Valdez daily prospector., 1917-01-11
THIS YEARS RACES
 ~-t.s..-.. .. BE A BIG EVENT

NOME: With a lot of money all ready donated, Nome will have more dog races this winter than during any other season in the history of Boring sea. The All-Alaska sweepstakes race. the great sporting classic of the north, will not receive individual attention for premiership honors this year, for a new contest, the dog race accord ing to Charles Sangford, former edi- tor of the Nome Nugget.
 John Borden, Chicago millionaire who started north on a sporting ex- petition last summer that ended when the power schooner Great Bear piled up on St. Matthew island in Boring sea, was the creator of the Marathon for dogs. Borden reached Nome aft CT wet and chilly experience in the surf at St. Matthew island and be- came interested in dog racing. He sent to Chicago for the handsomes. silver cup that the silversmiths O. that city could furnish, and donated it for a race over a marathon course The trophy weighs more than sixt. pounds without the pedestal.
 The Nome Kennel club, with Bor- den's assistance, laid out the rules un- der which the trophy must be con- peted for. The course will 26 miles and 300 yards. The event is to be run under the most favorable climatic conditions, it being the desire of both the club and the donor of the trophy to learn exactly how fast a team of dogs can cover this distance. The big cup must be won three time, hy the same team owner, but each winner will be given a smaller silver cup. It is likely that the Marathon race will be held few days before Christmas, but the date is dependent upon the weather.
 Eight teams are in training for the event. Perry Riley, Russ Downing, Grant Jackson, Fay Delzene, Charley Ross, John Erickson and Billy Webb are getting their animals in shape for the test.
 Only five teams will compete in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes race, from Nome to Candle Creek and return, q distance of 412 miles, and the contest is likely to simmer down to a battle between the malamutes with pointed ears and malamutes of the lop-eared variety. Leonard Seppala has acquir- ed all the pointed ear Siberian dogs in the country and Fay Delzee has a monopoly on the best lop-eared dogs. Sepalla and Delzee each have won a victory in this great event.
 Perry Riley is training a team of Missouri bird hounds, crossed with malamute, which may upset the gen eral belief that crossed breed animals are not good racers. The dogs are said to be very fast, but there is a question as to their having the stay ing qualities as needed in a gruelling race of 412 miles.
 The Ladies' Amatuer race this year promises to bring out considerable rivalry. George Bokum, a Chicago sportsman and who accompanied Bor- cen to Nome, donated a beautiful bronze and silver vase for this event, and already the woman dog fanciers of Nome are arranging to borrow a few dogs from the crack racing teams. There will be about eight other races during the winter.
 Sanford says there will be more prospecting :n Nome this winter than ever before, but he has never seen the time when miners wouldn't take 2 few days off to watch a dog race, no matter how much gold they were gathering from deep in the earth at the time. When a dog race starts all other activities are suspended.