Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-10-17
By Gene Day.

- vear-old document of interest
20 every District racing fan-the orlgl-
nal charter Of the Maryland Jockey
Club. Despite the fact that organized
racing existed close to the National
Capital some 80 years prior to off1cial
recognition of that magma charter
of the turf" it well served its destiny,
after adoption, as a primary rule
book. Some Of its regulations, how
ever. would be as in appropriate to-
day as hoop skirts and bustles at
White House reception. For example,
there is a provision that: "All mem
beers and their families shall pass the
cate free. and all who are not men,
bers shall pay the following tolls,
viz: For every four-wheel carriage,
100 cents; for every gig, cart, tWo-
wheel carriage and man on horse
back, rs cents; for every person on
foot, IS cents.
THE stewards shall wear white
rose or some other distinctive badge.
It shall be their duty to attend on
the course, preserve order, clear the
track and keep off the crowd from
horses coming to the stand after the
close Of a heat. They may employ
able bodied men to assist them. The
three judges in the starting stand
shall keep that stand clear Of any
intrusion during the pendency OF a
heat and also see that the riders are
dressed in Jockey style-to wit, Jockey
cap, silk jacket, pantaloons and half
boots. There shall be two distance
Judges and three patrol judges, who
shall repair to the judges stand after
each heat and report the nags that
are distanced, and foul riding, II
there be any"
Now, once more the maws of Mary
lands parimutuels are disgorging gold
to the lucky. Jockeys, CARRIED IN
wooden and rubber garments, by dint
of roadwork have pared away those
creases of flesh which formerly
adorned their waistlines. The rail
birds are jumping out of bed at
chandeliers first call in order to
watch sunrise trials of promising fillies
or big-boned geldings Bettors are
Matching out new lunches and trying
revised systems of picking the win
ners. Brisk, crisp autumnal days, with
the countryside and woods CARRIED in
rainbowlike rainent, lure throngs 10
the nearby race tracks.
And right here let's digress long
enough to give credit where it is due.
All of us have heard the fame Of Vir-
ginia and Kentucky as superlative
horse raising and racing States ever
since we were big enough to compre-
bend. Maryland seemingly drew q
bye In all such chatter. Rightfully,
MARYLAND rates at the van. The Mary
land Jockey Club was in operation 80
wears before the Declaration OF indie
pendence was signed. Maryland was
raising bangtails and holding races as
early as 1740. Four more track sea-
sons and Maryland will celebrate her
bicentennial of the dynasty Of King
thoroughbred.
"A MoNG the first to subscribe to the
MARYLAND Jockey Club after it was
chartered was Gen. Andrew jackson,
spectacular Old Hickory. He was al
WAYS interested in the improvement OF
American horses by the use OF better
blood and systematic selection.
lust one other reference to We olden
days before your correspondent dives
into a description of what goes on
backstage at the modern Maryland
tracks. In browsing through old files
of the Congressional Record, he noted
that on October "a. 1877, Congress adj
journed in order that the lawmakers
could journey by tallyho, six-in-hand,
surrey, coach, trap, one-hoss shay and
rail to Pimlico to watch 2h2-mlle
race, weight for age, between Parole,
Ten Brock and Tom Ochiltree, grand
champions of the American turf.
Twenty thousand spectators, an out
pouring of the population for those
days, cheered the thrilling victory OF
Parole in an almost blanket finish.
A dozen smooth-stepping steeds line
ilp across the track. The veteran
Etarter, who has sent them away in
$4,000 races, watches the field closely,
ready when the lineup is exactly right
tn signal the rise of the barrier. Tense
interest grips the many thousands In
the stands. A few tardy bettors charge
toward the betting windows to place
their wagers before the deadline. Then
the peal of the bell-they're off!
Horses strain and lengthen out Ball
like punches of muscle show where
none previously was apparent. The
thunder of flying hoofs synchronizes
with the spatter Of pellets Of clay and
loan sprayed from the moist-surfaced
track as the racers plunge and stride
"into high"
Unseen by the average spectator and
unknown to the majority, an electri-
cal timing device goes into action with
the break of the barrier. It plots Its
precise messages of the flight of the
split seconds as the shifting field Of
flying thoroughbreds round the frs
turn of the carefully manicured track
Brilliant colors fash in the bright sun
light, Jockeys clamped to their steed!
like -ivet heads In boiler plate, horses
drawing In air oxygen and giving ou
additional, speed, spectators IN tn
stands yelling. shrieking, shouting ant
swaying while the automatic time
clicks of the record.
On the last turn four horses ar
punched, with the rest OF the melt
struggled out behind. Here the.
come. The thoroughbreds respond Il
the whips. Stretch runners unlimbe
their sprints for the finish. The hors
on the pole Is shoulder ahead
hundred yards from the tape. Tw'
others so close up that a single laria
would rope the three. The onlooker
dizzy with excitement. The pole hors
has given his best. He falters trim
almost at the finish. The two othe
contenders. with a spate-annihilatln
"kick" in their last wild dash TO
the line, move up. Three horses Loo
like one to the thousands in tn
grandstand; the fourth runner is 8
close that q small tent would cove
the straining. heaving. mad-runnin
nuartet pandemonium possesses tn