The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-02-05

4 IatiuB LII thO JSA too0s 'hNh ~
now the curtain of the act rose
with the Kentucky Derby in the
spotlight. There appeared as one
of the contestants a colt named
Spokane, bred on the Twin Bridges
ranch of Noah Armstrong, who had
made q fortune in the mines of
Butte and invested much of 1t in a
fine breeding farm where the Ruby
and Jefferson rivers form the JEFF
ferson.
The courage of a MAI from what
was then regarded as a barren waste
of sagebrush and greasewood, in en-
tering a colt to contend with the
| cream of the land, was admired by
all sportsmen, but his judgment was
seriously questioned by wise ones.
Proctor Knott was in the race, and
supposed to be ~invincible. AS a two
year-old he had just a little less
than $4,000. He was the idol of
the east and of Kentucky. The book
les hung 1 to 8 about him, and did
not want it; they hung 10 to 1 about
Spokane and grabbed at it. There
was a good field of starters and Spo-
kane beat Proctor Knott by a whis-
ker in the greatest Kentucky Derby
ever run, and it has been run A
years. At that time the race was
over a mile and a half. Spokane
shattered all revious records of that
race and he hung one, not since
%equaled, in that race, and that was
80 years ago.
Knock at Handicaps
Spokane continued running. He
beat Proctor Knott again in the Clark
stakes at one mile and a quarter. He
the American Derby at one mile
and a half, but in the Sheridan
stakes, at one mile and a quarter, re-
sort was taken to the indefensible
practice of a handicap and he was
defeated. Handicapping is a con-
scheme inaugurated for
making an inferior horse appear to
be the equal of a better one. 1t
should be thrown in the discard. Run
ners should carry weight for age, and
be classed by speed the same as har-
ness horses.
In 1891 High Tariff and Poet
Scout, two colts owned by SEE. Lara
bic of Deer Lodge, were prominent
III Ln0 CaoIs lIl6h MOu InC
Clark stakes at one mile and a quar-
ter, and dropped dead in a workout;
$4,000 was refused for him. Poet
Scout won the Sheridan stakes at
one mile and a quarter; he a sec
ond in the American Derby at one
one mile and a half, and third in the
Latonia Derby; $4,000 was refused
for him; he was held at 100000.
Kinley Mack Great Horse
In 1899 Kinley Mack, owned by
Mr.. Larabie, won the United States
Hotel stakes at Saratoga. In 1900
le won the Brooklyn handicap, the
Suburban and also the First special
Ind ran second in the Second special
1T a mile and a half. The horses be-
ore alluded to were stake horses and
If high order, but next is a cup
lorse, and a cup horse is as superior
o a stake horse as is a stake horse
a selling platter. A cup horse is
he highest type of a runner. Be-
-ond doubt Mr.. Larabie's colt, Ben
Holiday, was the greatest cup horse
'aised in America. For three con-
.iecutive years, in 1897, 1898 and in
he won the Municipal handicap
It Belmont park, at one mile and
hr~ee-quarters, and he carried top
and gave some of his COM
,etitors as much as 43 pounds and a
besides. In 1898 he won the
Belmont Park at two miles and a
and the next year he chased
tut the winner of the same race in
Yearly 10 seconds better time, and
On IA nnfIn6c Tn 1000 hn non
econd In the Brooklyn handicap; in
.899, second in Second special at one
nile and a half. This horse could,
doubt, race faster with ex-
essive weight over a long distance
# ground than any horse seen in
america of American breeding, and
his was 20 years ago. The distance
f the races which he won and also
which Spokane won have since then
zen reduced to accommodate the
bilities of the type of horse now be-
ng raced. They tell us that the
.orse of today has more speed than
hose of long ago; but they have
cen shooting at Bob Wade's record,
1ade at Butte, for a quarter of a
lille, for 29 years, and the distance
f the stakes is reduced.
In 1891 the representative colt of
be Bitter Root stock farm at Ham
ton, and named Montana, ran sec
In the Withers, second in the
'elmont and second in the Lawrence
realization stakes. In 1892 he won |
ne Suburban handicap of a value of !
1900. !
Tammany appeared on the scene y
/ 1891. He was a famous race
orse, the idol of his owner, and the
ct of thousands of race followers.
10 was a very lucky horse; the
for which he raced and gal
lntly won were at the top of their
alue when he won them and at other
mes would not have amounted to
early what they did then. Tam
lany started in IA races in his car
or, and won nine of them, their
alue being s113,290. The only
orse ever winning more than that
wned In the west was Salvador, and
} it was all in the family, so to 1
)eak, J.. B. Haggin being his owner. !
In 1896 the Bitter Root sent out H
lie meteoric ogden. He raced as a Y
.vo-year-old with much success at
ute and in the autumn was sent
,st to compete in the classic Flu
- -Is1l ~ witch urn /