The Detroit times., 1911-02-04
ON THE
HAIF-MIlE
TRACKS.


life. for, chances ON The
are, he is a strang- HAIF-MIIE
er To the quaint al TRACKS.
different nature that transpire almost
daily through the summer on the
smaller tracks OF the land.
Much can be said in favor of the
sport as exemplified by the million
aire stables and the famous trainers
who come down the big line. it is
true. Yet, II real fun Is the consider
alton, give the man who knows, n
good little half-mile track, and let
him stroll out 10 the lower turn and
watch nine or ten PAGERS, in the 2:23
class. come charging into il, hopples
creaking. drivers yelling, whips crack
ing, sulkies humping, everybody try
ing for the pole and everybody else
trying to keep him away from IT.
Such sights are meat and drink for
the men who held session couple
OF days ago at the annual meeting
of the Michigan Short Ship circuit,
the Invest AFFAIR of It's kind In the
country.
During the lulls in the session. stor-
les like this were passed around:
You remember that little, black.
pacing mare. Bill Smith campaigned
for me last year? Well. she ought
TO be about right next spring, I'm
thinking and we're looking for some
quite considerable oats money. II we
can stick in the 2:1S class. Last year
we won seven races and the mare
got a mark of seventeen and a quar-
70 oh he AaU
In fact, we don't know how fast she
could go, for she was never beat
when the money was down. Perhaps,
I'll enter her In the G. OF c., though
l guess our thousand-dollar stakes
look better to me.
"Bill and me won three races with
her in Michigan and then took her
down into Ohio. We entered at Can
ton and the first man l see there was
big Jim Jones. | knew his mare was
the one We had to beat.
I'VE shook hands. Well says I. 4
hear you've got q good one this year.
Jim
"'Yes. Charlie, says he, 4 have.
/ hear you're here with something
q good deal better'n fair, too.
Jim says |, What's the use OF
Us KILN our bosses out there to-
morrow, tryin' to beat each other?
There amt no use at ALL says
he. Let's make up our minds which
one OF US needs that first money
worst, and get together. But don't
buy no pools downtown tonight; wait
till tomorrow at the track
Well, my mare sold even favor
lite that night against the field and
the betting was brisk. | was some
surprised they'd heard so much about
her down there. But waited at the
track next morning for Jim. He did
not show mp till just before the first
score. Then he says:
Charlie, the best man winsn
THE skunk.
'Bill and me had a talk and stood
pat. | went under the stand and bet
all / wanted to-all | had, for that
did II In five minutes.
Believe me. l bet on my own mare.
''Jim's driver didn't try very hard
Tor the first heat and We won IL In
2:19 IA. Another Teller finished a
bang-up second on the outside. AZ
ter the heat Bill and looked the 9TH |
or Teller up and asked him II he
thought he could stay there again. He
said he could and we offered him $25
II he'd do Il. We made Jim's mare |
go the mile In third position and Bill
beat her OF In a fine finish In 2:1S IA. |
The third heat the other mare could |
not come back and we won II.
THAT night down town. Jim show
ed me a stack OF s25 tickets on the |
field. There must have been 100 Of |
EN-. But he wasn't sore a BIT"
What a lot of Chesterfields those |
ball players are going to be when one |
of that Automobile jury IL around. |
What7
The Cleveland hockey team that |
was licked SO soundly In Detroit has |
some nerve anyhow. Down to New |
York and playing for the champion |
ship! What do you think OF that?
The nervous wreck" OF that wrest. |
ling behemoth must be, indeed, har-
rowing sight,
Our sympathies certainly go out to |
Hal Lanigan Of the st. Louis Times |
who writes touchingly: "Our race
tracks are closed down; our fight
clubs are closed up; we're losers on
the diamond; our ten-pinners can't
win; our billiardists are on the bum.
There's ink on everything" Hal,
old scout, why don't you move way?