Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-01
NEWS OF THE
HARNESS HORSES
Disastrous Effect on the Tracks
of Prohibition of Public Bet
tina in Eastern States.
By l. D. SALE.

BY l. D. SALE.
The eyes Of light harness horsemen are
now being focused on the grand circuit,
which opens this year at Cleveland AS
the horsemsn move eastward from that
Yofpt their prospects for continuous and
uninterrupted sport are not encouraging.
owing to the anti-betting wave that Is
swcepin. over the country. Even at Buff
falo. 20 which point the horses Will be
sbipped from Cleveland. horse owners VIII
fnd large placards staring them in the
face from the southern portion of the
cyapdstand bearing the legend All bet
ting prohibited" Nevertheless betting
will go on. simply because the local au-
thori;!es will probably close their eyes for
few DAYS However when followers OF
the circuit get a little farther east they
viii find themselves up against the real
thing
governor Guild Of Massac husetts has
notified all track managers IN that com
1ronwealth that betting on racing contests
viii not he tolerated. and the governor OF
Rhode Island has followed suit WITHIN the
past week. Thus with a single sWoop OF
gubernatoral authority are wiped from me
tight harness map ReadviIie and Saugus,
In Massachusetts. and the tracks at Mar
raransett and Providence in Rhode Island
/ is more than probable, however that
Island Park, Albany, n. y. 1t remains to
be seen what the governor of Connecticut
will do. The track at Hartford IS one CT
the fastest in the grand circuit chaln OIL
tracks and meetings held over 1t have
almost equaIed IN interest and Importance
the blue ribbon meeting at Detroit
x
The managers of Readvi1le have decided
To give a meeting July 4, to accommodate
match race between the great California
mare Sweet Marie, 2.0H4; Tiverton, 2o412
and Wentworth, 20+lR The three-cornered
match is for $3.50 side. aud the horses
engaged are classed among the greatest
trotters known TO the turf Indeed. the
three rank among the hest race horses that
have appeared since light harness racing
became a fashionable sport Sweet Marie,
with the single exception of Alix, 03%s,
has proved herself the greatest race mare
that has vet appeared. While not possess
ing the speed for a mile of Lou Dulon, her
racing qualities are far superior to the
chestnut daughter of Sidney Dillon. Like
Lou. Dillon. she is product of California,
where so many wonderful trotters have
been bred, and a daughter of Mckinney,
2.11A, by AIcyOne, 2:21. She will be guided
IN her race by the celebrated Alta McDon-
aid. who has had her in charge during the
past winter, and word comes that she mas
wintered In grand shape
The feet Tiverton is a Canadian bred
horse as is also Wentworth. He too, is
reported TO be In fine shape this season,
the ailing leg of last year giving him no
trouble thus far in his final preparation.
Wentworth has been taking his work over
the soft track at Point Breeze Phfladel-
phla and Emerson McCargo, who drove
him last year. and has given him his work
this year has notified his friends that
the horse is fit to race for a mans life. He
has worked halves up to date In 104 and
quarters in O.31. Sweet Marie has not in
previous years come to racing form so
early in the season, but that she is the
greatest racing machine of the three must
be conceded by all knowing horsemen.
The aggregate amount of purses hung up
in the grand circuit of 1906 is only 100000
as against 100000 of previous years. The
Cleveland meeting will extend from
July 30 to August 3. Buffalo wheels into
line August 8 and will drop the curtain
August 10 Poughkeepsie follows, the open
ing day being August IL and closing Au-
gust IS. Readville. Mass, has declared for
a meeting TO begin August % and to close
August %. Providence opens August p
and closes September /. From there the
horses will go TO Hartford, the meeting be
ginning on the Sd and ending on the 8th
The great Syracuse state fair opens Septem-
her 10 and will run five days Then the
horses and horseRen will turn their faces
toward the star of empire, their hrst stop
belpe at Columbus o.. at which point rae
ing will begin September II and continue to
the 18th The grand circuit will close at
Cincinnati with meeting extending from
September ~ TO the goth or the month.
None of the cities named except Cleveland
and Buffalo have yet announced programs
something unusual-and which indicates
that the managers thereof are In a state
of mind just at present 1t Is condluoh
AMI not a theory that now confronts morse
men and the question as to whether the
schedule framed will he carried out to the
letter seems 20 largely depend upon the
future attitude OF the authorities, ana the
other question TO whether track man
ayers viii be willing to assess themselves
for deficiencies in receipts. If such occur
by the interference Of state authorities
-
The statement made In an Associated
Press dispatch Of Wednesday last that the
trotting meeting at Wilkesbarre. Pa, which
opened on that date. was attended by 5000
persons presents an anomalous condition Of
things In the Keystone state. PhIadel-
phIa. with a population not far from 1900
0OO rarely, If ever. nowadays furnishes
many people 10 witness even the highest
class OF racing. although 1t has two fine
mile tracks-Beimout and Point Breeze
Poolse.ling is strictly barred at each. In
the central and western end of the state
everything goes, owing to the fact that the
local authorities IN that neck OF the woods
are afflicted with the habit OF looking the
other way.
J. J. O'Keefe's Finch made his first start
for the season of 1906 in the free-t all
pace at Wukesbarre Pa, Wednesday last.
and after capturing the second heat had to
be content with second money. AS the
fastest heat was In the slow time of 2.1SA,
the track must have been slow or the
driver In The race afflicted with strong