Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-27
STORIES OF THE
Bic DWYER STABLE
The Passing of a Famous Turf
man-Mike Was a Fear
full PIunger.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

flood tide of q successful racing season.
with the strenuous excitement of the bat
ties of the thorouhbred ever before them.
racegoers at the spa find time to chronicle
the passing of a comrade. And the death
last week of Michael F. Dwyer brings
forth many "reminiscences Of man who
helped to make turf history in two CONT
nents.
From the purchase of the black horse
Rhodamanthus by Observation-Disclosures.
from the late August Belmont, the firun OF
Dwyer Brothers, butchers In Washington
Market. New York, gradually deserted the
cleaver for the race course. This purchase
in the early seventies was the foundation
of the powerful stable that for years swept
the racing boards at jerome Park, Sara
tcga, Baltimore Washington. Long Branch,
Louisville and later at Sheepshead and
Gravesend.
The black colt Rhanamanthus or "Rhad,
as ne was Familiarity called, won them many
purses before his racing career closed, and
he was relegated to j. Lucas turner Mis-
souri, stud farm only to be burned to death
there In fire that destroyed the Farney
BILE, Luke Blackburn, Barries. Longstreet'
Hindoo, Elias. Laurence, Kingston. Ire
mont, Vigil. Miss Woodford. Ripple. Han
over. Don Alonzo George Kinney. Banquet
scores Of other great race horses.
And added to theses famous racers
Mike Dwyer and his brother, Phil"
were fortunate enough to secure Jockey
money winner Of any rider of his day. AS
a leading turfman said here today. speak
ing OF Mike Dryers turf career: He
owned some good horses. but the best of all
his investments in his palmy days was
the stable jockey. Jimmie Mclaughlin"
Ds- n.%&;or Dlurna
This famous Dwyer jockey Of quarter
Of a century ago. now the well-known
owner and trainer OF Race King. Oxford.
Society Bud and other of the seasons per-
formers, used to be under great stress of
mind in those days from the knowledge
that he was riding for the leviathan wages
made by Mike" Dryer.
Asked today which particular race that
he rode for Mike Dwyer gave him the
most mental distress Mclaughlin said:
1.-THE Joe Cotton-Binette race at Sheepshead
Bay. on which Mr.. Dwyer risked $4,000
on my mount, worked me up the most:
and after got down from Joe Cotton. after
beating Binette by few inches only. 1
asked Mr.. Dwyer to never again let me
know when he made such heavy bets. And
he never did afterward."
Joe Cotton. by King Alfonso-Inverness.
by Macaroni, was as handsome as he was
grandly bred His sire. by imported Phae-
ton (SOn OF King Iaml, gave MIN, Win the
noted Macaroni strain through his dam.
the best blood In all England. And through
his paternal grand-dame he also derived
the stamine of our good old-time American
families.
At that time the Dryers and James T.
Williams were fast friends until their per-
sonal "scrammage" later in the grand stand
here. And from the scar-faced Kentuckian
who had just lost Rams Horn the Brooklyn
brothers purchased in turn Luke Blackburn,
Vigil, Joe Cotton and other horses. 1t
was after Joe Cotton had won the Ken
lucky Derby in the Williams colors that
Dwyer got the colt. and he was always
most reliable betting proposition. although
not the class Of Hindoo. Luke Blackburn,
Miss Woodford and Hanover, then greatest
stars.
But Joe Cotton could both sprint and
stay. was up to any reasonable weight and
was a consistent performer. Hence when
the horse as a four-year-old was pointed
in September, 1888, Mike" Dryer deter
mined to plunge heavily on him.
Bets $50, 900 to Win $4,000.
Wholesale fear Of Joe Cotton, however.
kept forty-odd horses In the stable, only
one coming to the post to do battle with
the Dwyer champion. This was the five
year-old mare Binette. by Billet Mrah,
owned by Porter Ashe. the young Califor-
MIA lawyer. who had just gained a wealthy
bride through rescuing her from the Teha-
chapi loop railway disaster on the coast.
This upset Mike Dryers expectations
Of a price against his horse. and the ring
quotations were to Cotton, 4 to 1 the
mare. Binette had only 100 pounds up to
Cotton's 118, and as she had shown well in
races at the distance Of the race-a mile
and three sixteenths-she came In for quite
some stable and public support at her big
pull in the weights.
So when Dryers commissioner began a
round of the ring offering to accept the
price against Cotton In thousands he was
readily accommodated. Kelly and Bliss ac-
cepted $12 600 against 5000: Cridger Co..
$4,000 to 5000 George Haughton. AL Bur-
ton. w. Lowell. Appleby & Co., Levien.
Stedeker, De Lacy and others combined. ac-
cepting as much more. ALI told the Dwyer
commission on Joe Cotton summed up the
leviathan figures Of 10000 to 10000.
News Of the big plunge soon became pub
lie property, causing great sensation and
adding renewed interest to the race. So
when Kelly on Binette. utilizing his light
weight, rushed away from Cotton at the
start opening up gap Of six lengths in
the first quarter. the excitement began,
especially az Cotton seemed to be ''tiptoed''
by the severity OF the pace and unable to
keep within han Of the flying leader.
Rounding into the hack stretch Binette
stiA kept up her rapid clip. and at the |
quarter pole On the last mile was going