The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-09-09
HEART
is A GREAT
TROTTER
Horses Win in Char
ter Oak Stakes Surprises
Circuit Followers.

The twenty-second annual renewal
of the Charter Oak stake race Sat-
urday. at Hartford, resulted in a
brilliant. hard earned victory for
the gallant little bay gelding, Wilkes
Heart. owned by Frank Maybaun, of
his city. In three straight heats this
handsome, true going, game, level
headed horse. fairly o~uttraeked his
twelve competitors. He drew thir-
teenth position in scoring for the first
heat and started in the second tier on
the outside of the track. Getting up
to within striking distance of the lead
ers in going to the three-quarter pole,
Jack Leyburn was the horse he had TO
beat in the race through the home
stretch. and this he did in impressive
style. finishing the mile in 2:09%.
There were not a few, however, who
thought that the long barreled. light
walsted winner yof the first heat could
not last 1t out on the heavy, holding
track. but Wilkes Heart proved that
he was not so delicate as he appeared
to be. With a poor start in the sec
ond heat he fell back to fourth place In
the first half, but again unfinished
Jack Leyburn after a stirring drive
through the homestretch, winning by
half a length in 2:0S&. In the third
and final round STEELE kept him in the
/ van from SlbTl 10 lnloi, III lhObbh
''Knapsack' Mccarthy gave Jack Ley
burn a gruelling drive down the stretch
in this heat, the bay trotter beat the
chestnut by a head in 2:09A.
Sonoma Girl, favorite in the betting
and by far the fastest trotter in the
field, made the worst performance Of
her checkered career, breaking dis
astrously between the furlong pole and
the quarter pole in each heat and cut
! tin ~ M dnYYrp xyhafaUpr In the rare
M. f. McHenry drove her with the ut
most care. nursing her with all his
skill, in hopes of getting her past the
quarter pole without a break. but his
efforts were in vain. Without the
slightest warning. and appar emily with
out the slightest cause, she suddenly
let go of the bit and began to dane on
the turn each time in a most exaspe-
rating manner Her driver said after
the race that he was sorely tempted to
give her an old-fashioned dressing
down with the whip in the last heat.
and the chances are she will get an
~alopathic dose of the whalebone the
next time she makes one of those I'M
accountable breaks in a race. Her new
trainer says he is now convinced that
the whole trouble with Sonoma Girl is
in her head. "She has been petted
until she is like a spoiled child" he
said.
Margaret o. was In poor form. going
rough-gaited at times and never being
dangerous in the race that many horse
men had expected her to win. Like
several others in the field, she did not
seem to like the track.
Winner Earns $1,000.
BY winning all three heats Wilkes Heart
earned $1,000 In the race. He was sold al
auction In New York about three years
] oero far cD-- IIfe 1-aoJ -,aa /. a.,
amateur races at the Weequahic Park
track. STEELE, who drives him. never drove
a horse In a race until last year., 1t Is said.
The horse had not had a harness on for
ten days before he started. His next en-
| gagement is at Syracuse, tomorrow. when
he will probably start in the $4,000 EN-
pire Stake. Horsemen considered his per-
Torrance Saturday equal to a mile in
2:M on a fast track. He trotted in sew
en-ounce shoes. with only toe boots and
light felt quarter boots.
Another graduate of the matinee races
at Newark figured con~spicuously In the
race for the S., 200 Nutmeg Stake, for
PAGERS of the 2:07 class. This was Joseph
E. Meyers pony sidewheeler Bonanza, that
was also driven on the Harlem River
Speedway a few years ago. AL. Thomas.
his trainer, drove him in hobbies for the
first time. He won the second heat by a
meteoric rush through the stretch, and
probably would rave won the third heat
and the race If he had not been inteTfered
with on the upper turn and jostled about
In the stretch. He was going two lengths
to Kruger's one at the finish. but his rush
this time came too late. The fastest heat
of the PAGERS was only a second faster
than the time of the %trotters, showing that
Wilkes Hearts performance was one of
rare merit.
The Hartford grand circuit meeting was
ruined by the storms OF the past week.
Scheduled TO begin on Monday, not a heat
was trotted until Saturday, and then only
the four stake races were called. all the
prize events having been declared off by
the consent Of the horsemen.
The Hartford meeting was the third In
succession and the fourth held this season
I'm the grand circuit without pool-selling.
Two or three bookmakers were doing bush
ness in the next township, a few rods In
the rear Of the grand stand, but the voice
of "Silver Bill" Riley, who usually sells
fields and favorites to the highest bidders.
was stilled. 1t did not seem to make a bit
of difference to the spectators, for 95 per
cent. Of them were plainly not bent on
speculation. They eheered the close fin
ishes and encored the cornet solos In a way
that told plainly of a pleasure-seeking holt
day crowd. 1t Is said the management lost
] col "a IN AbA W@naffnn