Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-05
|INGHT TEMPEAR'S
~ HORSE SENSE
How Green B. Morris Famous
Splinter Won a Race
With His Tail.
RY &C. pETrus.

/ w. II. SaTey, Ine HduuiChp 60
Aqueduct, and his peculiar way of switch
| ing his tail while he is racing recall to
mind knight Templar, owned by Green
Morris. who used to switch his tail when
at top speed in similar fashion to Carey,
with this difference, that the Knight used
his caudal appendage on his opponents IN
races when he took the notion. and OF one
occasion won q race and a large sum in
bets by throwing his tall in the face OF
the contender right near the, finish. causing
the latter to swerve and get beaten
neckl
A quarter of a century ago the rules on
fouling were no more explicit than they
are now. horse could savage another,
bite or kick an opponent In a race, or
otherwise interfere with him, and yet not
be amenable to disqualification in case he
| wonH the first money or any part of
purse!
When Green B. Morris was at the zenith
of his turf fame in the early sos, and his
colors were carried to the front by Apollo.
| Drake Carter, Ten Stone, Bersan, Free
| man and others, the main reliance of his
stable In short distance events was the
two noted sprinters, Fellowplay and Knight
Templar.
Knight Templar by Fellowcraft-Emma
Jackson, was q hollow-backed chestnut
gelding of great speed. but he did not care
for much more than three-quarters of a mile
or seven furlongs, although he did win
at a mile occasionally.
The horse was a bad post actor, and like
Gabriel. Little Minch, Jim Douglas and
few other freaks" would not face his
| horses at the post. Either his jockey or
an assistant starter would back him up to
his horses, when he would wheel and
break-when he felt like 1t. -
Naturally, starters were not much in love
with horses of this sort. but they were
| remarkably patient with them IL they were
of any account. and sometimes would hold
start a long time for the freak" horse
| to get well away.
One day at Monmouth Park Morris en-
tered Knight Templar in mile race
against six other horses. While the distance
looked rather far for him, he looked to out
class his field and sold a big favorite In
the auction pools.
Opposed to Knight Templar were MINI
blefoot, Hostage, Galway. Cathcart.
Gyantwa and Charley Gorham, the noted
old sprinter who helped to lay the founda-
ton of the turf successes of the Dwyer
brothers. =,-s-.
In the pools Knight Templar sold for $500,
Hostage $40. Cathcart $34o,> Nimblefoot
$3.50, field $780, while in the mutual s.
pools the average was pretty much the
same. Green Morris advised all his friends
to bet his horse at the same time
telling them that the distance was bit
far for him.
Ridden sby Jockey Sake. knight Templar.
after being backed up to his horses and
given time to wheel. set out to make pace,
followed by Ackerman's Ohio horse MINI
blefoot.. Jockey Maynard, or "Five-fingered
Bob" rode the latter.
The pair soon opened up gap on the
others and had the race between them all
the way. Not until the last furlong pole
In the homestretch could Nimbleloot reach
the knight, and then Maynard took him
in next the rails, where there was barely
room. =-r-s :
Ali through the race old Templar had
been switching his tail like fan or pro-
pelleT, and when Nimblefoot came up-be-
tween him and the fence he coolly switched
1t in the other horses face, causing his OPP
ponent to hang.
Then Maynard drew his whip on Nimble-
foot nearing the finish, and with a rush
got his horse past Templar's waving tail.
but the previous interference had lost the
Ohio horse his chance, for the goal was
close at hand, and Templar got home first
by neck amid great excitement.
Like in the Onandaga- Sachem case at
Sheepshead two years before when the
former won their great match by ''savag-
ing the latter, foul was claimed by
Maynard against Knight Templar on behalf
of Nimblefoot, but while the interference
had plainly cost the latter the race, the
judges under the existing rules dismissed
the claim.
AS the rules on fouls stand now they are
the same as they were when knight
Templar and Onandaga directly impeded
and intefered with their opponents so as
to change the result of a race-and got
away with it.
So IL w. H. Carey, the latest "tair-
swinger," can beat an opponent by throw
ing his flag in his face no foul will be
allowed as the rules stand now. That such
occurrences should come under the foul
ruling would be the opinion of the great
majority.
Jim Douglas, one of the other horses
mentioned above having to be backed
up to his horses and then wheeled before
he would break, was the hero co of
most peculiar race at Saratoga about this
time.
Brought on from California with a great
reputation. Douglas won a good many
races in the east at all distances. One day
at Saratoga the horse was started in a
mile race, for which he was strong favor
lite, and he was heavily backed by the
general public.
Passing the stand on the way to the post
Douglas saddle girth looked very loose,
and Secretary Charles Wheatley stopped
the jockey and told him to go back and
have his girth cinched. but just then
Trainer Buchanan came out on the track
and told Wheatley that the big horse would
not do his best with tight girth.
So the horse was sent to the post as he
was, and getting away we'll after his
wheeling stunt, made a runaway race
Of 1t, winning by ten lengths. but when
his boy came to weigh he was fifteen
pounds short of weight and was dis
qualified.
A search revealed the missing lead pads
over on the backstretch, where they had
fallen during the race. and the incident
was closed by 800 fine for Douglas
tra.ner-a very light penalty for his care
lessness 60 in the matter of the loose
girth and the subsequent loss Of the race.