New-York tribune., 1918-07-27
Six Favorites
Are Defeated
At Empire
Starter $ Helper Blocks One
From Fair Start in
Feature Race
By w. J. Macbeth

the turf cas- typifled by the Jockey
Club, but the Improvement OF the
breed of starters and stewards and
Judges and sichlike if the sport OF
kings is to survive the snow fiurries
of late October coincident with the
announced extension of the metropoll-
tan carousel play. The horses are all
right.
Certain vital appurtenances OF
horses. which by chance of some
strange law of science ever since the
day Adams family first grew up, have
far outnumbered the noble equines-
not the steeds themselves ten
der. watchful care The kind of ten
der, watchfu care, by the way, that
grandpa used to administer In the
woodshed Ask dad. He knows.
Friend .Esop committed the crime OF
being born a few thousands of years
100 soon. If he could have only lived
TO journey out to Empire City race
rack he might have gotten material
for fable that would have made the
golden eggs of his famous goose look
like so many melted drops from the
Kaiser's cup. But unless old Diogenes
had more highly developed sense OF
humor than any present living mortal
the trip would have been fatal to HIM.
The 90; - honest man" died laughing
at the finish of the sixth race.
Signs of Storm Grow
1t is for the good of the game that
this warning is sounded Racing can
not last under the slipshod methods
by which it has been conducted so far
;his season. Those promoters who are
lining their pockets with the gold of
yb,S the
fact we'll All of the people cannot
be fooled all of the time And an
incensed public is just about as harm
less playthng as q famished Ben
gal tiger. When public gets to kissing
and oooing with good cause 1t seems
high time to cast a weather eye over
the landscape.
The stewards in control at Empire
City had two opportunities yesterday
sport of kings. Running to form they
overlooked both bets. to the detriment
of the game. They overlooked, right
under their very noses, in the feature
race of the afternoon, one of the most
atrocious starts that ever disgraced
race track Why, it almost
tied the start of the first race and of
the last race, to which we Will get IN
due time.
Personally, we are getting very tired
of scolding Mars Cassidy. 1t doesn't
do the least bit of good And some
of his personal friends may suspect
malice. which is furthest from our gen.
erous soul.
Cassidy Above Question
No one suspects the integrity of
Cassidy. Men grown gray in chasing
the elusive phantom of easily got gains
will not impugn the honesty of Mars
SO it must be incompetence. No other
explanation can vindicate the Grass
carelessness of yesterdays work. And
the pity is that such incompetence
# incompetence it be-is fast making
enemies of those friends who have so
Loyalty supported racing through its
darkest hours.
The greater pity of it is that there
is a real starter, Dade, foot loose and
free. 1t may be true that Cassidy is
under contract to the jockey clubs
horeabouts. Bad as he has been, he
probably could replace the two strong
armed assistants who toll for him,
with Dade to superintend the men
agerie.
stood in front of Hank O'Day, the
favorite of the fourth race (the feat
ure by the way, and absolutely blocked
him from an even break with the field,
was lucky that the temper of the New
York sporting public is so long suffer
ing. This fellow not only laid violent
hands on the reins of the public choice
three times, setting him back almost
to his launches, but as the field lined
up he stood before Hank O'Day with
brandished whip, intimidating him so
that he was left at the post.
That assistant starter not only
ruined a race, but willingly or un-
Willingly feeced a trusting public. He
did it right under the noses of the Of
ficials. and later laughed sarcastcally
at the public, which pays for square
deal But the officials passed it up as
routine incident of days work.
Jockey Quits Too Soon
The offence against Hank O'Day was
committed right under the noses of
the dcnsely packed spectators SO was
the finish of Jockey f. Sande with
Wonderman in the closing event, at
five furlongs. Wonderman, the most
heavily played favorite of the after
noon-backcd from to to 7 to 10
could not have lost had Sande ridden
him out through the last sixteenth.
"onderman, away in the third flight
of an execrably struggling start, was
forced to take the long route, but had
collared Dainty Lady. long shot and
paccmaker all the way, sixteentfy
from home.
There Sande quit riding when he
seemed to be about to come away as
he pleased. 1t is true that Wonderman
bore in some, but a one armed boy
should hava brought him over the final
sixteenth the easiest kind of winner.
In this same race Glenn, the we'll
backed third choice, which was ex-
pected to furnish a real melon cutting,
was left at the post TO all intents and
purposes.
The day started wrong and continued
So Six favorites were knocked dead
so dead that only one of them finished
after Sande scored with Scoots in the
opening dash Of five furlongs Scoots
beat lot of good horses in this race.
Twice out previously the flly had
failed to show any class in much poor
or company. 1t was a startling reversal
of form. to say the least And so It
went all the afternoon.
Tale of Woe Grows
Wheatcakes, in the second race. could
not or would not run fast enough to
keep in sight of the procession. lack
Stuart, hard ridden from the far turn
in the mile third could not overtake
the feet L'Errant. With Hank O.Dav
out Of the fourth. Sande made it a
runaway with Pckwick.
Paddy Dear, the odds-on favorite.
was only spectator in the fifth race
at a mile and a furlong. Sande had
chance to strike the bookes at least
one telling blow in their pocketbooks,