Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-26
FINE SPORT
AT DRIVING
CLUB MEET
TWELVE THOUSAND SPECTA-
TORS THR0NG COURSE
J. D. SPRINGER, soNoMA GIRLS
OWNER, GIVEN CUP
-
BelIemont Wins Free-for-AIl Trot
from RegaIo- Members VIII
Gather It Banquet Sat-
urday Night

OVER twelve thousand persons turned
out yesterday afternoon at Agricul-
~ tural park for the fine Christmas
day card of the Los Angeles Driving
clubs matinee. and Secretary A. 1. Stew
art won a personal triumph in the unpre-
cedented success of the program.
The huge grandstand was packed, and
dense crowds lined the rail on the out
side of the track, while thousands over
flowed to the inside polo field The after
noon passed off without single accident
or unpleasant occurrence to mar the joy
of the throngs
With tallyhos jogging up and down.
trumpets winding shrill, high school
horses and trained pet horses performing
wonderful and amusing tricks during the
interim between the races, the lighter
dresses of the women contrasted against
the dark masses of men, a Reckless sky.
shimmering sun, the drumming of horses
hoofs on the stretch, it was day that
delighted every horse lover in the city
the crowd warmed into good natured
badinage as the balmy afternoon wore
along.
An excellent program of light harness
events attracted the horsey men, and sew
eral of the finishes were hot and close
enough to satisfy even such expert critics
as Charles L. Much. the popular and
famous editor of 1.-The Kentucky Stock
Farm of Lexington who was guest Of
honor.
Cup Presented to Springer
j. d. Springer was presented beau
tiful loving cup as a memento from the
club for having trotted the fastest mile
of the last year with Sonoma Girl, in
2:07, Christmas day. 1906. Mr. Springer
was received amid storm of cheers and
made a graceful and happy speech of ac-
ceptance.
The spectators were greatly amused by
]. r. Shelton's beautiful sorrel trick mare.
Maud Wilkes, popularity known as Molly.
Her antics in chasing her trainer, w. D.
Hayes. over the inside field, were con-
vulsing.
One of the surprises of the day was
when Willow. Mrs. John Snowden's bug
gy horse, without any track training
whatever, stepped mile in 2:261a and
won the second heat of the 2;90 trot. 4
Hazel Kinney also made the wise ones
sit up and take rapid notice when she
stepped the mile in 2:15 in the special
trot. This mares performance was all
the more startling because of the fact
that she was just taken off the road
and she has not been worked on the
track lately at all. Hazel managed to
beat such a good one as Ida Millerton,
and the latter has gone a mile in 211
The star feature of the day was the
free for all trot, the last race on the
card, in which Regalo won the first heat
from Bellemont in hard driving finish,
stepping the mile in 2:09 within two Sec
onds of Sonoma Girls record.
Regalo was easily the prime favorite
of the crowd and was cheered time and
time again whenever he came near the
stand.
w. A. Clark, jr.. president of the Los
Angeles Driving club, also came in for
a goodly share of the honors, cleverly
driving Liberty Song in 2:24, which is
pretty fair for a colt Mr.. Clark won
two of the four heats in the hard-fought
2:30 trot with Liberty Song, but Carley
Wilkes, Willow and Nat Bruen gave him
a fierce contest all of the way in every
heat, and it was as pretty race as one
could desire.
Two Races Close
The closest races were the special trot.
Ida Millerton and Hazel Kinney each
winning heat going at 2:14 trot, and
the 2:30 pace, won by Beulah in two
straight heats
Regalo had hard luck in the second neat
of the sixth race. being badly pocketed
at the start so that he was unable to
make up the long lap. Bellemont. Regalo
and Glory got off in one, two, three or
der, going down the back stretch with
out a. change. At the turn Regalo
forged ahead by a marvellous piece of
sprinting, but lost his feet 200 feet away
and ran under the wire, Bellemont taking
the heat, with Glory second.
In the third heat of the free for all
trot, Silver Dick led off, followed closely
by Cleopatra but Nc O'Dea fell six
lengths behind, going down the back
stretch, and was unable to make up the
gap Silver Dick got length ahead, but
Cleopatra forged up even on the turn
and they had it nose and nose down the
stretch, Silver Dick winning by half a
neck in final burst of terrific speed
twenty feet from the wire, in one of the
finest finishes ever seen at Agricultural
park in any race.
Angie Duryea won the first race, a
three-minute mixed affair." in two straight
heats from Lenora NJ, with Monk r
successfully coming in close third
while the others failed to show speed
The third race had to be run off on the
fourth heat, Liberty Song. Willow and
Carley Wilkes each winning heat in the
order named. Liberty Song won the race
from Willow in the fourth heat. although
Carley Wilkes gave them nip and tuck
argument up to halfway of the stretch
xuI,ara be rave I'm under the fierce. nace