The New York herald., 1921-09-11
b RACES
ltOrs Usually Disappoint-
When Turf Champions
Come Together.
70 NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS
VO NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS
-
Cresceus and The Abbot Raced
For Blood and SO Did Ham
burg Belle and Uhlan.
by GURNEY Q. CUE.

BY GURNEY @. CUE.
The disappointing outcome of the
race OF the century" at Hartford's
Grand Circuit meeting last week was in
keeping with what has happened nearly
every time an ambitious track manager
attempted to bring together two horses
of such prominence as Peter Manning.
contest. as distinguished from a genu-
Inc match or free for all race. Almost
Invariably there Is some controlling rea-
son which prevents fulflment OF the
expectations of the general public, for
whose benefit" they are usually ar
ranged. Heralded as the Hartford exhi-
billion was heralded expectations run
high. and nothing much less than broken
records can satisfy the spectators. for
extreme speed Is Of the very essence of
all such contests. When Kisses greet
the announcement OF time three or four
seconds back Of the best previous per-
formances of the horses the promoters
have only themselves to blame.
Gossip among horsemen indicates that
the public was not alone in criticising
the Hartford hippodrome. Followers of
the Grand Circuit were saying a week
ago that John A. Pilgard, the president
of the Connecticut Fair Association, had
opposed the whole arrangement to the
point Of putting in his resignation when
the contract with those who controlled
the horses was not changed. This con-
tract limited the race" to two heats,
with an even division OF the purse in
case each horse won heat and a 60-40
division II either horse won both heats.
To the credit OF w. Fl. Gocher, who
made the Objectionable contract, 1t
should be said that instead of trying to
make the public believe it was a bona
fide match, he published the terms of
the arrangement far and wide. 50 that
everybody might know what to expect.
Notice to Horsewise Folk.
When Ed. A. Upton. president of
the Kentucky Trolting Horse Breeders
Association. tried to arrange a race be-
tween the kingpin trotter and PAGER for
the October meeting at Lexington, and
then gave it up. as told exclusively III
THE SUNDAY HERALD a fortnight ago, 1t
was an intimaton to horsewise folk
that one or the other of the parties to
the proposed race did not have faith in
his horse or else did not want to bind
himself to drive from end to end in an
up-and-up contest.
What happened at Hartford. as seen
by expert horsemen, seemed to be that
Ed Allen, who drove Single c., conceded
the first heat to Peter Manning. but per-
haps tried, in an unintellgent way, to
win the second. The betting indicated
this, for after the PAGER had lost the
nrst heat. apparently through Aliens
feeble effort in the homestretch, the bet
ting in the handbooks was about to 10
against him for the second heat Tnis
time Allen trailed to the half In 06 n
and on to the three-quarters in :3S
without making a drive. Indeed one of
the best known trainers on the circuit,
who was IN a position to see the horses
at the head of the homestretch, said that
Single @. was then two or three lengths
behind Peter Manning. Murphy's horse
trotted the last quarter In 2S seconds.
and the PAGER was unequal to the task
OF catching him. SO the critics said.
Gocher and Allen stoutly maintained
after the race that 1t was a genuine
contest in which Murphy outgeneraled
the driver of Single G. The Connecti-
cut Fair Association. however. held up
the PAGERS share of the purse on the
ground that he had not been driven to
win.
The Hartford fasco is only one of
many like 1t in the annals OF harness
racing. and New York horsemen have
4
happened almost forty years ago, old
timers have not yet forgotten the one
in which St. Julien. 2:11L. and Jay
Eye-See. 2:10. then the fastest trotters
that had ever come together, met at
Fleetwood Park, In 1sS3. 1t was given
out that they raced for a purse of $1,000,
but Il was afterward said that Orrin
Hickok. "the Talleyrand of the turf"
who controlled and drove st. Julien, had
hired the services of Jay-Eye-See for
$4,000 to make the race against st.
Julien, Hickok having rented the track
for the day. The largest crowd ever on
the grounds, estimated as high as 25, 600
persons. turned out to see the contest,
Gen. Grant. Senator conkling, William
III. Vanderbilt. William Rockefeller and
hundreds of other noted road riders
and amateur horsemen OF those great
days swelling the attendance.
When Jerome ]. Case, the millionaire
owner Of Jsy-Eye-See, demurred about
starting his horse. after the great crowd
had assembled, IL was said that visions
OF all the money Hickok was going to
rake In at the gate inspired his action
10. tne purpose or exacting a larger
share Of the proceeds. but whatever his
motive may have been David Bonner,
George 3. Alley and Frank II. Ellis. the
stand very positively that IL he did not
start Jay-Eye-Sec that day he would
never start him or any other horse in
the future on any trotting track In the
the United States. Mr.. Bonner once told
me they were ready TO expel man and
horse. The little black gelding won
easily In 2:2oA, 2:1sh and 2 :1s, Ma
than Strauss young horse, Majolica,
trotting an exhibition mile as fast as
the winners time In the Anal heat 1t
was St Julien's last race, and 1t showed
plainly that his day was past.
The Alix-Directum Ffnsco.
Hickok put over another fiasco with
financial success good many years
later. when he was training Directum.
2:05L. Monroe Salisbury then had
Aiix. 2:03&, holder of the worlds rec
ord, and II was announced that a purse
OF $4,000 had been hung up for the
champion stallion and mare to race al
Mystc Park, near Boston, on October
20. 1894. Fifteen thousand persons
went TO see the expected contest, but
what they saw was a broken down
horse, unfit to start. trying 10 beat n
mare that was then In great form. Di-
rectum mixed. paced and broke into n
gaflop when urged to trot fast and
finally was drawn after Aiix had beaten
him In jog In 200 and :t4%.
The memorable race between Cresceus,
2:02A. and Tho Abbot. 2:0sk, al
Brighton Beach. twenty years ago. will
-. n a.