Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-08
SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
Poor Starts the Rule at Ben
ming This Spring.
BARRIER NO HELP
FAvoRITEs AND OUTSIDERS d.
VIDED YESTERDAYS CARD.
Two More Senators Sign Contracts
Golf at Pinehurst-Investigating
Pitcher Crumley.

One of the best cards Of the spring meet
ing at Benning was framed UP by the
Washington Jockey Club for this after
noon, but rain this morning and continue
ton of threatening weather. caused enough
scratches to make the fields small and hurt
the attendance very perceptibly. The track
is in its worst shape, being soft and hold
Ing. and slow time was the rule in all the
events.
The bookmakers and betters had another
even break yesterday afternoon, three of
the six favorites going under the wire first
The sensation of the afternoon was the
performance Of City Bank in the third
race. the Madden crack finishing fourth
after being held at / to in the books.
From start to finish City Bank ran as If out
OF condition. and at no time appeared to
exert himself in the least to win. Jockey
Thompson did his best to get the big hose
to run. but 1t was like beating on bundle
OF blankets instead of a thoroughbred. The
winner of the race turned up in May Hol-
laday. against whom good as 80 to l
was held at one time. Many of the smaller
betters played May Holiday. and wnen
her number went up, the cheering continued
for several minutes. The "bookies' must
have been scorched badly.
Starter Cassidy had another bad day,
and from present indications he will last
dtOut OHS Weth OH tuc IictiOpOltdlI idCho.
There Is some excuse to offer to starter
getting large fields away badly, but when
four and five horses are sent off almost in
single file it Is time to call a halt. The
bad conduct of jockeys at the post has
been given as an excuse heretofore. but
Mr.. Cassidy has set down almost all the
bad boys, and that subterfuge will hardly
answer at present
A favorite turned up winner In the first
race, in Princelet, who beat Neeburban just
head on the wire, and was one of the two
good finishes of the afternoon. In the sec
ond Modredlaw got three lengths the best
enough to win by a length and a half. In
the fourth Ascension was the odds-on ia
vorite, and under the careful guidance Of
Tommy Burns she made every post win
ner, finishing with two lengths in the lead.
In the fifth Monte Carlo, the second choice,
gave Toscan, the favorite, beautiful trim
ming, winning from the local horse by
length and q half. Redfern appeared to
stretch. and when he shook Toscan up he
found Monte Carlo had plenty speed in re-
serve to win out with.
The last race of the day turned out to be
big betting affair, Thorneycroft being
liked best but Briarthorpe and Bessie Nc
Carthy were played very literally by wise
people. Mccarthy opened at to and was
backed so heavily that to / was the best
to be had a post time. The winner proved
to be Briarthorpe, who beat the favorite by
a neck, Bessie Mccarthy finishing absolute
ly last
Toscan Changes Hands.
The selling race leaven. which was in
jected into the sport Wednesday by the
bidding up of Paul Clifford. was working
again yesterday after the fifth race. a SELL
ing event, at five and one-half furlongs.
Toscan started for the first time this season
in this race and although a well-played
choice, had to play second fiddle to Monte
Carlo. Toscan was entered to be sold for
$1,000, and after the race was claimed by
James Blute, who was represented in the
event by Andrattus. The claiming price
was $1.320, and Butte seemed well satisfied
with the transaction.
The weights for The Southern steeplechase,
to be run tomorrow, are: Red Hawk 113;
Charles O'Malley, 168; Agio, 147; Montrip,
16S; Twilight. 166: Lepida, 166; La Touraine,
1876; De Garrett, 15S
The conditions which bar riders who have
ridden the winners of open steepleehases
will keep some of the best amateurs on the
ground. Percy Evans. who rode Red Hawk
in the Spring Hunters steeplechaSe, will
hardly be able 10 ride tomorrow. He was
at the track yesterday nursing an arm in
jured by a fall received in a hunt club
steeplechase meeting held at Warrenton
Wednesday.
In the opening event young Will Mara
the thirteen-year-old son of Steeplechase
Rider James Mara, made his first appear
ance as a jockey. Mara, who began his turf
career with w. Hayward, jr, at Hurricane
farm, ABOUT Two years aBO, Is now WIN the
w. c. Daily outfit, and the old Hartford
turfman who has given to the turf many
Of it's leading riders, says that Mara Is as
promising a prospect as he has yet ham
died. He waited to duplicate the first eff
fort of his father. however. who got part
OF the money the first time he had a mount
in race
Jimmy Mara made his debut as a rider at
Washington also. 1t was twenty-five years
ago, at the Ivy City course, long since aban-
doned as racing property, that he had his
first mount. He weighed about ninety
pounds then He was third in his first race,
and won the third in which he took part.
Mara weighed only ninety-seven pounds
when he first rode over a steeplechase
course.
Redfern to Ride Abroad.
Arthur Redfern, the highest paid jockey
in America last season, will ride in Eng
land next year. At the end of this racing
season in the east he will make visit to
England and France with his parents. Red
fern was offered a large salary to go to