Arizona republican., 1904-02-27
BELLADoNNA AND LOTTIE SPARKS
Will Run Today for Largest Stakes
 Ever Offered in Arizona.

At the Phoenix driving park this afternoon will be run the most eX- citing horse races ever seen in Ari- zona They will be exciting, first, be- cause good time is expected to be made and still more so by reason of the stakes, which are larger than any wagers ever made before in Arizona on a contest of horse flesh. The principal race will be between Belladonna and Lottie Sparks, both accounted to be the fleetest nags that ever chewed Ari- zona hay. Belladonna is Jack Gib- sons pride and joy and is very large ly the agency that did for him what the Pabsts did for Milwaukee. Inci- dentally Belladonna has helped to make the money that pays for big cowboy tournaments, etc. Lottie Sparks has done about as much for Jake Cottrell as Belladonna has for Jack Gibson and the contest is for final issues for when the suh goes down tonight one man will have both horses.
 The straight stakes for the race are $750 on each side. put up by the re- spective owners, but that is a small part of what depends upon the race In addition both horses go to the win ner and each horse is valued at $700. Charles Williams also has a side bet with Jake Cottrell, on Belladonna. for $500 cash. That makes total stake of S3 300. In addition to that the sporting men of the town have wagered about $500 on their favorite making a total to date of $4, 700 depending on the race, and if both horses are in good condi- ton when the time comes tomorrow, as it is expected they will be, it is probable there will be a couple of thousand dollars more placed in jso- pardy by the speculating fraternity, making a grand total of nearly S7,OOO, awaiting the issue Of the race. It will therefore be a day for some peo- pie to regret while others may remem- Der it as the beginning of their pros perity.
 The race ie for a quarter mile and is set for 2:3O o'clock. so those who want to see the biggest thing that ever happened here in the racing line should be on hand. Once they get started it will take neither Of those horses an age to cover a quarter of a mile and the winner will be working for somebody at the rate of two or three hundred dollars a second.
 But there is to be another race in which Jack Gibson is also interested If things go right today he will be in the horse business clear over his head, and comparatively speaking that is pretty deep. for Jack can wade af- ter the rest of the boys have gone tc the bottom. If things go wrong the horse business will be the least of nis troubles for he will have nothing left except a few nightmares
 The second race alluded to is be- tween GibsOn's favorite riding horse. Fox, and Abra. the favorite ridinr horse of Logan Morris, who is foreman of GibsOn'S stock ranch on New River The race Is for fifty head of range horses on each side and on it's issue will be determined a whole lot of things, but mainly who is to be boss of the ranch.
 Friends of all parties assert that the race is really for the settlement of a feud. MT. Gibson was originally in- veigled into the horse business by Billy Widmer about two years ago during a political campaign and has never been ale to get out of it. While Mir. Widmer's conduct was reprehen- sible Mir. Gibson could never find a law that could touch him. At that time Widmer had a half interest and Nor ris and Jim Gibson had a quarter in- terest each, in a bunch of horses that ranged from New River 10 Cave Creek MT Widmer was then as anxious to get out of the horse business as MT. Gibson is now and he is an ardent re- publican. He made MT. Gibson think that he really believed q certain re- publican candidate had Q chance for election and bantered Jack so hard that he finally made a wager against the horses; for Jacks democracy, like Widmer's republicanism, was not to he trifled with. The democrat won, of course, and Widmer had the laugh on Gibson, who has since been a half owner in the horses.
 The bunch now aggregates about 200 head of which Morris owns a quarter After sizing up Gibson's horse. Fox. Morris decided that he had a chance to lose to him, fer since the scarcity of rain this spring he is a little blue over the horse business himself and thinks there is more money in being foreman of the ranch than boss of it.