The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-27
IN BIC RACE MEET
Speed. Events at Free Fair To
Be Well Worth Seeing.
Four $1,000 Stakes Attract
Many Well known Horses.
LAST YEARS WINNERS RETURN
In Four Big Stake Events 1O6
Horses Are Entered. ;
0. P. Updegraff, Veteran
Starter, Still on Job This Year.

The horse races at the Kansas Free
Fair. September II to IT. WILL 10 say
the least, be worth seeing.
o. p. Updegraff. who has been
starter for a quarter of a century, is
himself authority for this statement,
and when 'Updee" says these races
will be good. comparing them, men
tally. as he must be. with races all
over the United States, It must con-
vince even the most scepticai. Up
degraff will start at the Free Fair
this year as he has at the Topeka
meetings for the last fifteen years
Besides starting races all over the
country in his time. including the four
100000 stake races at the World S
Fair in San Francisco. which were Tor
the biggest purses ever put up IN the
world. Updegraff bred race horses,
sold and raced them for years and
knows horse flesh from A to q.
Four Big Stakes Attract.
The four big $1,000 stake races are
attracting some real horses this year
In these four events alone los horses
have been entered. The largest num-
Der in any one class is thirty-five in
the 2:17 pace, while the 2:20 trot has
thirty-four entries. The least number
OF entries is thirteen in the S-year-old
trot.
A very unusual fact this year is
that the 3-year-old pace did not MI
It happened that none Of those stables
entering horses at 1he Topeka expo
sition had any s-yeAr-old PAGERS, and
this is extra ordinary because the other
events have filled so largely. How
ever, this will mean little loss to the
fans. as the colt races are never as in
teresting as the class races.
Altho fewer race horses are being
bred today, according to the veteran
starter, it is not because interest in
racing is on the wane Bigger crowds
have been attending the meetings this
year than ever before As result.
good horses are worth more money
now than in years past.
Race Men like Topeka.
The races here" Updegraff de-
clared, will be the best TO be found
on the haIf-mile track. Race horse
men like to come to Topeka because
it is within easy reach. the accOmmo-
dations. treatment and purses arc
good. The $1,000 takes draw the
best class Of horses on the haif-mile
track within reasonable reach.
man having class for one or two en-
tries in the big stakes will bring his
entire stable and enter in the late
closing purse events. This fact gives
US nice class as well as a goodly num-
Der OF horses in each event"
new move is being made by the
Free Fair association this year. In
the late closing races. which close
August q, no deductions will be made
from the winners of the added money
purses
Updegraff personally knows a large
number of the horses nominating In
the races here this year and is famil-
lar with their ability. Some of them
are real steppers." OF course.
there are many others, most OF them
new animals. which he does not know.
some of which may turn out to be
even better than the old timers. But
let "Updee" tell a little about those
horses he knows, which will give an
idea OF the class OF animals TO be seen
here this year.
"Updce" Names Good Ones.
In the 2:2O trot there is T. b J.,
who trotted in 2:13 at a race in Ere
donia last week. Then there is the