The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-05-22
SMALLEST CROWD
IN RACE HISTORY
Tokalon, Is to i Shot, Romped In
Ahead of the Glass -.ss
Entries. -.
BY Langdon Smith.

journal special SeTV1Ce' - :
New York, May 22-The lightest crowd that
has ever witnessed the running of Brooklyn
handicap saw Tokalon, rank outsider-a morse
! that wags his tail when patted on the heao-
! win~that history event at Grayesend yesterday.
I At his saddle-gi Dandelon was straining anu
painting and throwing out his chest In futile en-
! deayor and length behind Dandelion ran Inc
Picket one Of the few sem1-class norses III 'ne
i field of fourteen.
! Still further back, sweeping along IN all the
j royal splendor OF flashing silk and clanAihg VI.
| and bride. came the ruc& ana faopie' a
In dust and In that dust there was many soou
+; fling gone wrong many a dollar squandered,
many hope blown up and disslpatea Al tn w
! air. The bookmakers Won nearly Sooo'ooo Oh 'ne
| race. The time 2:00 80
: Where are our patriotic American breeders
that they cannot send to the barrier oettef io'
than this for such glorious EVENT. " nere are
the sons and daughters of Sir Walter ana tenhs
and the Bard? Where are the descendants OF
Dry Monopoe and other Brooklyn handicap VIII
ners: .,, x-o COW
cred the attendance from the upper field TO IN"
paddock. In years gone by 10000 spe en ths
have attended the race One reiSoi III ~,
diminished attendance was the fact that ~ 'ooA
Mace on Monday-a day when thousands u
plungers can play far surer sahe IN VIZ
street and when thousands OF merchants az.
Strengthening out IN the stretch y
business week r, ~.
shade of the stand the western breeze was Just
cool enough to be bracing. and IN tne open tne
., Weather Perfect.
A dav more perfect could not have been mace
to order. The sky was like an inverted cup ~
crystal nure and hawless The JOY OF the youth
of the wear and the brightness OF the gay
seemed to have got into the blood OF the ne
crowd, and they did not regret the aosense VI
the CHI lair cracking aisle-swarming crush OF lof-
Everybody seemed filled with the glory OF
the scene Back in the stand there were empty
tf,n frnn
gowns Of bevies Of female Dungers eleamee
with tender harmonies Of rose anu pale green anu
faint lilac. -. .+
honse he]iotropes and women like heavy-headed
roses: there were frail lilies of the valley, prl1n
slender and exquisite in tremulous whlte, an
betting dollars and 5O-cent pieces WIN p'oui-
gallty awful to see. ,, ,,,a
feudal escutcheons, without point OF PURPOSE
Some of them looked like fricassed chlckens
rampant on fields of huttering ribbons. otners
in the prohtess espanse OF their up9 esteiHo
looked like coy corners. There were FEMININE
folding beds and spinster hatrachs. ~ ..o
But odds bods What Is uress Wien 'ne
horses running! A., IT..
handicap the crowd trying to find out just
how the situation was. IN the matter u oou'
Bookies Warned Them.
They soon found that Dandelion ana merry
Lark were installed by the layers as 1aVoIltes
at threes Had not Dandelion run second 10
Gr.nnla IN q good track at Belmont on May 10,
and had he not beaten Lord of the Vale ana
Edith James on May D! , ,,
not understand. So ignoring the ph1losoph! OF
the bookies. many of them put their money ~, vi
The Picket remembering that he had won tne
handicap In 1904 and on Mr.. Keenes powerful
Delhi because he Won 1t last year. snoulueilhs
124 pounds. ,, D.. +o,s
But The Picket went gradually back to tens
at tho close while the price of Merry LARK
dropped to to 2. Some of them In the sheet
extremity of the situation placed Go-Detweeh a.
20. Oxford at 10 and even kosepen WV WV wav
So IT was natural that the old lady Tokaion
the daughter of Tammany and End VINO r nu.l
done nothing in particular during the entire nse
wears of her life should have some supper 'ers
She started at 20 to !, but her support wa:
neither cordial nor prolonged anu hei prao,
went TO thirties Then there came u iunlo
that Tokalon was 1.-THE goods How the 'ro,no
got out or where it came from nobody seemed I.
know At any rate, 1t came into the pull iil!
in the shape of few bets IN hves, Tens am
nfties, and at the post Mrs. Tokalon's price ha'
fallen to 25 to l. with very few takers.
sharp order from somebody near the =. gate rte
track Very sedate they looked. as they heaoe
down past the stand for the starting post, lie
by the big son Of Prestonpans Proper. IN
rush for seats ceased and there fell'a compare
tive hush over the crowd the horses Wheeie
into dancing line ut the faraway post: i
their pagoda in front Of the stand the Judge
stood with long glasses to their eyes like o1ncer
on the bridge Of battlcship.
At the Post.
At the post Oxford began to make trouble
flashing around like a wild thing. Then Lord c
the Vale seemed to feel the thrill of life alon
his keel and gave two of his mates sal
in the ribs. The Picket then began to piung'
flung ND his head and flung out his feet, bit
Radke leaned forward soothing and fattering hi
with soft words. gradually the field worke
around into the semblance Of a line.
The crowd in the grandstand and on tt
lawn noting these things became quiet for tt
moment. Then OF sudden there came tt
sharp barking yell, denoting the start-tf
money-hunger cry-the cry Of hope. anxiety, e:
pectancy and a hundred other emotions role
into one.
Merry Lark was first away by half a strid