Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-07
ONCE MORE RAIN
BLOCKS MATINEE.
INTERMEDIATE RACING EVENT
is ABANDONED
L. A. DRIVING CLUB TO HOLD BIG
MEET FEBRUARY 20
Races Two Days Before Washineton's
Birthday Will Eclipse Christmas
and Thanksgiving Day
Contests
BY DAN PATCH

an intermediate matinee, owing to the
condition of all the horses at Agricult-
ural park, none of them, owing to the
continued bad weather, being in shape
to race; but will give one Saturday,
February 90 that will equal, If not
eclipse, that of Christmas or Thanks
giving day At first it was intended to
hold~it Washington's birthday, but that
date always has been claimed by the
Iowa society, and this year it was very
anxious to hold it's reunion at Agricul-
tural park; so, rather than have the
fifteen or twenty thousand members
disappointed, the board of directors Of
the club decided on having the matinee
the Saturday before.
A very attractive program is being
arranged, and the feature, with prob
ably a double team race for PAGERS.
Then there will be a mile dash for
3-year-oldS and one of Dan Hogan'S
inimitable novelty races on horseback,
and for which he will draw on all his
numerous friends and the entire re-
sources, if necessary, of the WeStlake
stables, of which he is the proprietor.
The usual class races will complete
the card, and with the handsome cups
that it is the policy of the present
management to present, there will be
no lack of entries. If the weather re-
mains clear, the horses will all be in
fine condition after their let up of the
last few weeks, and able to step for
their lives.
OF course the usual care will be taken
to maintain the best of order, which is
easy enough, as no betting or liquor
is ever allowed at the race meetings,
and every effort tending toward the
comfort and pleasure of the women
and men present February 20 will be
made. This will be a pay matinee,
Wit aJ1 o11 Of il1al i'm
the grandstand, with only the boxes re-
served, and will be followed by a free
matinee at which the system of clas-
styling the horses by their matinee
records will be given a trial.
If this system is adopted by the Los
Angeles Driving club, as it is by almost
all others, it will eventually mean the
wedding out of outclassed horses and
new ones will be bought to take their
places; thus the public will not see the
same horses race continually, but will
see several new contenders in the diff
ferent classes, which will most assur-
edly add interest to the game.
A Most Wonderful Sire
For months Bon Voyage and his
yearling colts have been the talk of not
only the horsemen of Los Angeles but
of the entire state, and now they are
becoming the topic of conversation
among hOrsemen throughout the coun-
try.
Bon Voyage is a bay stallion, 16
hands, strong, and most symmetrically
built all over. He was bought Sas a 2
year-old by w. A Clark, jr from
the late Charles Marvin, and is now
but years Old He won the Kentucky
Futurity and the Horse Review Futur-
ity as d 2-year-old, taking a record of
2:15, which he lowered to 2:12% as a
3-year-Old in a stake at Hartford over
the Charter Oak track in the mud,
which was up to his cOrronets, and
Charter Oak has been a slow track at
the best of times for years. AS a g.
year-old, over the Denver track, he
showed quarter in 20 seconds-a 1855
gait. So it is no wonder his colts are
gifted with extreme speed as babies
He is by Expedition, 2:15A, by Elec-
tioneer, dam Bon Mot, by Erin. Three
years ago he was bred to about sixty
mares and the next year to but four
teen, as 1t was intended to campaign
him. 1t is about his first crop of colts
that l am writing. They will be years
old this spring.
Last spring the four youngsters
were broken to drive by Red Garrety,
and when he went east with the racing
string were turned over to Hank Nor
ton. In September Walter Maben took
hold of VOyageur, Bon Vivant and Jean
Val Jean, and their education really
began.
In December, while they were still
yearlings, he drove Voyageur, big,
handsome bay colt out of Lucy May
by Oakland BaWn, a half in 1:13 and
her last quarter in 80 seconds-a 2:12
gait-and without doubt would have
covered that distance at least half a
second, if not three-fourths of a sec
ond faster, if he had not had to pull
out to go around the track scraper that
was working in next the pole, thus
losing considerable ground besides hav-
ing to get the colt Strengthened out
again.
Jean Val Jean, dam She. a pacing
mare with a mark Of 2:22, is as black
as the ace of spades, and, like all the
others, as handsome as a picture, was
stepped a quarter by Maben in 341-4
seconds, and not strung out at that
Bon Vivant, dam Reina Del DiabIo
by Diablo, is bay not so big as the
other two but equally well built. He
also worked a quarter in "a IA seconds.
2:17 gait, and did it easily
The fourth is black colt whose dam
was Ruth Mary by Directum, 2:O5.
This one belongs to Ted Hays. who
now has charge of Bon Voyage, and
when 13 months old trotted a mile in
2:38, half in lis and a half in 35 IL
seconds
These yearlings, l know, have done
lHeSe STUNTS and am told on excellent
authority there is another by Bon Voy-
age up north of her same age that has
been one-fourth in 80 1-2 seconds.
Where is there another sire that can
show four such colts as these? That
it is not an accident is shown by his
own ability as a 3-year-old to step
quarters in 29 seconds, and among all
the fifty or sixty colts he has there is
not one PAGER. No matter what gait
the mare goes on the colts trot. as in
the case of Jean Val Jean his mother
was a PAGER and won the pacing diyi-
sion of the Kentucky Futurity. Still
the colt knows nothing but trot and
all of them go with the lightest pos
sible shoes and no riggin of any kind.
no side poles or patent bits or weights.
Bon Voyage is now making the season
at Pleasanton, after which he will be
turned out, and next season, after a
year of complete rest, will be put in
shape to take q fast record, and the
chances are this will be the last chance
to break him for some time.
AS a sire of early and extreme speed
he has proved already that he stands
very nearly, if not quite. at the head
of the list. Considering the few colts
to his credit, I doubt if any stallion in
the country leads him, and / doubt if
any trainer has in his stable three
yearlings that have been in 341-4 or
better on trot or that any one owner
has three yearling trotters as fast as
the three owned by Mr.. Clark, and also
the owner of their sire.
There seems to be very strong
movement on foot to turn Agricultural
park into city park and do away