The New York herald., 1921-10-09
OLD UNION COURSE
MADE ETURF HISTORY
Next Saturday Centennial An
niyersary of Opening of Most
Famous American Track.
ITS BUILDERS UNKNOWN
Hiram Woodruff's Road House
and John Murphy's Blacksmith
Shop Remain to Mark Site.
ny GURNEY c. CUE.

ny GURNEY C. CUE.
BY an interesting coincidence the
close of the Long Island racing season
neyD Saturday will be the centennial
anniversary of the opening of the his
tc-1o Union Course. not far from the
present track Of the Metropolitan Jockey
Club. 1t was on October is, 1921,
that the first race took place on what
afterward became the best known track
+ IN American turf history. How little
attention has been given to turf his
tory by succeeding generations of horse
men Is shown by the scarcity of infor-
nation now available concerning this
old race ground on which many Of the
greatest turf contests were decided
The names OF the men who brought Il
into existence are unknown and there
Is some uncertainty about even the
name of the association through which
they acted while many of the early
races there have long since been forgot
ten because never reported at the time
they occurred. What little we know at
this late day is for the most part to be
found in fragments scattered through the
racing memoranda and the recollections
of old time turfmen, as published in the
American Turf Re0tster and the Spirit
of the Times.
On Jamaica Turnpike.
The building OF the Union Course
seems to have resulted from the forna-
tion of the first association of horse
men In this city who were Interested in
racing, and from revision of the laws
in 1921. which excluded the county OF
Queens from the Statewide prohibition
OF horse racing. This association was
first organized in 1919 and established
course at Bath. L. l., in the county of
Kings. where meetings were held in that
year and again In 1920. For some rea-
son or other-David w. Jones of Cold
Spring Harbor once said rather vaguely
1t was because the location proved to be
unsatisfactory--this course was aban-
doned after two seasons. the association
reorganized and plot of ground pur-
chased about two miles west of Jamaica
on the south side Of the famed Jamaica
Turnpike. where a new mile track was
laid out and enclosed under the title of
the Union Course. Here larger purses
were offered and racing was placed on a
more elevated and more permanent foot
ing than before. It can only be con-
Jectured who the leaders were in this
important movement. but the names of
John c, Stevens. Walter Livingston, Cor
nelius w. Van Ranst and Charles Henry
Hall are among those that instantly
come to mind MS the pillars Of the turf
at this period in this city.
One Race on Days Card.
A single event constituted a days
racing when the gates of the Union
were thrown open for the first time.
yet the enthusiasts who rode. drove or
trudged on foot over the eight miles of
road which separated the city from the
ecene of sport on that October day. one
hundred years ago. witnessed more run
ming. measured by actual distance, than
will be seen at the Metropolitan Jockey
Clubs track next Saturday I'm tho qf6lr T
dozen races which nowadays make up
the card.
The Union Association. as the organ
ization seems TO have been called, irad
hung up the nunifcent sum OF $500
for a race at four-mile heats. and there
had come together four horses, one of
them a turf champion of the highest
order that had travelled over the road
all the way from Maryland to compete
for the prize. This was the nine-year-
Old brown mare Lady Lightfoot, by Sir
Archie, then owned by J. ID. Sleeper and
rever beaten In his hands Her chief
competitor was the seven-year- old chest
nut stallion American Eclipse, bred on
Long Island AMI owned by Mr.. Van
training after a stud season Of eighty
seven mares. to help out the opening OF
the new track. Flag of Truce bred
and entered by Peter s. Schenck, of
New Jersey, and a horse called Heart
of Oak, owned by Isaac Schomp, also
started, but both were drawn after the
first heat.
Race Made Eclipse Champion.
The Maryland mare. one of the fastest
and stoutest campaigners ever seen up
70 that time, started favorite at 1 TO 2.
and In the first heat led until the last
quarter of the last mile, when Eclipse.
ridden by SamSel Purdy. passed her and
won by about two lengths in :O4- In
the second heat the Long Island stallion
took the lead in running the second
mile and distanced his only competitor in
:o2. All that Is known OF the other two
days racing at this short inaugural
meeting Is that Mr.. Sleeper's Lady Rich
mond. bay mare by imported Eagle
won at three-mile heats in .02 and
6:O5. and that the noted three-year-old
flly Brunette, by Telegraph, was beaten
at two-mile heats by Mr.. Redon's An
gelica. The new course was afterward
found to measure thirty feet over one
mile.
His defeat of the renowned Lady
Jightfoot made Eclipse the champion
four miller of the Northern turf and set
in motion the series of events leading
UP TO the great sectional match of a year
later. In which he was backed by COM
pany'o New York turfmen for $50, 900
stakes to beat any horse the South
could produce at the post on the Union
Course I'm the spring Of 1929. The story
of this memorable match race. which
was witnessed by $4,000 people. repre-
senting all parts OF the country and
which marked the beginning OF new
era i'm turf sports, is as n twice told tale
II gave the Union place among race
tracks which never has been and proba-
bly, never will be equalled. A book
would be required 10 tell the story of al
the important contests-running and
frotting--which were decided there dur
ing the half century OF its existence.
Trotters Under saddle.
The first trottIng race reported at the
Union took place on December 2s. 1880
when Cadwalader r. Golden was the man
ager. Whalebone. Sir Andrew. Bull Cali
IL. kaa t,