Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-03
By C. c. Pettus.

ny u ~
Commenting on Savideres "tucked-up'
looks and thin, gaunt frame after he had
won his recent great victory over Mont
gomery and Ballot for the $4,000
Champion stakes, r. w. Thomas the
veteran western turfman, said to Judge
Pettingill, associate to Clarence Mellow
ell, 81 say, Pet. when you two gentle
men hung out Salvidere's number as the
winner, you must have thought of that
old saying. "a lean horse for long race
lie is just now so thin You could almost
get him through a knot-hole. He re-
minds me. except IN color, of that big
leggy gelding Fair Count, that you used
20 own. Pettingill, and of the day when l
beat you at New Orleans with my horse
Wedding Day, a full brother to your
Fair Count"
Sometimes, most always, but not every
time" replied Pettingill to Thomas, full
brothers among thoroughbreds are close
together in merit. Barnes and Runny-
mede We're. Joe Blackburn could not
beat a hair in the tail of his brother,
Luke Blackburn. Harry Bassett could
lose his brother Franklin. But our two
big brothers. Fair Count and Wedding
Day, were pretty much in the same
notch when you beat me at Orleans. My
horse the year before, however. beat
Parole, monitor anu trlSil mig up LOi u!
here. and that is better company than
Wedding Day ever defeated. So [ think
had a little on you after al"
Up in Illinois. at the breeding farm Of
c. c. and K. H. Parks, near Springfield,
the Bonnie Scotland horse Dudley, more
than a quarter of century ago, was
lord of the harem. And among his most
priced stud matrons was the Albion mare
Adele. She threw a couple of winners
before she foaled Fair Count in 1877, and
' hack
again with the Counts full brother, Wed
ding Day.
Neither of the pair. however. was es-
pecially precocious- as youngsters, and
the Parkses did not do much with them
rs two or three year Odds owing to their
big leSgy frames needing time for devel-
opment and maturity before being able
TO show to advantage.
Then C. H. Pettingill bought Fair
Count and as a four and five year old. in
1SS1-S2, campaisned the big geldng
through the south, west and east with
fair success, in the latter season QsS2l
winning the best race of his entire turf
career at Sheepshead Bay, the one al
ready referred to, in which he defeated,
among others, Parole, the hero OF two
henspheres. Wedding Day, his younger
\ brother, was not brought east by Owner
Thomas, but raced that year in the south
and west exclusively.
Brothers Meet at New Orleans.
BY the time that Pettingill and Thomas
met all New Orleans late in March, 1888,
the twA full brothers. Wedding Day and
Fair COUNT were pretty well seasoned
and right 8n edge ready to show their
best against\ each other and all others
az we'll. Naturally. there was much
chatting INDUCED in by the owners and
their friends Regarding what the two
brothers would do to each other when
they met. Othet horsemen at the track
also entered just ais keenly into the rival
ry. Wedding Day having perhaps the
moro friends of the pair He was year
younger than his morS famous relative,
and had beaten better horses at Orleans
than Fair Count had on the Georgia
tracks that winter.
The louisiana Jockey Nclub began its
spring meeting the 31st Of March. Six
days racing was given, and the usual
stake events had drawn frotp the north
and middle west a better collection of
horses than had been seen at the Cres~
cent City since the days Of Old Metairie,
when Lexington. lie Compile and other
great performers battled for thel mastery
over the time-honored course on Bayou st.
John.
Among the large assemblage of we'll
known people that assisted at then Louis
lana Jockey Clubs spring meetingl under
discussion was Charles L. Howard who
was responsible for turning the Md tairie
race course into a cemetery. The aXclu-
sive Metairie Jockey Club blackbAiled
Howard when he applied for membership,
and the lottery king in high dudgeou at
once delivered his ultimatum. I'm boy
your race track and make cemetery out
of It," declared Howard. And he did sd.
Now one of the most beautiful resting
places of the dead of the entire southA
Metairie cemetery is one of the garden
spots of New Orleans. From the life
size equestrian statue Of Gen. Albert Sid
new Johnston at the entrance, with its
touchingly worded eulogy on copper in the
vault. to the Howard tomb farther on,
and the John A. Morris plot near the
head Of the old homestead the Metairie
is a dream of beauty, especially in the
early spring, when the orange blossoms,
magnolia, honeySuckle and locust bloom
charm alike the eye and the senses.
Rufus Hunt and Jack Hardy.
The night before the meeting opened,
auction pools were sold in the rotunda Of
the old ST Charles Hotel
In an adjoining cardroom a pretty stiff
game going on stopped the auction SELL
ing sooner than intended through an
alteration between two of the bestknown
turfmen in the south-Rufus r. Hunt of
Orleans and J. C. Hardy of Texas. better
known as Jack Hardy. Hunt was
dealing, and Hardy sitting directly oppo-
site. After play, Hunt swept the cards
off the table in rather hasty fashion. SO
much SO that Hardy. usually very quiet,
called out: mot SO fast. Rufe. not so fast.
Give US chance to see the cards. and
glowered at Hunt.
At that Hunt pulled open a small draw
er at his left where he was &c neraly sup
posed to keep his arsenal and every
one next the table. knowing that each of
the two men was pretty quick on the
trigger at times. scattered to the walls, |
as bunch of men from the auction quar-
ters came into the room on the double
quick When this latter party saw
Hardy and Hunt sitting alone at the
table in the middle Of the room. glaring at
one another. friends of the two men hur-
ried up to the table, and, buttonholinS
each Of the disputants the incident was
over In moment.
Afterward the late George Rye, owner
of Long Dance and other good horses, |
said to Hardy you were taking chances. |
Jack and you unarmed. Suppose Rufe
had pulled that gun on you What would
you have done?" At which Hardy answer
ed: ooh. guess 1 would have got across
that table somehow and taken it away
from him. George" AS Hardy had
private graveyards" of his own scatter !
ed throughout the south he was 10 novice |
in personal encounters. But he and
Hunt were always friends thereafter. |
Rye. however was killed in Washington
rd n midday