Los Angeles herald., 1909-01-19
POWERS is REAL
RACING FEATURE
WINS HALF OF SANTA ANITA
EVENTS
EDDIE DUeAN ALSO FINISHES IN
FRONT
OrbicuIar, Speedy THexas Trick, Beats
Big Chief in Feature by Consistent
Performance-Carthage Also
Proves His Class
BY JAY DAVIDSON

BY JAY DAVIDSON
The feature of the racing card yester-
day at Santa Anita was the excellent
form Of Jockey Vincent Powers, the
premier rider of the American turf, who
landed half the first money distributed
to the winners by riding three heavily
played horses to the wire in 'front.' and
to his credit it must be said that it
was as much case OF Powers as 1t
was of the horse that won, as he out
rode the better horse and jockey at the
wire in two of the three races he won.
He put over Kiora in the baby race
when that one was stopping and. seemed
beaten two jumps from the wire, but a
vigorous booting caused the juvenile to
make final dying effort and he copped
the gravy. Again, he drove Orbicular
until that speedy Texas trick was blind,
but he staggered over the imaginary
line half length in front Of President
Tom Williams $4,000 Big Chief in the
feature even of the day, after Big Chief
mad set a sizzling pace all the way to
the nnal jump. Bob Smith won the
fifth race with Lord Stanhope, but only
because Powers had the leg up and
fairly lifted the classy blaze-face across
the line by nose to beat the Wobbling
King Of the Mist The talent got a
good run from Powers, even if he did
lose with La Gloria, and he received
the full measure of praise from the
crowds for his great efforts in the sad
die.
The feature of an exceptionally high
class Monday card was the fourth race,
q condition affair at one mile, in which
four starters faced the barrier. Orbic-
ular, which beat Meelick by a great fin
1sh from nowhere in his only previous
appearance at Santa Anita, was made
the odds-on favorite to beat Big Chief,
the eastern stake, winner that Tom
Williams is prepping in the south for
northern stake engagements. Big Chief
went out and made the pace every
jump in the road to the finals, where
Orbicular finally got up under a great
finish by Powers and unfinished the
classy stake horse, getting the verdict
by half a length. There was a differ
ence of one pound actual weight in IA
vor Of Orbicular, and about six pounds
according to the scale Norbitt, which
won his maiden race here at mile in
1:38 fiat, beat Edwin T. Fryer with
greatest ease for the show Fryer was
poorly handled, being hustled too much
in the early stages and had nothing left
for the finish.
Carthage Proves His Class
Carthage fully justified all claims
made for him when he won the third
race at a mile in 1 SO 3-5, galloping four
lengths in front at the end after being
sent away poorly and forced to slowly
work his way to the pacemakers. Ida
May and st. ElmWood were away to an
advantageous start, the latter beating
the barrier by five lengths and being
Joined almost Immediately afterwards
by Ida May. Carthage soon got into
third position and was carefully nursed
along back Of the pace until the leaders
got through with their sprint Black
Mate T1En6 or1xv - =.
pace and was killed off, Ida MAY also
was much used in the early running
and had nothing left after going a fast
three-quarters. At the stretch turn
the race lay between st. EImwood, in
the lead, and Carthage, a length back
in third place. Carthage was fresh
and full Of run, and easily went to the
front in the stretch and won going
away by four lengths. st. Elmwood
stuck on the job gamely and placed
ahead of Grande Dame, which really
ran the best race of the bunch. She
came from behind, after being prac-
tically left, and won the show money
by grand finish.
EscaIante Beats La Gloria
Quite big surprise was furnished
the Spectators in the final race when
Escalante beat La Gloria and other
crack sprinters at their favorite dis
tance, five and a half furlongs. La
Gloria, which had established a record
as the most consistent racer on the
asst by winning six in seven starts,
was away in jam and never could get
up, while Dugan took great care of Es-
calante and in jiffy after the barrier
flew up, had sent him on to the front
After that the great speed for which
Escalante always has been famous
stood him in great stead and he was
sent on after the grapes at top speed.
He opened a winning lead in the first
half, and while firing fast in the final
sixteenth, was forced to stick in front
and win by head from Free Knight
the Bear. The latter, although despis-
ing the short route, came strong and
with determined rush at the finish
and would have won in two more
jumps, but was lacking a nod or two
at the wire. Old Settler, which had
performed most ordinarily and fully
justified the long odds laid against his
chances, showed ahead of Taylor
George. La Gloria finished fifth, hay-
ing used her best sprinting efforts to
get clear of jams at the start and then
tired fast. None of the others ever had
a look In.
Lord Stanhope Is Lucky
Lord Stanhope won a lucky race
in the long race. Powers took good
care of him, but the handsome blaze
face never had the speed to get up un-
til in the final strides. He and King of
the Mist alternated at forcing the pace
and nearly died from exhaustion by
reason thereof, while Varieties ran his
head off out in front. When the field
turned for home it seemed all over
with Lord and a cinch for King of the
Mist, but the latter was so weary that
he began to stagger Immediately after
turning the stretch bend and was un-
steady thereafter.
Booker was getting all out of him
that was in him, but the distance was
about six feet too long and he was
stopping to a walk in the last two or
three jumps, despite Booker's rousing
finish. Powers gave Lord the worst
booting Of his life and shot him out in
front by a whisker. Varieties was
blind at the wire, but stuck long
enough to show. There was nothing
else in the race.
Rieta won the opening race by a
head after setting the pace all the way.
French Cook probably was best, but
was away in tenth place and had to
use up a lot of surplus wind to get UP
with the pacemakers. BY that time he
was all in, and while finishing reso-