Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-11-17

! his friends investing heavily on their
! horse.
A Peculiar Contest.
The big crowd of 10000 persons that
gathered at Suffolk Park to see the race
found on arrival that Idlewild had been
scratched. Capt. Moore had arrived from
The west. and after seeing his mare de-
cided not to run her. as she was not right
up to the mark, a decision in which
| Trainer Robbins fully concurred.
| To add to the disappointment felt at
| the great mares withdrawal Jerome Ed
gar an I-our before the time for the race
struck himself in his warming-up gallop.
| Trainers A. J. Minor and Jacob Pincus
| took the horse to the judges stand and
asked the officials to allow them to scratch
| him also, which permission was given
| them.
This reduced the field to two horses
Thunder and Blackbird. AS the Mcdaniel
party were confident that their black
horse would defeat the Canadian gray
| betting in the auctions was spirited, with
| Thunder selling at 500. Blackbird $500.
| Thunder. big slashing gray by Lexington
Blue Bonnet, was full brother to
Loadstone. Lightning, Lancaster and
other of the old Blue Hens chickens"
| At Saratoga that season Thunder had
almost been knocked out by eating half
| a "drugSed apple that some miscreant
had given him. but al Suffolk Park he was
| all right again. and Dennis Ready his
owner. would have backed him to beat
even 1dlewild ana Edgar had they started.
The Canadians had never seen Blackbird
race. but they all his eccentricities in
his work. and before the race Ready said
| to his jockey, rafferty,: Now look ee
| here, lad, you trail that black horse for
two miles. see, If he races. you race If
/ he walks you walk, understand but don't
go up to him before the last mile, then
send the gray out and take the shortest
and quickest way home.'
| 1t was Blackbird's first race in nearly a
| year, and Col. Mcdaniel and ANDY Rel
were in hopes that his return to the arena
| would rouse the horses ambition So
they told fitzpatrick to send him along as
fast as he could, and make the pace
strong. at which the famous jockey an
| sWered. "All right, gentlemen, I'll do my
part: but what he will do (pointing to the
horse) he only knows. and he won't tell
beforehand If Thunder trails me for two
miles he will outrun me the last mile
sure-in the first heat anyway"
Before the start hundreds of people were
sitting on the track rails with their feet
| hanging over, and on the complaint of
the two owners. Judge Toler. the presid-
ing judge, sent mounted official UP and
| down the track calling out, Gentlemen
will all please get off the track fence at
| once. Quite contrast to latter day
management of a race track when ubi-
| quitous Pinkertons would treat with scant
! courtesy any one who attempted
| stunt of that description.
Blackbird Would Not Extend.
The first heat, as laid out by the Cana
! dian party, came off just as outlined. At
! drum tap the two horses got away to-
gether. but Rafferty, at once took Thun-
| der back, leaving to Blackbird the task
of setting the pace. This fitzpatrick did
to the best of his ability. but Backbird
would not extend himself, taking 3:59 to
run the first two miles, answering all of
| Gilpatrick's riding by playful switch
! ing of his tail and pricking of his ears.
! Beginning the third and last mile Thur
der took the lead with a rush, and then
| Blackbird was different horse. Thunder
got away two lengths. but at the half
I mile pole Blackbird under hard riding got
to his tail and looked like heading him.
But Thunder kept the lead. and in
! tapping drive that lasted for nearly half
mile beat Blackbrd a neck in $40,
amid great excitement, both horses being
| cheered to the echo.
! started not blowing enough to snuff a
| candle. all of which was gall and worm
wood to his owner, trainer and their le-
/ gion of friends; while as betting In the
pools now to l on Thunder the
Blackbird party had poor hedging.
! The second heat was repetition of
the first, except that Thunders jockey.
| shrewder than ever, waited even longer to
! n. a
! he let Blackbird set the pace, Fitzpatrick
! this time trying whip and spur on the
black to send him along, but while he got
a trifie faster pace out of him, it was not
/ until Thunder came at him, half mile
! from home. that Blackbird would conde
sccnd to run.
But the half-milc sprint home was too
short for him. and though he ran that in
- seconds. Thunder beat him half length
| in hard drive. Time. 5.441a for the three
miles. There was a lot of chatting after
! the race between Ready and Mcdaniel.
| colonel 81 600 to $500 that Thunder could
1 beat Blackbird over again in a four-mile
stake five days later.
After Mcdaniel had accepted the wager
Trainer Bell told him he was taking too
many chances But the old colonel raised
! his stick, as he always did when in seri-
Gus argument. and said Now. Andy,
would not have taken that bet but I've
got an inspiration. I'm going to have
you try tomorrow morning working this
If that don't stimulate him. the Almighty
alone knows what will. He may sulk
under it. But we will soon find out
! A Successful Experiment
fitzpatrick was told to he on hand carly
the next morning to try the experiment
on the horse. and the burr was placed
/ in position loosely. But the slightest ten
sion on it by a connection controlled by
the jockey. was expected to let the Ioafer
know that something was doing-some-
thing the horse quickly found out
! As proDhes:ed by Bell the first applica-
ton of the burr by fitzpatrick caused
! Blackbird to stop in the middle of his
tracks to sulk and kick. But the second
| time his rider was instructed to give him