Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-14
SWEEP OF
THE WELDON HORSES
Entire Program on Two Days
Captured in the First Sara
toga Meeting by One Owner.
By g. @. Pettus.

By @. O. Pettus.
Two well-known veterans of the old guard
of trainers were discussing at Benning one
day last week turf incidents of the old days,
when Pierre Lorillard and David D. With
ers on separate occasions nearly won the
whole program by securing four races each
In one afternoon at Ivy City and Long
Branch. respectively, when, up came George
Barbee. thirty years ago the peer Of any
Jockey in America and said:
why, boys. the day l rode my first win
ner in this country. old King Henry at Long
Branch, four-mile heats, in which I had to
run twelve miles to win the race, John
Morissey, who managed the first race meet
ing ever given at Saratoga, told me that at
that meeting one owner, DR.. Weldon, won
the entire program on the first and last
days"
Early in 1863 John Morissey exponent
OF the manly art, congressman, HORSEPOWER.
bookmaker track proprietor and general
all-round sport, conceived the idea that a
race meeting at Saratoga Springs would
pay.
There had never been racing at the
springs before, unless a few mixed dashes.
trottlng and running, at Glen Mitchell
could be dfgnifed such. Securing the
valuable aid Of Charles Wheatley of Ken
financial aid Of such capitalists as Com
modore Vanderbilt, Leonard Jerome, Will
liam X. Travers, J. NJ Marvin and other
weai-known gentleman sportsmen.
The time was most propitious, for a re-
yival OF racing that spring at Paterson.
Philadelphia and Centerville, L. l., had
shown that even the civil war had not de-
stroyed public interest in the sport at the
north, and the horsemen that were avail
able entered heart and soul into the Sara
toga project.
In arranging the Saratoga program for a
three-day meeting in August a strange con-
dition was made to the several events open
to horses four years old and upward-name-
ly. that the great four-mile Idlewild, by
Lex1ngton-Florine, was barred from such
races. The mare had shown such great
form that season that she would have
broken up the events to which she was
eligible. Her owner. Capt Moore had to
take her west to find place to race
Street Parade Of Race Horses.
After Centerville closed its June meet
ing with Idlewilds great victory at four
miles over Jerome Edgar and Dangerous
the eyes of the entire turf world were turn
ed to Saratoga. Those that We're not "dodg-
ing bullets" at the front centered in the
springs, where "Morisseys track on the
Lake road" was got ready for business by
the latter days of July.
On opening day. August 3. unique pa
rade of race horses aroused Saratogas sum-
mer patrons. Early in the forenoon the
strident notes of a brass band in Upper
Broadway brought nearly every man, wom-
and child In town to see what all the
clatter was about.
First came the band with this legend on
its paraphernalia in letters foot in height,
"Saratoga's new race course on the Lake
road opens today at II 30 a m" At safe
distance in the rear of the changing instru
ments came the feature of the procession,
a dozen Or more sleek-coated thorough
To say that this original method Of ad-
vertising the race meeting succeeded is
putting it mildly. II bowling sue
cess. and its progress through the towns
principal thoroughfares was marked by one
continued ovation from the spectators
The band made noise enough to attract
the attention Of almost every resident. as
well as nonresident for blocks away.
At times runaways from the excited horses
were imminent, but most of the jockeys
were heavyweights, and they kept the
horses under control until nearing the race
track, when as the band ceased playing Tie
horses broke away for the track gate in full
gallop.
In an hour or so the thousands began to
center OH the race course, which was the
old Horse Haven exercising track where
most of the stables are now under the big
pines. At the track gate stood John Morris
sey himself and personally inspected all
corners. He knew by sight most of the
crooks Of both sexes. and any he
deemed undesirable" was turned back to-
ward the village again. Many were the
guments that day, but the Cerberus of the
gate was memorable On his judgment Of
regulations.
Morissey's New Race Track.
In spite of very primitive accommodations
the crowd treated the absence of large
stand and other conveniences good-natured-
ly, thousands viewing the sport from the
vehicles they came in. The track was also
i,, l,;ly
dale with turns far too short for safety 1t
was 297 yards short of full mile, making
it as far as possible five-sixths of a mile
round
With only twenty-eight horses in the sta
bles the program was naturally not long
one. Two events were carded, but as one
of these was at heats, which were split
the crowd saw four races in all.
Mile heats for three-year-olds opened the
day and meeting with two starters ]. S.
95 pounds, land J. w. Weldons b. f. Lizzie
W., by :Scythian, s. pounds. The colts
Paterson form made him sell in the auction
pools for 500 to $50 for the filly.
The colt won the first heat by a length
and sold for 500, to the fillys $50. But in
the second heat the flly's jockey caught
the colts rider mapping and beat him
neck. For the third heat both sold even up
in the pools but Lizzie w. won 1t, cleverly
ridden by Jockey Boyle.
The winners owner, Doctor Weldon,
professional veterinarian, had peculiar ideas
as to- training. He believed in walking
instead of galloping exercise for horses.
Under this original system of training he
won many great races. His horse Local. by
Lightning-Maroon. won the Westchester
Cup at Jerome Park in the best time ever
made at that track.
Following the heat race came what the
program called a dash of two miles. 1t
was In reality twice round the course or
about a mile and two-thirds. Four horses
started, John Morssey's Jerome Edgar. 4,
by Star Davis, 101; D. Ready's Thunder, 4,
by Lexington, 1O1 c. S. Lloyd's Echo, 4,
by Lexington, 101, and J. w. Weldon's
sympathy, 4, by Scythan, 10l.
Thunder a big gray. had come over from
Canada where he had won four races right
off the reel He sold faIorite at $500, Ed