Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-18
SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
Benning Fall Meeting Starts
OFF Auspiciously.
NEW TRACK RECORD
FIERCE FOOT BALL BATTLES
SCHEDULED FOR TOMORROW.
Yale Favorite Over Harvard--Local
Championship to Be Contested
Many Bowling Matches.

The first day of the fall meeting of the
Washington Jockey Club at Benning yester-
day was success from every point of
view. The weather was almost ideal, the at
tendance large and the races close enough
to furnish plenty of excitement for the
not on hand in the numbers expected, the
club house lawn and porch held big crowd
of people of note. The New York horse
show closes tomorrow and it is expected
that the club house contingent will be con-
siderably augmented next week.
After the closing of the days races SUI
perintendent Strahan was about the hap
piest man at the track He had been predict
ing for week or more that the Columbia
handicap would be run in record time or
better with good weather. as he had built
the course up to a perfect state. Several
attaches of the track and trainers made
small Wagers of cigars with the popular
superintendent, and he won all his bets. as
Race King went under the wire four-fifths
of a second faster than High Chancellor
who won the Columbia in 1903 in 12S
While the records in the other events were
not In Jeopardy, 1t was not the fault of the
track, but the class of horses
The running of the Columbia handicap was
the feature of the afternoon and it was
about the easiest victory of the afternoon
Race King coming away from the bunch in
the stretch and winning in a gallop. AS
cenSfon opened the favorite in the betting
but when the big wagers began to come In
on Race King the odds shifted and the lat
ter was the favorite at post time. Starter
Cassidy got the bunch away nicely. and
Mamie Worth. an added starter, shot to the
front and held on to the front position until
the turn into the stretch. Little Crimmins
then shook Race King up just a little bit,
and he went to the front in mastery style
and was never headed. Wonderly gave
Cloten well-timed race in the stretch, but
the Seagram geldng was short and finished
second, with Ascension third, two lengths
back. Damon had big following. but
could never get up.
Steeplechase Easy for Gascar.
The running of the Bladensburg steeple-
chase was something of a disappointment
as the favorite tumbled at the water iump
and Gascar had an easy time of 1t, winning
by a dozen lengths. On the first time
around the jumpers kept well together and
topped the timber in the most approved
hunting style. On coming around the sec
ond time Lavator alighted short at the
water jump In front of the grand stand
and went to his knees, Jockey Rogan being
thrown and making a narrow escape from
the feet of the other runners. Lavator was
caught by a policeman a short distance
but finished last. On the next to the last
jump Perion went down. and then Gascar
and Walter Cleary rushed for the last
Jump, the former being well in the lead
After the last obstacle had been cleared
Heider kept Gascar close to the rail. and
he came home the nearest way to the
plaudits of the hackers who had not for
gotten Caesars good work in the past
over the Benning course.
Some fortytwo bookmakers were on the
line yesterday ready to accept wagers on
the different events but it was the general
opinion among the wise men" that had
Poseur won the first race there would have
been about twenty-five left to finish out
the days work in the ring Poseur came
out of the west and was tipped all over
the city Wednesday night. with the result
that the opening price of 10 to l was beat
down to 3 to l at post time. There was
not a bookmaker at the track who didn't
have long string of POseur bets, and they
would have been scorched badly had she
come under the wire first. The field In this
event was sent away nicely and Poseur shot
to the front about ten yards from the bar
rer. Her hackers yelled with delight over
the early exhibition of speed and felt still
more elated as she hung on turning into
the stretch and made up a full length on
the other horses by splendid turn of the
corner. Coming down the stretch. the ia
vorite, Thistle Heather, challenged the lead
err and a splendid battle ensued for short
distance. Poseur faltered slightly and
Thistle Heather went to the front fifty
yards from the wire. Right there Is where
Jockey Travers made his mistake. He
thought in beating Poseur he had won the
race and looked back the wrong way to
see where the other runners were.
Coming down on the rail like shadows
were Mary Glenn and Andrew Mack, and
when Travers realized the situation 1t was
too late the first named getting the de-
cision by a nose. Had Trayers gone along
he could have won by a length or more
Mary Glenn opened in the betting at 20 to
!. but was neglected and went back to $50
to at the close.
Manager McGraw Winner.
John J. McGraw. manager of the New
York Giants, came into the limelight Of
the betting ring, and for while the little
manager OF the National League champions
doomed up as big as any one of the turf
famous plungers.
McGraw was one of the few public spec
ulators who landed on Mary Glen, and
while the rank and file was stumbling over
itself in backing Greencrest in the fifth
event, McGraw took Baikal. the to 1
winner. He wagered $40 on Mary Glenn.
getting only 40 to l with Billy Walls,
and he bet $500 to win $1,000 on Baikal
Jockey Crimmins gave the Washington
people their first chance of seeing him work
since he has bounded to the front as one
of the best riders in the country, and the
general Veruact was most pleasing 10 the
youngster. He finished in front twice yes
terday, and the way he went about his
business getting his horse under the wire
aroused considerable enthusiasm among
those spectators who delight in seeing
energy and nerve rewarded. 1t is fore
gone conclusion that there will be few
mounts for Crimmfns that will go unbacked
by the local betters this meeting.
Following are the summaries of the last
three races which were run too late for
last evenings Star.
Fourth raee-The fourth Columbia handi-