The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-09-13
Favorites Take Harness Events
In Straight Heats.
IN 3 YEAR OLD TROT
Vestale Walked Away From
Field of Two.
Fred Pulls Takes 1886 Pace
Without Difficulty.


races at the fair grounds yesterday
afternoon, although the programme
was such as to warrant expectations of
some sensational trotting and pacing.
But straight heats were all that were
necessary to decide the harness races
y and VestaIe in the three-year-old trot.
Fred Pulls in the 2.15 pace and Clare
Cooper in the 2-35 trot, seemed to out
class their fields and won their straight
heats and races as they pleased John
Griffin and Fanetta got away with the
three-quarter mile and the seven
eighth mile dashes respectively in
handy fashion although they had to
fight for them a bit in the stretch.
Owing to the heavy rains of Tues
day night and the intermittent showers
Of the morning. which kept the sun
from coming out and getting in its
work, the track was not in the best
possible shape although it was far
from being bad. There was some
sticky going along the pole at the east
and west ends of the track but the
rest OF It was In fairly good condition,
although it was a trifie heavy. Per-
haps the condition of the track had
something to do with the tameness of
the races, but whatever was the reason
they were tame At that, in the 2:15
pace and the 2:35 trOt there were
eight starters which are campaigning
I'm the west and southwest and they
were ia races with thousand dollar
purses at stake so a better class of
racing was naturally expected than
that which developed.
And i'm addition to the harness races
being tame there was another just
cause for the crowds to complain "a
bit and that was the delay in getting
the fields away. Charles F. Kennedy,
who is officiating as starter at the
meeting, is patience personified, when
st comes to handling harness horse
drivers. As a general proposition, the
rank and file of these drivers are
about as onery a bunch of individuals
SO handle that IS aver gathered to-
gether when they get out on the track
with their horses and with good rea-
son, for every little bit helps in
horse race as in other things and no
driver is looking for a second for the
worst Of it on the start. In Mr.. Ken
nedys efforts to give all of the entries
in a race the sQuarest sort Of a deal he
has been a trifie 1enient with some
of the drivers, and the drivers have not
been slow to take advantage of this
leniency. Time and time again in the
heats yesterday drivers would score
with their horses in positions belonging
to other horses and under these con-
ditiOns it was necessary to make them
score again. All that Mr.. Kennedy
passed out to these offending drivers
were requests and suggestions that
tributed a few twenty-five and fifty
dollar fines, after a second or even
third caution, the drivers at fault,
would have got busy and not half the
time would have been wasted with the
starts OF the various heats as there
was. But the wasting of time while
annoying to the spectators, is not the
worst feat ture of repeated scoring for a
start. There is nothing that viii so
quickly spoil many spirited horses
chances to do their best work as half
hour or so a the post. Nobody knows
this better than the drivers and those
who have tractab1e horses are not
slow TO take advantage of all Oppor-
tuntles to worry out their rivals, and
st looked whole lot as il this was
what several Of the drivers we're doing
yesterday. 1t is the starters duty to
protect all the horses in a race and he
has the power TO enforce his sugges-
tions as to the handling of the horses at
the post in a variety of ways, but the
one which brings quickest results is in
Justly nnlng the drivers, who persist
emily and purposely do not try to do
their share in getting the field away on
as fair terms as is possible. It is likely
Mr.. Kennedy will not be as lenient
in the future as he has been in the
past and some of the drivers will prob
ably find this out to their sorrow be-
fore the race meeting ends
There was not as large a crowd at
the races Wednesday as there was the
day before, but considering the
s and the threatening clouds of the ear
ly afternoon it was about as good a
crowd as could be expected There
were less than two thousand persons
I'm the grand stand and not more than
five or six hundred in the quarter
stretch and along the rails
Although the running races were
last on the program it was decided
to run them first as the gallopers
might help out a bit in pounding down
the sticky places in the track and ear
" in the course of the days racing,
right after a couple of heats in the
harness classes had been decided, five
Of the large automobiles I'm the quar-
fer stretch were sent out on the track
and circled it close to the pole a half
dozen times and in this way fisttened
out the rough and muddy places so
by the time the last heats were de-
cided the track was in really good
condition.
Five horses John Griffin, Mrs Bob.
Silver Leaf, Sir Gallant and Lady
Ray, started in the first race, a three
quarter of mile dash and got away
to a fine start without any delay. If
there is any one point at which Mr..
Kennedy particularly excels it is at
starting the RUNNERS. for In the Derby
yesterday. no prettier starts have been
seen in races of this class in this VIC
Unity than Mr.. Kennedy has made As
soon as the gallopers got away Jbhn
Griffin took the lead and was never
headed all the distance, although Mrs
Bob came on with a rush in the last
furiong and finished second a half
length behind the winner. II the race
had been a few rods farther Mrs. Bob
would have won, but Mckenzie. rid
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