The Washington herald., 1913-06-08
TrOtter and PAGER


an outlaw, which we do not here claim
involved where a monetary consideration
Is the issue.
! The sum paid for horse and equipments,
| together with other things connected
with the sale, give ground for the suspi-
| cion that the horse, in racing parlance.
was not straight goods. The Washington
man who bought him may have also had
a similar suspicion Whether this be
| true or false is the business of no one
| other than that of his then owner. But
Franklin E., or Joe Bailey. was entered
and raced In the free-for-all trot or pace
Decoration Day at Forestville. and won
his race with lots Of speed TO spare. It
| is at this point that the racing public
| becomes interested. and the response
bility OF the present owner of the geld
| ing begins, and that Of the man who
entered and drove him in his race.
!
| Under all the circumstances, IL would
have been wise act. We think IL DR..
Sansbury had peremptorily refused the
| entry of Franklin E., unless satisfactory
documentary evidence was presented that
he had a right to race 1t would have
left a less bitter taste in the mouths Of
his patrons, and made for the better
ment OF his track. DR. Sansbury Is well
meaning, generous. whole-souled gentle
man, who will not knowingly be guilty
of an unmanly act. He is, sometimes,
misled in the matter of judgment and,
sometim his generosity. which Is nc
torious. is taken advantage of. He con-
ducts his track under hard conditions.
II is far from commercial centers. and
has no direct rail communication. He
depends upon horse owners and the horse
loving public to sustain him, and ire
quently he operates his track at a per-
sonal loss. Nevertheless, there IL but one
way to conduct a track and expect to
make drafts on the public's good will.
and that is TO hew to the line of right
doing, and let the chips fall where they
will. This done, men who delight in put
ting something over the plate will steer
clear OF ForestvilIe. This does not relate
particularly to the Franklin f. case: but
is meant for general application in all
turf events
Washington, like all large towns. has
long been the dumping ground of equine
junk, Of more or less value for speed
purposes. Each individual owner in
variably has a story of more or less in
terest, and more or less cunningly con-
CoCted. attached TO the horse. One of the
horse dealers most favorite statement is
if the animal can show some speed that
he never saw a track In bis life" An
other quite as popular saying is. that
ere boss is just out of a plow." Shrewd
horsemen, of course, inhale this highly
scented pipe stuff and say nothing; but
at the same time, appraise II at its full
value. Some Of these old pikers fash
up at our local meetings and are passed
of as green horns, or, sometimes, as the
case may be, are entered in classes slow
er than their records. Among professional
junk dealers this is considered a smart
trick, if they get away with it. track
owner who has a decent regard for the
reputation of his track, is kept at high
tension to thwart these gentry They
hold to the theory that all is fair in love
and war and horse racing. On the whole
they are a good natured lot, used to the
Bullets OF the world. and, when beaten
back. come again with smile and
warm hand.
The turf is one of the best spots in the
world to study human nature, either as
a raw or finished products. man with
the genius of Balsac would find plenty
of material for study of a sociologicaI
nature and plenty OF characters to i'm
mortalize in print. No spot on earth is
quite so democratic as race track. Next
to death the Great Commoner who brings
all to common plane-the king in his
palace. the lord in his castle, and the
peasant in his matched hut-the race
track is the most complete IeyeIer of
class distinctions. Men on the race track
meet on a level whatever may be
said about their parting on the square"
Humor, wit, pathos. and even tragedy
strut their little hour on the racing
stage. The jargon of the underworld, its
signs and countersigns, has its counter
part among those who follow the turf
for living. On the turf the kings of
finance touch elbows for the hour with
the tout and the jockey, and my naughty
lady Of the marble palace section deems
IL no con6escension, for the nonce, to be
chummy with the sporty looking fellow
who carries on his person the desired
Information" Jockeys or drivers. as
the case may be, are, perchance thrown
and trampled upon by flying hoofs and
are mangled or killed outright; a horse
snaps bone and the crack of pistol |
tells the story of his last race And, |
when the horses come home, each horse
straining to the highest tension every
nerve and tendon and muscle until its |
eyeballs seem bursting from their sock
cts, the crowd rises-men and Women
and hail the victor with deafening cheers |
Amid the din of voices the band strikes |
up, He Was Bred in Old Kentucky" the
curtain talis, ana the weird scene fades
into the calm and peace of the starry |
night
The Washington Times trotting stake
for foals born in 1872 was successfully
launched on Tuesday evening last, the
scene of the launching being the dining |
hall of J. NJ. Boyd. I721 Pennsylvania |
Avenue. 1t was a meeting OVERLOOKING |
with pep" and nine yearlings bred In |
the richest purple of modern light har-
ness breeding, responded to the tap Of |
the bell 1t. was a meeting surcharged
from start to finish with good. will and /
Three stakes are now in the |
held-The Washington Sunday Herald |
trotting stake Of 1914. with |
six candidates; The Washington Post
trotting stake with six
candidates TO be trotted on the same day.
and The Washington Times two-year-oid /
trotting stake, which will be trotted In
the late summer or early fall of 1914. /
All of these stakes must be raced over
an association track. and will be sub
mitted to the highest bidder. The stakes
have been promoted singly and alone by L
The Washington Sunday Herald, and is J.
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