Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-29
SAD OCCASIONS WHEN OWNERS OF
WINNERS DIDN'T HAVE THEIR CHECKS DOWN

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past the wire winner. with the couldn't
lose good thing that he'd Epraddled the
81. 600 on looking for hole in the fence
somewhere down near the patrol judge
buggy. ociawaha's trainer, as well as Big
Tim. fell for the so-termed good thing. not
dreaming that Oclawaha had a thousand
to-one chance to even project himself into
the one-two-three kale.
i +
Tom Mannlx, famous trainer and one OF
the sfrewdest manipulators of inside things
on the whole turf, had similar experience
at Benning few seasons ago, when his
maiden three-year-old Princelet merely
buck-jumped to the wire. beating the best
field he had ever met by six lengths and
with an apprentice boy up. at that, with
100 to / quoted against linn all over the
ring. Mannix didn't have the price Of
pair of secondhand russell sheestrings on
Prfncelet that day.
Manfaix had paid good igure for Prince
let. The colt, by His Highness, was looked
upon as conner when a yearnng, ana
Dave Gideon, his owner then. had pre-
dicted great things for him. Gideon gave
the colt thorough trial as two-year -old
getting nary race out of him, and then
he unloaded him at pretty stn ngure LOT
an unsuccessful two-year-old, Tom Mannix
being the purchaser. ManHtx pampered ana
petted and coddled the disappointing coit
month in and month out va1niy hoping
TO get at least one race Jul VI nina, WIN ~
chance to win out with 81 good bet. But
when the hour came that Princelet took II
into his contrary head to stretch himself
and get his number UP as winner for the
first time Mannix had lost confidence IN
the colt. and he didn't, as stated. have
nickel on him at those heart-breakingly
juicy odds. Yet Princeler was nlopled d.
all over the ring by the pilking brigade that
,diked himself out IN a new overcoat ana
nut gum money by for the winter on the
strength of that victory. The lning usas
caused Mannix to use the most horripie
Language was the publication of yarn IN
the New York papers to the effect that ne
bet $500 straight on Prineeiet AT IoV 70
in the western pool rooms, mus cieanIns
up $4,000 on the event. 10 the press
hour none of Mannix's friends dare TO even
whisper the name of Princelet to him.
few wears ago horse named Merces
won at any price up to eco TO at one Oh the
New York tracks under peculiarly SOUL
SCATTERING conditions Merces oddly enough,
was the property of a Protestant minister
of New England. His original owner
turfman. had died. leaving little to MS
pious wife who lived in a little New Eng
land town. When. short time aI.er ,,',at
the widow too passed away, she request
ed, before her demise that the horse Mef&es
be made over to the minister In return TOT
his many kindnesses to her In her troupie
and Illness to be broken for driving
horse for the man of the gospel.
When however. trainer of considerable
shrewdness visited the preacher and told
him that Merces was a pretty fair KIND OF
a maiden and that 1t would be shame TO
break him to driving until he'd at least had
a chance to show what was in him on the
tracks under proper handling, the preacher
consented to turn the horse over to the
trainer.
The trainer took the horse down to one
of the New York tracks to put an edge on
him and find out If anything could be done
with him. He really wanted to get some
thing through the horse for the minister
at that for II was easy fo- him to see that
the man of the cloth actually was very
poor and that he was doing noble work
amid very disheartening circumstances.
So, when ne got Merces into such shape
that he thought he might be able to do
something he stuffed him into a maiden
race bet on him at the long price and
Merces trudged home a bad last, with not
enough speed to beat fat man in potato
race at an Elks picnic.
Four more times did the trainer stick
Merces into maiden races, always having
little bet on him at the long price, part OF
1t for himself and part of it for the min
isterial owner. and each time Merces
traipsed home with good view OF the