The San Francisco call., 1904-09-11
HORSEMEN WILL
INVADE NORTH
State Fair Meetings in Ore
gon Attract Trainers of
Fast Trotters and PAGERS
GOOD PURSES OFFERED
Mcdonald Is Substituted as
Sweet Marie'S Driver Be-
cause of His Experience

cult is over the trotters and PAGERS are
| moving north. where the Oregon State
Fair will open harness racing on the
North Pacific circuit next Monday.
! Trainers w. G.. Durfee, Fred Ward, I.
c. Mosher and F. E. Wright shipped
their strings to Salem at the close of
the Sacramento meeting. There are
several big stakes to be decided on the
northern tracks, three of value Of
$1,000 each and quite a number that are
worth $1,000. The California horses
should bring home a goodly portion of
the money.
1t seems that when the judges at
Readville took the Los Angeles driver.
Robert Smith, from behind Sweet
Marie and substituted Alta Mcdonald
they did not do so because they thought
Smith was not trying, but because they
thought Mcdonald was a much better
driver, which is true, as the latter is
professional Of the first rank, while
Smith is an amateur, although a clever
one. The Readville judges announced.
that they could not find a particle OF
evidence which indicated that Smith
! had lost two heats for fraudulent pur-
poses. The conversation which took
place in the stand when they called the
Los Angeles man up was as follows:
Mr.. Smith. the public seems dissat-
isf1ed with your handling Of Sweet
Marie In the two heats just trotted. AS
we have viewed the race we believe you
are entirely honest and are trying to
win. Now if you are. would you have
any objections to Alta Mcdonald driv-
ing your mare"
Judges" replied Smith. IT am try
ing to win and want to badly, but If
you believe Mr.. Mcdonald can drive
Sweet Marie better than I can, why 1
Invite you to substitute him. The only
think 1 ask is that he try hard and
use his best judgment so he can get
her home first. 1 assure you, 1t is my
ambition to win."
That was the conversation at Read
vile, but at Providence the following
week, after Sweet Marie lost two heats
in her race, the judges there took
Smith out and put Mcdonald up and
he won the race with her. 1t is said
that the conversation at Providence
was as Chesterfeldian as at Readville,
but the Providence judges set Smith
down for the rest of the year and
awarded Mcdonald $1,000 out OF the
mares winnings.
All this recalls the case Of W. G.
Durfee and Sweet Marie at Salem, Or,
last year. In the $4,000 stake at
Salem Sweet Marie won a heat in
2:13h and was then beaten a head In
2:12% by DR.. Hammond. Durfee was
ordered to hand over the mare to an
other driver, which he refused to do.
He was ordered from the track and
expelled, together with the mare.
This meant ruling OF for life and Dur
fee appealed to the Pacific district
board of the National Trotting Asso-
citation, the members sitting in judg-
ment on the case being A. B. Spreckels,
Colonel j. c. Kirkpatrick and Captain
n. T. Smith. On the evidence sub
mitted Durfee was reinstated.
The presiding judge at Salem testi-
fed that the judges did not believe that
Durfee pulled the mare. and took no
notice Of such thing until the secre-
tary of the association came into the
stand and demanded that another
driver be substituted. Hughes, the
driver Of the winner Of the heat, testi-
fed that Sweet Marie was not steady
the first part of the mile and that his
horse outtrotted her. The evidence all
went to show that the judges had not
punished Durfee for anything they saw,
but on what they had been told, and il
was considered that the punishment did
not fit the crime. On the evidence sub
mitted they could not refuse to reinstate
Mr.. Durfee. 1t seemed strange that a
!, -,
the largest purse Of the year where 1t
was proven that he was not betting
against her.
j. R. Albertson, who developed and
helped sell for $4,000 the California
horse George G. 2:07%, has returned
from his Eastern trip. He says the
three-heat system, every heat a race.
will in all probability be the racing
\ plan adopted by all the associations on
the Grand Circuit in 1905. 1t has been
given several trials this year and seems
to be perfectly satisfactory to owners.
trainers and the public. BY this plan
the purse is divided into three equal
parts, and there are three moneys in
each heat. A larger proportion is given
the heat winner than by the old plan.
but more horses win money.
1t is the best solution of the lay
ing up" evil that has yet been de-
vised. Many horsemen hope to see
the plan adopted by the Breeders As
sociation on this coast next season.
Many of the owners whose horses
won at the State Fair this year have
not yet received the money due them.
Unless it is paid within the required
, thirty days some OF the unpaid own
] ers are threatening to have the State
| association suspended by the National
! Trotting Association under the rules.
They say the association has been
prompt in suspending them for un-
paid entrance money in the past. and
they believe that sauce for the goose
! should be sauce for the gander. Sec
| ton Z. rule 81 of the rules and regula-
/ tons of the National TrOtting Asso-
/ citation reads as follows:
The National Trotting Association
shall not collect suspensions for men,