The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-09-14
were THEYFIXED !?
BOokmaker Gordon Claims
Races We're Crooked.
Makes This Charge to Judges
Before Last Race.
ONLY ON THE RUNNERS
No Suspicion of Taxing in Har.
ness Contests.
Small Number Of Starters Sur
prise to Every One.

That two of the running races, the
last on the racing card at the state fair
yesterday afternoon, were fixed by the
| owners of the horses. was the charge
made by j. ]. 3 Gordon, who has the
privileges of the betting ring.
He made this charge to the judges be-.
fore the announcement of the winner of
the last race had been made, but he did
not want to make a formal complaint
because he said it might be nisinter-
preted as being "squeal' on his part
on account of the money that was taken
from the ring on the two races. The
judges took no action in the matter, but
| it is believed that if Gordon had pressed
his charge they would have declared the
race off. The two races cost Gordon
about a thousand dollars. He said he
had no kick coming because of the loss
of this money. He knew the races had
been fixed and he did not have to take
the bets offered on the winning horses.
He did not care to refuse these bets be-
cause it might hurt his business in the
future.
There seems to have been some cause
for Gordon's charges for after the first
of the questionable races, which was won
| by MOnteZuna by dozen lengths, one
of Gordon's assistants went to the
| judges stand and said that the race
| nad Deen nXeQ ana that the next one
had been also. He said that Maddie
O'Neal had been decided on to win
the last race and that every one was
/ betting on her to the exclusion of all
the other horses in the race. This
statement caused Starter Updegraf
to call the jockeys for this race before
him. He told them that they were to
race for the money and that if there
was any suspicion of fake racing the
race would be called off. Gordon's
| a WE n Moddin
| O'Neal darted from the bunch at the
start and the rest of the horses in the
race never got near her. The impress
sion seemed to prevail that the Jockeys
| on the other horses did not try very
| hard to bring their mounts to the
| front. However, the time made by
| Maddie O'Neal was good and as there
was no palpable evidence of crooked
riding on the part of the jockeys, and
no formal complaint of fraud backed
by evidence was made by Gordon, the
judges allowed the race to stand as it
was run.
Whether or not there was a tinge of
saffron to these races, they were en-
| joyed as much by the crowd as were
the other races on the. programme,
| which were of a high order. And there
was record breaking crowd present.
Fully seven thousand persons wit
messed the races. The grand stand,
seating four thousand, was packed to
its capacity and along the fences of
igathered almost as many more persons,
| on foot and in rigs and automo bileS.
AS was the case the day before there
| were ten women to every man in the
grand stand, and the girls, old and
young, had a great time betting among
themselves on the results of the races.
| Many of them would take their score
cards, shut their eyes and then punch
a hat pin in the card. With great glee
they would bet a nickel or bottle of
pop with their companions the
horse whose name on the card was
nearest the pin hole they had made.
stake proposed, for then the fair bet
ter was sure of something whether she
won lost. One young woman,
dressed in blue sailor suit was heard
made fudge against pair of gloves
on the "horse with those cunning white
feet. She lost because a white foot
ed horse is not necessarily fleet foot
fate look of pain came over the face
| of her companion. He evidently was
thinking of the fate in store for him
when he tackled the home made fudge.
Small Fields in Races.
Outside of the two questionable run
ming races there was another incident
/ that narred the days sport and that
| was the smallness Of the fields that
| went to the post in each of the races.
Certainly the management of the
the races deserved better treatment at
the hands of the horsemen. Take for
instance the 2:35 pace. A thousand
dollar stake was hung up for this
event. There should have been fifteen
| or twenty entries. There were only
eight and but four of these started. It
| was the same propOrt1Onately in the
other races, and the smallness of the
fields rather robbed the events of the
interest they deserved. A strong wind
blew down the back stretch and inter-
fered materially with the making of
| fast time.
There were several special features
besides the event carded. Cute, the
guideless PAGER, went after her rec
ord for a mile on half mile track of
2:10. The best she could do was 2:16,
but this was a very creditable perform
ance considering the strong wind that
was blowing. Cowboys from the 101
Ranch outfit gave an exhibition of rid
ing bucking broncos in front of the
| grand stand. 1t is safe to say that all
of the spectators were perfectly will
ing to let the cowboys do the riding.
for in the bucking line their ponies
were wonders. Then there was an
tonne Indian boys. It was quarter
of a mile dash and was won by Ben
ny Preston, a half breed.
Good Two Year Old Race.
Probably the most interesting race of
the day was the two year old pace for
a purse of 5000. It was paced in<half
mile heats and the winner was Ottawa
Boy, a handsome black horse, owned
by c. B. Samson of Topeka. This horse
won a first prize as a yearling in his
class at the ST. Louis exposition Three
youngsters started in the race, King
Pin, owned by DR.. Axtell of Newton
and Silver Tip. owned by w. P. Upton
of Enporia, in addition to Ottawa Boy.
The race was between Ottawa Boy and
Silver Tip Ottawa Boy took the first
heat handily in the fast time of 1:10. In
the second heat he broke badly and
Silver Tip had no trouble In winning.
But the third heat brought out the real
racing qualities of the two horses. King
Pin had not a ghost of a chance with
them. They got away to a good start
| in this heat and Silver Tip led all the