The Washington times., 1911-02-12
TENNESSEE RACING
AGAIN IS POSSIBLE
Will Be Without Bookmak.
ing, However, If Bill
Passes Legislature.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, Feb. H.
There is just chance that racing, may
be resumed again in Tennessee at some
| time in the near future, but if so. it
will be without the supposed necessary
adjunct of bookmaking. That part of
| the game is to be tabooed and in it's
place will be substituted the pari-
mutuel machines and the auction pools.
At the last session of the Legislature
there were two bills before the house.
one to permit boxing contests and the
other to resurrect racing. Both of
these bills could not be passed, and the
adh erents of both measures agreed to
unite in passing the boxing bill and
await a more favorable time in which
to pass the other. The boxing bill
passed and when the. Legislature
(scheduled to convene i'm the near fn-
ture) meets bill fathered by j. w.
Schorr and George c. Bennett and
other wealthy breeders will be intro
duced. Already headquarters have been
established .:at Nashville and the
chances for the passage of the bill are
said to be exceedingly bright s,
Colonel Montgomery,
With such a bill coming up II is a
pity that blum old Colonel Montgomery.
who was at the head of the Memphis
track in the days of its prosperity and
who died many years ago, is not still
in tho land of the living. The colonel
was a hale. hearty and bluff Irishman,
who ran the Memphis Jockey Club un-
der his own rules and who was as hon.
est as the day is long. OF his disre-
gard for any set rules of the racing
game, when they confiicted with his
ideas of probity. many a good story is
told, and here is one of them.
1t was in the early eighties that BIZ
Whaelen. Of Chicago. owner Of the
good steeplechaser. Carter Fl. Harrison,
one OF the best timher-toppers then run
ming in the West, started for Memphis
with his horse. But before leaving Chi
cago whaelen warned all his friends in
Riiey's pool room to have bet on
Bucephales, long shot in the race. that
had been agreed" upon. The race
was a stake affair. and Carter II. Har-
rison was on edge. There was only
one way that Carter could lose, and
that was to run outside of the flags.
and that was the way Whaelen planned
70 lose it. In the betting Carter II:
Harrison was the odds-on choice, ana
in the stand Colonel Montgomery vas
the presiding Judge.
Harrison to Front
There was nothing to the race but
Carter H. Harrison. He went right to
the front and stayed there the entire
route, but he skipped a half dozen
Jumps Under ordinary racing rules he
would have been disqualified, though he
had finished first by half a dozen
lengths, and that was the expectation
of whaeIen and his friends. There was
no hesitation in the stand. Up went
Carter H. Harrison's number, and when
Whaelen, almost paralyZed with as
tonishment, looked up from under the
stand, where he stood, said: Hold on.
judges: my horse didn't go the course"
the colonel replied: II don't care
whether he did or not. He's the best
horse in the race, and I'll give II to
him anyway.
Holy Mither of Moses" yelled Bill.
but phwatll me friends in Chicago
sayP'
What Bills friends in Chicago did
say would have filed a book. and IT
took him several years to convince
them that they had not been handed
the double cross. A few decisions of
that particular brand would work won
ders at some Of these winter tracks,
and 1t is pity that there are not more
like him in the racing business today.