Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-17
L.A.D.C. RACES
AGAIN CANCELLED
RAIN CAUSES MATINEE TO BE
ABANDONED
BIG EVENT is PLANNED FOR
JANUARY 80
Horses Will Be in Excellent Shape
and Track Put in Fine Condition
for Next Racing
Event
BY DAN PATCH


weather last week to declare off the
matinee which had been planned for
Saturday, but a grand matinee will be
given January 80, with the usual
handsome cups as trophies to the win
ners. full brass band will be in at
tendance.
Every effort will be made to have as
high-claSs racing as at its two pre-
Vious meetings, and to that end the
secretary is endeavoring to get some
out-of-town horses to participate
Homer Rutherford has been invited to
bring up his free-for-all trotter,
R. Ambush, from San Bernardino to
try conclusions with Romeo, Rapidan,
Dillon and other local celebrities, and
also the PAGER, Delilah, to force
Ziegfried and Dewey to their limit
By that time Mandolin will be keyed
up to go the race of his life and it will
take clairvoyant, and a mighty good
one at that, to see the winner before
the race is over.
It is possible that the bay mare, Elk
plosion, will start; then look out for
horse race. The track will be fit to
begin working on by Tuesday morn
ing and the week or ten days let UP,
owing to the weather, will bring all the
horses back as fresh and anxious for
work as schoolboy after a vacation
To Classify Horses
The board of directors are talking
about trying an experiment in the
classification after the matinee Janu-
airy 30; in fact have decided at the
following matinee about the middle Of
February to classify the horses by their
track and matinee records instead of
as at present by their supposed speed.
How this will work out at first is a
question; for example, a horse may be
able to trot in 2:15 and yet have no
record of any kind. He therefore is
eligible to start in the 2:35 class and
perhaps win in 1927. AT the next mat
inee he will start in the 2:27 class and
win in 2:20 and so on in every race he
starts in until he gets to the class in
which he really belongs. This would
be all right if races were held every
Saturday as is done in Denver Colo,
and some other cities, where a horse
would get to his limit of speed in four
or five weeks; but here he may be
winning cups for as many months.
Still it would all come right in the end
and when he could no longer win his
owner would be likely to dispose of
him and get something better that
could beat or try to beat his field, thus
bringing in fresh blood and stimulat-
ing the interest, not only of the horse
men, but of the public. In other words.
the same principle would be in vogue
as on the professional track; as soon
as a horse ceased winning he would be
disposed of and something else bought
that could wink, just as it is on the
New York speedway. There it is an
exceptional horse that wins more than
two or three times for someone is sure
to pick UP something somewhere to
trim him.
Horses and Horsemen
Everything was as dull and gloomy
as could be at Agricultural park last
week. The horses were all standing
blanketed in their stalls and the train
ers and "boys" huddled up in the tack
rooms," trying to keep warm and hop
ing the rain would have the effect Of
reducing the price of hay. The track
was a, sea of mud and even the jogging
track was fetlock deep all around.
Therefore the arrival of VeloX, 200 IA
the speedy son Of O'clock, 2:051a, was
hailed with delight as a source of con-
VersatiOn.
The syndicate Of Redlands horse
men, headed by Robert c. Curtis, who
bought Velox after his great race here
Thanksgiving day, sent him to Ted
hays to train and drive in his races
the coming season. Hays, who also
has Bon Voyage, the sire of the phe-
nomenal colts in Maben's stable, will
take him to Pleasanton about Feb
ruary 1, when Bon Voyage will make
the season, and fit him for his cam
paign down the grand circuit. Ted
also will take his own trOtters, AL
sanda, lip, and 2-year-old Viaticum,
by Bon Voyage, three horses of which
any trainer might be proud.
Velox was beaten a nose at Phoenix
in 1908 ga last fall. Alsanda trotted a
mile in 2:09, last half in 1:0215 and last
quarter in 80 IA seconds. Viaticum as
a yearling way back last June worked
a mile in 2:3S and a half in lis, and
since then has been quarters around
"a seconds. He is staked all down the
line east. If these three are in shape
when the bell rings they ought to beat
most anybOdy's horse in their respect
i've classes, but as Pop Geers says,
There's too many 'doggone' good days
in Los Angeles and the temptation to
go too many fast miles against the
watch is great" Everyone wishes
Hays the best of luck with them, and
if they are right when the time comes
Ted certainly can and will give his
-. .ckers' a drive for their money.
Seeks Something Good
Mr.. Tiff1in of Vancouver is in town
for several weeks and looking around
for something good to take home with
him. Last week he bought the bay trot-
ting mare, Neer Girl trial of 2:18, by
Neernut, dam Verona, by Diablo, and
shipped her north. He will use her on
the road and to matinees, and will
will breed her to his Wilkes colt in the
spring. He is now looking over Explo-
sion and mate to Need Girl in l.. e.
McLellan's barn. If he gets the McLel-
Ian horse he will have a double team
that viii make his friends at home sit
up and take notice. BY the way, he
intended taking an automobile back
with him, but changed his mind, as he
says: 'I was brought up on a farm
and understand horses, but automo-
biles-no. II have to go to school