Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
AWAITING THE GRAND
CIRCUIT OPENING
Light Harness Horses Being
Prepared for the Races
for Big Purses.

By L. D. SALE
Washington horsemen. and horsemen in
every section of the Union, are turning
their eyes iongfngly these May days toward
the opening of the grand circuit at De-
troit, which is trifie over two months
off. While sport is sport in the true
sense of the term, whether it Is sought on
half-mile or mile rings, there is only one
grand circuit, and the extreme speed light
harness horse Is its apostle and prophet
The grand circuit possesses a fascination
for horsemen that other circuits do not.
The prizes aggregate annually a total of
nearly 100000, vast sum to be fought
for, and to gain which only the best horses
in the country and the best trainers and
scientific reinsmen in the land compete.
Grand circuit form has long been syno-
nym for extreme speed, and to meet the
conditions demanded 1t takes several
months of careful training to fit animals
for the heart-breaking task before them.
Horses that cannot go several miles all
the way from 215 to 2.O4 no longer win
money on the big tracks. The task de-
mands the very cream of the light harness
world and each succeeding year the con-
tests grow hotter and breakdowns more
frequent. 1t is the pace that kills in ami
has become a common saying that not over
per cent of the hundreds of horses cam
paigned down the grand circuit retain their
soundness after the first year.
Thirty days ago it was question
whether grand circuit sport would not be
seriously nterfered with owing to the
growth of anti-betting sentiment in sew
eral of the states of the Union. Pennsyl-
vania. Ohio, Massachusetts, Missouri and
Tennessee have already anti-betting laws
on their statute books, and of late Michi-
gan, (which may truly be said to be the
father of the grand circuit, is also think
ing seriously of falling into line with her
sister states. But the clouds that lowered
over the courses at Detroit and Cleveland
have disappeared, and 1t is now announced
that there will be racing at both points
Betting will be permitted at the Detroit
meeting, which will begin July % and end
August 4. meeting at Cleveland will fol-
low, according to the schedule now ar
ranged, but no public betting on the re-
suits will be permitted. The loss incurred
In giving the meeting at Glendale Will be
met by wealthy horsemen of Cleveland
Readville, Mass, will also be in line, while
Memphis is longer on the light harness
horse map. Buffalo and Syracuse will
also be in line again this year, although
Gov Higgins looks askance at any betting
proposition. Hartford, Conn, and Provi-
dence r. l.. complete the chain of tracks
IN the circuit. Should they ever drop out 1t
is hard to see how their places could be
satisfactorily filed
Turning from larger concerns to more
local tracks, affairs during the week pur-
sued the even tenor OF their way. Every
succes ding week brings the horses nearer
the goal of condition. The southern cir
cult will open the game and continue 1t a
longer period than tracks farther north
and west Horses are weekly being stepped
faster and faster, especially at Bright
wood and Norfolk where the sport of rae
ing begins this month Next Wednesday
the Brightwood management VIII give a
matinee ju~+ to whet the appetite of local
horsemen for the larger events later In
the month. Rockville will follow May 10
and 16 with good light harness sport, and,
following the Norfolk meet, BrightWood
will wheel into line again for four days
meet the latter part OF the month.
Leonard Acker and Otto linn gave their
string some lively miles last Iuesday MT.
Acker breezed Pat S. a mile at the pace IN
Q 251A the half being in 1.061a and the last
quarter in 032. clip that tested his speed
Colebria stepped the mile in 229h2 az the
trot and the half in 1.13. Nj Zlnn drove
Belle Brown, PAGER, halI III LIN anu {"
quarter in 0.321a
wishwash has thus far gone over the
RriQhtWOOQ COURSE ldStci tiishii sNAi'
trotter. His mile in 2 1917 early in the week
breaks all records for the season Of 1905 at
the track. Bedford Boy paced mile on
Tuesday In go negotiating the half mile
in / os fat The roam geding is pretty near
rine right now. Bedworth, Jr., was given
slow mile Wednesday in 2-5212 and haif IN
l12 AS his record is 2.03l&, Trainer Morrow
is giving him a more careful preparation
than he is giving to the slower horses OF
his string The fastest Aionzo CorDin has
driven Bon Jay a mile this spring Is I'D
and q quarter in 0.34. The roam gelolhs
eaarrs to take his work more cheerfully this
season, and ought to be good horse II ne
continues to improve. MI Corph aaaeo
two new ones to his string last WeekEthe
bay gelding Happy Steve, by Happy Rus
SELL property of Henry Haight. and the sor-
rel mare Baby Onward, by son of Onward
the property of II. N. Blanchard
X =
T.. f. Breunninger had Mary Bradstreet,
a promising green trotter by Bradstreet, at
the track again Monday last and stepped
her an eighth In OILS and a half in 1.16, and
she was far from being all out at any part
of the mile.
All In all. considering weight pulled, the
best mile trotted any time during the week
was that negotiated by Harry Woodford,
217A to wagon, driven by his owner, B. F.
McCaully. After giving the brown gelding
a warming-up mile Mr. McCauliy turned
him and the son of Clement X. trotted the
mile in 2.26A and the last quarter in o.36,
this being really his first workout this sea-
Henry N Raaves is still drilling his large
string along slow miles, as he does not ex-
pect to start his horses much before July.
Louis Collins lost last week by death the
fast pacing stallion The Cascade, 2.131a.
The Cascade was a son of Guy Wilkes, /
2151b was a fast and game horse, and cost
MI Collins year ago $500 The horse died
in the night in the stables of Philip Stube-
ner Bladensburg. OF a rupture of blood
vessel.