The Washington herald., 1911-05-14
By l., ID. SALE.

With the formal opening of the new
Speedway last Thursday afternoon, IL
may properly be said that the racing
season IN the District of Columbia has
fairly begun.
The attendance at the function Demon
strates that interest In light harness
sport in the District has by no means de-
creased. 1t was a disappointment to those
who have light harness racing at heart
that more entries were not made in the
several classes, Dit unusual conditions
in the way of weather during the past
winter and an unusual cold aid wet
spring up to date combined to make the
speedy horses of this section at least
four weeks behind their usual fitness for
fast work. We have a right to expect
that the classes will from now on fill,
and that the remainder of the series
planned will increase in interest until
the last of the series is raced off.
There is every evidence at hand that
every track in the vicinity of Washing
ton will be busy during the coming racing
season. DIR. J. E. Sansbury, of the For
estsville (Prince George County, Md
track, will be prominently in evidence
until snow falls. No man connected with
the light-harness horse is more devoted
10 sport Ol racing Nv isiS
ing promoter is more liberal, according
to his means, than the genial and popu-
lar doctor and overlord of the sick and
afflicted generally of his bailiwick in
Prince George County. He will throw
open his track to the public for the first
time In 1911 on Decoration Day with an
elaborate programme. John Morris, of
this city, has already entered his fast
mare Berka, P. J. O'Keefe has named
Ed Balf in the fast pace. and Peter
Lotus has performed the same duty for
Miss ArCela.
The doctors card IS:
First race 2:2O trot mile heats, three
in five; purse. $50 Second race, a free
for-all half-mile heats; purse, so. Third
race for three year-olds; purse SS5. The
fourth race for ladies. is termed novel
ty affair and is a new one on raCegcers
in this vicinity. The distance is for four
furlongs. any style of riding will do. and
the purse TO the winner is SIS. If the
ladies engaged wish it. the purse may be !
divided on the plan of 80 per cent of the
purse to the winner, - per cent TO the
second horse. and Is per cent to the third |
horse. The fifth race on the card is
mile dash for runners; purse. $50. the win
ner take all. The first race. the 30
trot, will be called promptly at o'clock |
A MIDWAY VIII ne bl lilt SioulhH-
special attention will be paid to PROPOSE |
tions from those who wish to make |
match RACES.
Dr. Sansbury has placed his track and |
stables in first-ClaSs condition for those |
who wish to use them during the year. |
The floors of the former have been re- |
surfaced and dra ine6. The infield of the !
track has been plowed. and on the day |
of the races will be as smooth as a par /
lOr floor. The fence around the track |
has been whitewaShed. and the track is ;
so level that persons can sit in their /
ConveyanCes and see the horses at any |
point of the course.
The track proper was never in the con-
dtion it is to-day. 1t has recently been
remeasured. and it can he officially stated !
that It is eight feet over a mile twice
around. The turns of the course have
been thrown up. the unever places /;
leveled. and dirt placed in such spots as
needed it. Some of the trees that OBJ
structed the track from distance have
been romeved, the result being that the
track can be seen for a distance Of five
miles. Thirty stalls, in first-Class cOndi-
tion, are now ready for such horsemen
as care to use them.
The Forestville course. conceded to be
the fastest track within radius of fifty
miles of Washington. is. by the changes
recently made by the doctor, faster than
ever before. A feature that will attract
young and old on the card is a baseball
match between the Surratsvile High !
School nine and the Seat Pleasant nine
for cash prize of $l5 The game will be
called promptly at II o'clock.
Mr.. Henry Copperthite has got out his
racing card for Decoration Day at
Burke. and. in n mechanical sense. the
events scheduled for the day stand out
like little red barn in a lonely meadow.
Mr.. Coppenthite is an old hand at the
bellows. and few men anywhere can give
him points on the getting up of an at
tractive race card. When racing day
comes he is always there with the goods
and delivers them to the owners with
promptness and cOmmendable style. His
purse for the days sport to the winning
horses are in size a little bit bigger than
any of those that have been rendered
in the past for like events. All purses |
are $500, except the purse for runners,
which is S75. Trains on Decoration Day |
for Burke will leave Washington at 7:3O
and HIS a. m. The return train will
leave Burke at p. m.
Over at Rockville the trotters are be-
ginning to show speed. and the PAGERS
are sitting sand at a lively gait The
only Bowling in the horse game is school
ing a lot of good prospects. and the
same may be said of Trainer Widmeier.
With the exception of L. J. ~. and, per-
haps, one or two others, Bowling is con-
centratinE his skill and energies on young
things that are bred right to trot or
pace fast. Bowling is safe man to trust
with any kind of a racing bred horse.
His making last season of that good
trotter Bedworth. jr, did more than any
other feat of his to place him high in
the ranks trainers.
Widmeir has the top-notchers of the
stable of Javins brothers, Phil. Stubener's
Miss Wiggings, p. ]. O'Keefe's Ed BALI,
and a few young things belonging to
citizens of Montgomery County. BALI
is an old acquaintance, for he trained
him before he became the property of
Mr.. O'Keefe BALI is a wise horse; all
he needs is to have a man behind him
and he will train himself In disposi- |
ton, gait, and latent speed he is one of
the most remarkable PAGERS that ever
came TO this section. He has wintered
so finely and seems so anxious to go that
great things are predicted of him this
year Miss Wiggings is also doing we'll