The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-09-17
BIC DAY AT FAIR.
Large Crowds Come to Topeka
Today.
Grounds We're ThrOnged Since
Early Morning.
RACES WERE EASY.
Few Close Finishes on Wednes-
days Card.
q. w. RaWdOn Wins the Derby
by a Length.
WAS NOT FAVORITE.
WAS NOT FAVORITE
kohDwreath, Who Ran Second,
Expected to Win.
Jim AckersOn Wins 2:4O TrOt
i'm 2:l9 3-4.

! III SsI Of.
Today's racing programme began at 2
d. m. and is as follows:
2:27 pace, 81 900 purse.
Two-year-old trot, $500 purse.
; Five-eighthS mile, running 800 purse,
Half mile and repeat, running, SIS
purse.
Extra-HaIf mile dash. running, 800
purse
Today has been the first big day of the
fair, owing to the weather, but with
three running races and two harness
races including the 2:27 pace on Friday
a larger crowd is expected then.
Early this morning the fair grounds
was thronged with people from out of
town and scores of farmers vehicles,
with the horses tethered inside the
grounds, proved that the farmers were
on hand in force.
The trains on all the railroads brought
hundreds of people and before the judg-
ing of the stock began this morning a
large crowd was on hand to view the
animals as they were brought out for
inspection.
Wednesday was a big day at the fair
and over $500 admission tickets were
bought at the gate. These, with the
fair week, admitted a crowd OF from
six to seven thousand persons to the
grounds.
The city railway has furnished good
service, with the exception OF few
short delays when cars left the track
and temporarily stopped traffic.
Secretary Samson said today: The
/ attendance at the fair Wednesday was
very encouraging after the gloomy
weather with which the week pegalI.
The sale of tickets at the gate was
| larger Wednesday than on our biggest
day at the fair last year and as the ad-
| vance sale of tickets this year was much
larger than the advance sale before the
fair last year. we expect record break
5 ing crowds today and Friday and Satur-
hday. ON account OF having to arrange
the programme, to suit the weather, the
fair will be in full blast until o'clock
Saturday afternoon. None of the ex-
hibits will be removed before that time
and one of the best racing programmes
of the week will be carried out Saturday
afternoon. 1t was at first intended to
have the racing on Tuesday, Wednes-
day, Thursday and Friday but on ac-
count of the condition of the track on
Tuesday the first races were postponed
until Wednesday. The big card of
races originally set for Friday VIII be
the events on the track on Saturday
/ afternoon instead"
Three thousand people saw the open
ing races of the state fair Wednesday
! afternoon, and witnessed the second
running of the Kansas Derby, in which
| G. w. Rawdon, the Oklahoma morse,
| was the winner over Kohnwreatn. the
popular favorite. Rawdon cut the track
| record from :49 to :45A
There was a report today that G. w.
| Rawdon, the winner of the derby. would
be disqualified for running under an as
| Sumed name. and that the derby would
be run over This charge was made by
a jockey, who claimed that he had rio
| den Rawdon under the name of Olive
in an Illinois race. The charge was in
vestigated and proved to be unfounded.
The money has been paid to the winners
of the derby
There was not a great amount of en-
thusiasm over the races, and not much
to induce it. Everything was won in
straight heats, and most of the vic
tories were easy money. The hard
driving, nose to nose rush down the
home stretch was conspicuous by its
absence. The track was in fair condi-
ton.
Several hundred carriages and auto
mobiles were lined up in the quarter
stretch. and all of the old time race
meet men were on hand. Some were
showing off neat turnouts. some occu-
pied seats in the grandstand, and some
jingled money and fingered rolls of
greeIbacks under the bookmaker's tent.
Conspicuous in the judges stand was
NJ. A. Low. president of the association.
A number of other well known horse
men were allowed the privileges of the
judges stand. o. P. Upedgraff acted
as starter, and told the crowd what was
\ going on by means of the big 20-horse
power megaphOne.
SUIKY SMASHED UP.
There was d sensation ready the first
thing on the programme. In the first
heat of the day. Emma McGregor had
the pole. At the first turn. Heirsburg
tried to cut in ahead. McGregor step
ped into the wheel of Heirsburg's sulky,
caught her callxs in the wire spoles, and
fell Sulkies and riderss We're tumbled
onto the PROSTATE horse, and Heirsburg
was struggling frantically to break
away. Fortunately the wreck involved
only these two racers. The rest lodged
the mess. and the trainers and grooms
rushed out to the rescue 1t was with
great difficulty that Mc6iregors foot was
disentangled from the snarl of jammed
spokes and splintered rim. but there was
no damage done except to the Sulky,
which was wrecked.
The driver of McGregor claimed that
Heirsburg had no business to cut in on
him. but the judges ruled that it was an
unavoidable accident and gave the
horses place in the race
SIR GUILFORD THE FAVORITE.
The tip was out on Sir Guilford fo1
the 2:40 trot, and he was popular with
the crowd at the books. His price was
> TO g. while Joe Ackerman was marked
at 3 to >. Ackerman is a gray gelding,
, with a steady gait and plenty of bot
) tom He took the first heat easily in
2.20A.
Sir Guilford's friends did not desert
Continued on Page Seven.)