The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-05-05
a TRICK THAT FAILED.

A TRICK THAT FAILED.
Washington Star: THAI story in the
Star a While ago about the man Who
successfully touched Lucky Baldwin
for 5000 on Il Chicago race track back
in the early 90s was interesting to me,
for | had a string racing on the chi
cago tracks during most of the years
when Lucky was operating there, and
| became we'll acquainted with the
shrewd old Midas said a Washing
ton trainer of thoroughbredS who is
Winterng his string at Renning.
p" Lucky Baldwin was about the
hardest man to be chseled out of any
thing he had SET his heart on getting
chat ever met up With. OF all of the
tens of thousand of people who at va
rious times have tried to put it on
him in business and other sorts of deals
! imagine but few of them ever sue
ceeded in catching him sufficiently
asleep to make their schemes stick.
"Horsemen who were there at the
time still laugh over a characteristic
incident in which Lucky figured on
one of the Chicago tracks about fifteen
years ago Baldwin had just brought
his magnificent string of thoroughbreds
to Chicago to make an effort TO am
mex the swell stakes that were then on
tap at the tracks of the windy town,
and he got them home first OF i'll the
money in many of the biggest events
from the gO-Otf
He had one of his finest horses en-
tered in a va!ua BILE long-distance event.
and he was particularly anxious to win
this race, not so much for the purse end
of it us for the glory of capturing the
stake with his Caltornia-bred thorough
bred.
His horse figured to win, too, and
Baldwin intended to go down the line,
AS the saying is on the horse
chances, not only at the track, but at
all of the big pool rooms in the country.
He stood to clean up considerably
more than 100000 if his horse got UNI
der the wire first.
"Baldwin's regular stable jockey was
taken sick on the morning of the race,
and the old man had to hustle arounG
for another boy to ride his horse in the
big event From another horseman he
bought, for q big round sum, the re-
lease of a high-grade rider who was to
have taken the mount on thorough
bred that didn't figure to get near the
money in the stake race.
Baldwin I'VE the Jockey his inStruC-
tons as to the way he wanted the
horse ridden, and then, when the bet
ting opened, his commissioners dumped
| Baldwin's money into the ring in such
| quickly became an overwhelming ia
| VOrite.
"A quarter of an hour before the
horses were due to go to the post, a
we'll known bookmaker to whom Bald
win had often exhibited kindness in
! the bookmaker's less prosperous days
! ran TO where the old man was stand
! ing chewing a straw in the paddock in
| closure
Mr.. Baldwin, said the bookie to the
| old man, there's a job TO beat you, and
| you're going to get beat. They wanted
| me to take IA piece of it and go in with
! them but you've always been on the
square with me. and | wouldn't stand
| for it, The ring has bought up youI
| jock and your horse is going to be
| snntched. l know what l am talking
| about
much obliged for telling me that.
replied the old Californian III jus,
| make a stab to see that the boy doeSn'
| do any snatching, though.
Baldwin borrowed another gun from
| one of his stable hands--he always car
| ried gun of his own about as long a!
your armand with his artillery hi
strolled over to the @tield and took VI
his stand by the fenve at the turn int,
| the stretch. He hadn't mentioned t.
anybody what he was going to do. ant
the folks who saw the old man making
for the stretch turn simply thought tina
| Lucky wanted to watch the race from
that angle He did, for that matter
but he happened to have another end il
view
We'll, the horses got away from tn
| post in an even bunch. and then Bald
wins horse went out to make the run
ming. The Jockeys idea was to race tn
horses head off and then pull him a
the top OF the stretch. making it appea
as if the horse had tired and chucked II
Baldwin had instructed the jock t
play waiting game and make his hi
toward the finish. The horse simpl
outclassed his company. however an
he didn't show any indications of leg
WEAKNESS whatever as he rounded tn
back stretch on the rail, a couple O
lengths i'm front Of his field. BaIdwi
:" could see, however that the crooke
jockey was saving the horses head OF
in his effort to pull him back into tn
ruck.
when tie horses We're still q hun
dred fet away from him Lucky let GU
a yell to attract his Jockeys attenior
and then he flashed his two steel-bar
relied guns in tie sunlight and bawle
al the jock:
Lego that boss head, you NOR
key devil, and go on and win, or /
shoot you so full of holes that you won
hold molasses!'
The jock gave one scared look a
those two guns that Baldwin was point
ing straight at him. Then he CAV
'Lucky's' horse his head, sat down t
1 ride for all that was in him, and tn
horse under him cantered home te
lengths to the good, on the bit
LAS long rs Lucky Baldwin was O
the turf this side of the Rockies afte
that no jockey ever tried to pull one {
his horses.