second race A.
the Concy Island Jockey Clubs course
and was beaten by John E. Madden.
two-year-old colt The Minute Man. ca
rying ninety-two pounds, Of which two
pounds were overweight. to permit His-
gins to ride. Tie race chosen by Nc
Chesney's owner and trainer for hin
debut on the Eastern turf was at mile
under special conditions: Two-year.
olds TO carry 80 pounds: three-year-oIds
II5 pounds; four yearolds and upward.
lZ2 pounds. Ii was not strictly a weight
for age race. for the four-year-oId had
four pounds less than weight for age
and the two-year-old carried three
pounds more than weight for age. Still
the seven pounds difference would not
have brought the two horses together,
in the opinion of experts.
Hundreds perhaps thousands. visited
the race course for the sole purpose OF
seeing McChesney. His warm I'D was
excellent. and in the paddock. where he
was almost mobbed by the crowd who
wanted TO see him at closer quarters. he
the leading bookmakers laid against
McChesney, however, and his odds wers
at as high a figure al the close as at
the beginning OF the betting.
Owner Did Not Back Him.
z. E. Smathers. owner OF the Western
crack emphatically denied that he back
ed his horse, notwithstanding rumors
which made him responsible for heavy
commission which showed in the betting
ring at the last moment John e Mad
den put himself on record before the
race by declaring that he could beat
McChesney easily with The Minute Man,
and il is said that Madden's confderce
was so strong that he saved John ".
Gates from losing one of the heaviest
wagers of his career, as he INTENDED
to back McChesney.
Fuller was on Mr. Smathers' horse
which was last for a short distance after
the barrier was released, while The
Minute Man was sailing out in front at
a tremendous pace. McChesney took
second place in a quarter, and then en-
sued a long chase after the flying two
year-old- The gap OF daylight gradl-
ally lessened, until, as the last quarter
mile OF the race was begun, there was
about five lengths between the first ald
second
Now was the time for AcChesney %
show his famous stretch running quail
ties If he was ever TO do il. and little by
little the lead of The Minute Man Was
reduced At about half a furlong from
the finish the leader seemed 10 be il
trouble. but Just as the Western msa
were getting ready 70 shout for Ne
Chesney, he, too, weakened and The
Minute Man passed the judges two
lengths IN front Of the Western idol
nearly a hundred yards
Race Fast Considering.
The fractional time OF the race was as
follows: Furlong, II seconds; quarter,
"A seconds; three furlongs. S6 seconds;
half mile. IS Is seconds; FIVE furlongs.
100 2-5; six furlongs. ZIP As; one mile.
1:3S As The atmosphere. and going
were both adverse to really fast time.
II the day had been warm and the air
clear a mile would certainly have been
run in 1:3s or better.
Close observers of this remarkable
race call attention 10 the fact that Nc
Chesney ran some lengths faster than
The Minute Man in the fifth and sixth
furlongs, which we're covered in p 30
seconds. Il has been claimed by tho
partisans OF McChesney that ne can run
the last quarter. or any quarter OF a
race in 23 seconds. II Is posslDle tnat ne
ran one quarter in this race in 23is sec
onds or thereabouts. The deep, sandy
track is also very different from that on
which the horse won his best Western
races.
On the Memphis track, which is OF
sandy sort, McChesney was beaten badly
in the Montgomery Handicap. Odom IN
the saddle.
Nine Weeks Since He Ran.
The horse ran his last race, previous 70
yesterdays. on July l. al the Harlem
track, Chicago. II is therefore nine
weeks since he ran a race Since he LETT
Chicago he has been lame. one or MS
feet being affected. The horse was ask
ed TO do something yesterday. under this
handicap. which the famous Ben Brush
failed TO do in the month OF September.
1897, when John E Madden's Plaudit.
two-yeaT- old, carrying ninety pounds
made all the running in race al mile
and a sixteenth, and lasted long enough
TO beat Ben Brush. 126 pounds. head
in the fast time OF 1:4TIa- DR.. Catlett,
three years old. ia pounds. was only a
head behind the second horse. Plaudit
was a high-class colt. yet was forced 70
do his best 10 win from the best four
year-old Of that year, as Ben Brush wss
4.