Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-20
Jerome. Monmouth and Saratoga in 1874
Littell's Coup With Wildidle.

Littell's Coup With Wildidle.
Then Owner Littell pointed Wi1didle
TO the 10000 stake at San Francisco for
Thanksgiving day, 1870 But first pulled
off a solid coup with the son of the
one-eyed mare at jerome Park. He en-
tered the horse in two handicaps. the
Fordham. a mile and quarter and the
Jockey Club at two miles.
One evening a couple of weeks before
the Jerome meeting opened Littell was in
the turf exchange of Kelly and Bliss, IN
2Sth street. New York city. The latter
firm had opened books on the two handi-
caps in quest on. Play or pay books. IN
which the bettor was not guaranteed a
start FOR his money. If the horse was
stratched he lost without a run. At the
Jockey Club subscription rooms John
Morrissey also had books opened on the
two events referred to-
WildidIe. in Kelly's book. was at to
! for the short race and = to / for the
longer event. In Morrissey's book the
horse was to in the former and favor
ite at t. in the latter. Double event
bets on these events were frequently
made. and after some chatting with Kelly.
the owner of Wildidle got an option from
the former of 20 to I that Wild.dle would
not win both races. Litten bet him
$1,000 against 10000 play or pay. and
then walked over t. the subscription
ison avenue and Goth street, where he
tackled John Morrissey.
John MorriSsey, Cx-puEilist. congress
man and what not was one of the most
popular sporting men ~ his day. 1t used
to be said Of him that he could borrow
any amount that he needed on n shoe
string or his word. HOarsc voiced in
later life. with an affection of the palate.
he greeted Llttell cordially. and in re-
Spouse to a query as to a double event
,-it rly
just heard Of your bet with Kelly. but I
won't lay YOU what he did, for 1 think
he overlad himself. But if 10 to I
tem1ts YOU may go ahead
Wildidla's owner laid Morrissey 81 600
against $1,000 that his horse would win
both events. and then had the same
wager with the bookmakers combined
Of $4,000 to $500" about his horse for
tn" double. But the first race was yet
two weeks away and the second one
three and a good deal can happen to
race horse in that time to keep him from
tho races. In the latter event Lttell's
$1,000 would g. glimmering.
But Wildidle trained on and came to
the post for the first event of the double
against eleven horses like Spendthrift,
Preakness, Survivor. Kadi and others at
= to l ridden by the C1lored jockey, Noah
Haywood, Idlewild's son. with only 104
pounds up. won the race. mile and a
quarter, very ceverIy. AS LitteI. his
owner. won separate bets on him in the
auction amounting to some $4,000, he
had his double event combination wager
on velvet" even If the horse lost the
final, for which he had the com fOrtabla
bet Of $50 600 to $2.Oo0. and the horse
backed down to 6 to . in the kelly-Mor-
:issey books.
Wildidle's Victory.
Six days later the two-mile stake for
the Jockey Club handicap was run. and
rrr q
of the Fordham handicap Wildidle only
had III pounds in the saddle. Only
three horses opposed him, Sanford's
PrealZness. 100; Puryear's Grinstead, 100,
and McDaniels' Tubman, 10 Both
Kelly and Morrissey hedged considerable
o. their wagers laid LitteH by purchasing
auction pools on Wiididle, and they wera
wise to do so. for the horse beat Freak
ness a neck in 4 hard drive that lasted
the length of the homestretch.
Wildidle was now shipped to Frisco by
Capt. Tom Moore. who was handling him
for LittelI. Jockey William Lakeland.
considered the best four-mile rider in the
country. was taken along to work and
ride Wildidle's son. Heavy rains that
fell at the Golden aGte postponed the
$4,000 race to Christmas day, but as by
that time Springbok and other horses
broke down the race was still further
put off for two months.
But on Christmas day a f0ur-nile race
at the Bay District track was gotten up
for a good purse and DIRE won't Wildidle
ia. Grinstead. 1Oi; Sherman. %. and
Revenue. Jr.. ia. Lucky Baldwin put
George Barbec. the eastern Jockey. up on
Grinstead, and Lakeland rode Wildidle.
1t was desperate race between the pair,
who were Tapped all of the last laf mile
But near the finish Lakeland got the one
eyed mares son clear of Grinstead and
finally won by a short length in 7.251s
the fastest race at four miles ever run
in California up to then, and three
quarters Of a second faster than the race
of his famous dam at Centreville twelve
years before
y famous family of four-mlers. Austria
Ian first called Milinston), Idlewild
Wildidle, three generations of distance
performers. But Wildidle broke down
after the Frisco race, and never ran
again. at the stud string horses of merit
Lakeland always declared he was one of
the gamest horses he ever threw a leg
over, and he was well qualified to speak
as he rode many of them in his day, two
months later winning the twice postponed
10000 stake for Mark Littell on the
oregon owned horse Foster, leased for
the occasion.