Los Angeles herald., 1906-03-12
ASCOT BEGINS
GETAWAY WEEK
LOCAL RACING SEASON ENDS
SATURDAY
Despite Recent Washing of Dirty Turf
Linen, Meeting Has Been Most
Successful of Any in His
tory of County Course
BY Jay Davidson


This is getaway week at Ascot and
the remaining six days of the meeting
will be notable for the grand scramble
of owners for freight and express
money to transport their strings OF
high and low class performers over
the Rockies to other scenes of defeat
and triumph on the turf until the cold
wave drives them back to the garden
spot of America for next season.
In a recapitulation of the events of
the last three months, the attendance
of representative horsemen of Amer
lea and their high class strings of per-
formers is the most prominent feature
and has contributed largely to tine
most successful season in the history
of Ascot"
The only marring feature of the
meeting was the elimination of trou-
bles between some of the horsemen and
. the management and the ferocty OF
the selling war inaugurated by Boots"
Durnell against j. ]. McCafferty, which
resulted in each of these horsemen be-
ing suspended for one year.
Prompt and effective action by the
judges and the board of directors in
adjusting these troubles, although sad
ly belated, resulted in remarkable
form reversal by all concerned as ac-
cusers and accused and the peace and
quietude which succeeded the storm OF
wrath has been intensely monotonous
as compared with the stirring events
of the earlier weeks of the meeting.
without disregarding these little
"unpleasantnesses" which created
storm and strife for several weeks and
gave promise of the annual scandal
incident to racing at Ascot, the meet
ing has been record breaker in every
respect and for the first time in its
history the jockey club may view with
increased influence the prospects Tor
still greater successes next season.
The attendance figures for the sea-
son are so greatly in excess of any
other season that comparison may be
set down as ridiculous. The daily aver
age for the first forty-five days of the
meeting was better than 1000 persons
and the last forty-five days has been
material increase over this average.
FormfuI Performances
Another feature of the meeting that
is the source of much qualification TO-
the management and patrons is the un-
usually formful performances of the
horses Early in the season Judge
Hamilton took the bit in his mouth
and made a runaway race of his idea
that horses and owners must respect
the supporting public at the game by
compelling horses to run with some
pretension to form.
Several decisions that may have been
regarded by the interested parties as
harsh were necessary to convince some
q of the owners that this idea of Judge
Hamilton was intended to prevail, but
after a few tilts in which the owners
were brought up with a sudden turn,
horses began to show something like
form in their running and the result is
that the average of winning favorites
Co. oh n q
average at other courses and compares
favorably with the averages of the
courses around New York, where
sterner discipline is enforced.
Judge Hamilton also contributed the
lions share of efforts at suppressing
another evil which threatened to infiict
an eternal injury to the sport when
he began showering penalties of un-
usual weight and volume upon jockeys
who were inclined to indulge in rough |
riding tactics. After he had put sew
eral large and impressive dents in the
earnings of these particular offenders
and the disgraceful practice was not
entirely ceased, he put some of them
out of business and it has been such
long time since any jockey has dared
to bump his mount into another or
boldly interfere with the truly run
race that memory has ceased to be re-
liable.
Prompt and effective action, unaf- |
fected by faint of partiality or personal
considera tions, and with sole view to |
eleVating the sport and putting it on |
a plane of equality with the best in |
America has characterized the rulings |
of Judge Hamilton and his efforts |
must be rewarded with that share of
reward that is so easily given and costs |
so little, honest praise and acknowl- |
edgment.
Mudders' Holiday
The rains of yesterday and last night |
will bring joy to the owners who were |
far-seeing and hopeful enough to enter |
their mud hens for chances at the seven |
offerings on today'S card, and the pros |
pect for a heavy track is first class.
The seven races for today have filled !
unusually well and five of the events |
are top-heavy, eighty-eight horses be- |
ing named to start.
The first race is for maiden colts and |
geldngS at five furlongs. The proba- |
bilities of the finish are Macumber, |
Melino, Silent Jean.
The second race is at one mile and |
fifty yards, and should result in this !
manner: San Luton, Huapala, Bailey. |
The third race is at five and one
half furlongs and "this is the day." 1t |
should result like this: Smithy Kane,
Radium, Ell Bernado.
The fourth race is a purse affair at |
one mile and the end should be Lord !
Badge, Sir Brinkley, Firm Foot.
The fifth race is at one and one-siX-
teenth miles and the end may come as
follows: Hoodwink, Hot, Potrero
Grande.
The sixth race is al one mile and fifty
yards, and the result may be Pyrrho,
Freesias, Dixelle.
The final event is at six furlongs. 1t
is probable that the end will be: Ro-
dolfo, Pacifico, Durbar.
Horsemen have begun the annual
exodus from Ascot and several stables
will leave during the week for Emery
vile, Hot Springs, New Orleans and
Memphis. Eastern horsemen will gem
orally proceed to New York by way of |
Memphis. The extension of dates to
the New Louisiana Jockey club, the
New Orleans plant under the jurisdic- |
ton of the Western Jockey club, will |
attract many of the Ascot horsemen to |
the Crescent City track. 1t seems to |
be the intention of the Western Jockey
club to allot indefinite dates to all
tracks where opposition tracks are in
Generation q and the New Orleans and