Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-01
WHEN OZARK WON
At IVY CITY TRACK
Game Colt Captured the Wash
lngton Stakes at Four Miles,
Leading at Every Stage.

Talking with James Rowe, at Bemont
Park recently, about his great four-mile
run on three-year-old at Jerome Park,
| the Keene trainer said: Yes, 1 was quite
jockey those days, for a mere kid. But
a couple of years after that race 1 nearly
broke my neck when Springbok went
down with me at Saratoga. But my colt
at Jerome was not the only three-year-ol
off those days to win at four miles. Old
John Davis brought in a tough youngster
from Missouri shortly afterward that he
called Ozark, who won a four-mile race at
Washington in game fashion,
When John H. Davis was east this sum-
mer the veteran looked hale and hearty,
Notwithstanding he is in his eighty fifth
year. Easily the oldest living American
trainer, he wore his years so well that his
legion of friends formed themselves into
congrdtulation society and jollled the old
trainer along into the belief that he could
yet train horses with the youngsters of the
present generation.
For over half century John Davis has
been in the racing arena as jockey, trainer
and owner, and to write a history of his
career would form an epitone- Of the Ameri-
can turf for the period named. In the
late sixties he handled Plantaganet and
the Banshee for John J. O'Fallon of st.
Louis, and won several big stakes with the
pair at Jerome Park and Saratoga. Both
horses were among the best long-distance
performers in the country in 1858 and
1860.
There was no grander bred mare ever
brought to this country than Sunny South.
This daughter of Irish Birdcatcher, the
gentleman's favorite. and much interest
was taken in her first colt. Foaled at the
OFalon stock farm. located in one Of the
valleys of the Ozark mountains, in south
<1,1 ,oI
after the mountain range which overshad-
owed his birthplace developed speed and
stamina as he grew in years
Pat Malloy, by Lexington Gloriana, was
a good race horse in his day, and his son
Ozark, with the stout American blood of
his SIRE and the most fashionable imported
strain through his dam, came honestly by
his superior racing qualities. Little was
asked of him as a two-year-Old but in
1878 he was engaged in many valuable
three-year-old stakes, and Trainer Davis
took him east that spring.
A Mountain-Bred Colt.
Ozark's eastern debut at the June meet
ing of the American Jockey Club at Jerome
Park was made under sensational circum-
stances. 1t was the inaugural of a new
three-year-old event, the Withers stake,
and the best colts and fillies of the day
were entered. Kentucky was represented
by Price McGrath's Chesapeake and Aris-
tides General Robinson's Bob Wooley and
Banker James Grinsteads DArtagan.
From Alabama came the Cottrill lilly As
cension. While Virginia sent up Major
DoswelPS Invoice.
Missouris representatives were the ORAL
Ian colts Ozark and General Harvey and
the balance of the thirteen starters for the
new stake were the property of August Bel
mont, D. D. Withers, ]. F. Chamberlin, D.
Mcdaniel and John O'Donnell, the eastern
turfmen. 1t was the highest class lot of
three-year-olds that had ever started in an
eastern event and future books had been
made at the race all that spring by John
Morssey, Kelly and Bliss, Cridge & Co.
and other New York bookmakers. Aris-
tides had won the first Kentucky derby at
Louisville. less than three weeks before.
and Chesapeake had also won at Lexing-
ton.
Naturally the McGrath pair were the
favorites both in the futures and at the
track But going through the city from
the Jersey City ferry, Aristides, while on
his twelve-mile walk to Jerome, started to
kick a milk wagon horse in upper 9Th ave-
wagon and its horse were both the worse
for wear. but so were Aristides shins and
ankles and he got to the race course look
ing as II he had been through a mill, cauS-
ing the layers in the future books to raise
his price a point until he was later found
to be uninjured.
Ozark had done well since he reached
Jerome from Missouri and Trainer Davis
started the colt in the Withers, although
believing that the mile was hardly far
enough for the youngster, and in the bet
ting on the race he was at a long price.
The McGrath pair sold for 81 800, Rhada-
manthus for 5000. Ascension $3.50. Bob
Wooley $3.50, Joe Germs 500, Ozark $50 and
the other six starters. DArtagnan, War
wick. latter Lord Zetland. Invoice and
Matador in the field for 500.
A great crowd witnessed the first With
ers The weights were 10 pounds with six
allowances, and among the jockeys were
Lakeland Swim, Hayward, Hughes, Evans.
w. Donohue. Feakes. Hennessey. Lewis,
Walker. Conner, Hefferen and Black Aris-
tides won cleverly by two lengths. after
his stable companion Chesapeake had set
the pace with the Belmont black Rhada-
manthus. Then Ozark with a game rush