The Washington times., 1906-12-09


memory of the average race follower
here at the Fair Grounds through tho
past week, for the reason that another
ringer scare is on.
Every sIeuth and detective employed
by the Crescent City Jockey Club has
been instructed 10 keep on the lookout
for a bay Eelding with white marked
fore feet. The California Jockey Club,
operating at Oakland. Cal. has adopted
the same tactics, while the authorities
at Benning were in a mental stew for
ten days before the close down OF the
Washington plant, imagining every
strange horse entered to be the much
sOught-for ringer"
Complete Disappearance
Certain it is. this equine Charlie
Ross is going to play an interesting
part in the winter racing campaign
just now gaining nice headway. Let US
size up the dope" on him. so that If
you see him you Will be able to take
a hand in the game and nail the coun-
terfelt. The well-known horse Harding.
holder Of the mile record over the La
tOnia (Ky) track, and an animal worth
$1,000. has disappeared as completely and
rs mysteFiOusIy as did the celebrated
Charlie Ross many years ago-only
one is race horse and the other was
the fond son OF loving and and anguish
Wrung parents.
The turf authorities all over the coun-
try believe this horse Harding may be
rung in as some other horse OF far less
ability and win at a long price, with
the unscrupulous conspirators having
large wads of money bet on the track
where the trick comes off and all over
the upcOuntry poolroOm circuit. Hard
ing Is a fOur-year-Old bay gelding, by
Blazes-AIiss Alice, and should be easy
of identification because Of the pecu-
liar markings on his front feet-that is
If the horse has not been chemical
lied"
Famous Cases Of Ringing.
Nowadays the men who make bust
nes Of handling ringing jobs nave the
thing reduced 10 a real science. For in
stance, they can take a horse ana so
skfllfully doctor" him that even his
owner would find it impossible TO lay
down his finger on the racers flank
and say This is my horse" This was
proved in The Rake case at Hot
Springs, Ark. last winter where so eX-
perienced a hOrseman as j. .. keene
developer of Jockey Radtke. stepped
up and. after examining the horse. said,
Yes. this is the one 1 used 10 own.
recognize the horse because OF this haH
blind eve Among the real insiders
that night Keene's positive attitude
occasioned no end Of merrtment. hds-
much as the horse had been fixed up
SO we'll that Keene really believed II
the original The Rake.
The schemers had even gone so far as
10 blind the horse. So you can imagine
how difficult it will be TO nab the lost
Harding. Several captures" have been
announced. but the horse Is surely still
under cover somewhere out in the turf
world. He was not at Baltimore, Nd,
or Los Angeles, Cal, as reported. Hard
ing formerly belonged in the stable OF
Rome Respess and was one Of his most
useful horses. He won race after race
at Latonia. opposite Cincinnati, Ohio,
and then found his way 10 Churchill
Downs. Louisville. Ky. There this fall
he started twice in the Respess colors
and won both times.
Harding Bought by Stranger.
Being unsound in one Of his fore pins
Respess sold him TO Doc Tucker, who
IS now racing a large stable and oper-
ating Big Store" book here at the
Fair Grounds. Harding won for Riddle
and was then led into the circle ring
10 be sold at auction. Harding had fin
ished somewhat dickey-legged, and when
a mysterious Mr. Claire" offered Judge
Price $1,000 Harding became his prop
erty. lie didn't have a halter. being
obliged 20 use a rope halter which he
had secured from nearby grocery
store 10 lead the horse away. Now
comes To the plunge into oblivion:
After Mr.. Claire" had closed the
gate OF the track the real Harding van
ished. The only thing known OF "AIr.
Claire'-and very significant ci-cum-
stance. tools that he associated with
Ed Farley. who is ruled on the turf
today because of completely in alleged
''ringings." The plan would be 10 have
another horse IN the plot with Harding.
This second horse would be rung in as
Harding and raced. Being of no ac-
count, he would be unplaced and ridicu-
lously beaten. No attention would be
paid him.
Alarm at Benning.
Then. soon after. Harding would be
again entered, but this time the real
good Harding would go to the post, and
the counterfeit. having served his use
1ulnosS. would be spirited away OF
course. Harding would run his race and
win by a block, with a long price
against his chances, the trainers mean
time having bets down in the betting
ring and in every poolroOm in the
country.
Last Monday at Benning the horse
Avaunteer, who had once run under the
name of Callaghan, was thought TO be
Harding. The suspicion was unfounded,
after occasioning a veritable panic
among the racing officials. Before that
the name of Harding had been seen
among the entries at Houston. Tex.
where $3.50 purses are in order. The
boOkmakers abided by the racing form
OF the horse and posted to 5. The
horse finished ten lengths out of the
money when viii they spring the
right Harding?" asked one layer of an
other after the race for the horse which
ran under the name Of Harding was not
Harding. Frightened by the talk. the
men and the horse disappeared from
the Texas field. Where is HardInp7
Where viii the framers-up strike next7
There is the rub