Evening star., 1939-08-06
Goshen Bu|ges at Seams Again, With All Set
For Running of Homb|etonion Wednesday,;
Peter Astru Rules Hot Fovorite
BY ORLO ROBERTSON,
Associated Press Sports Writer.

oOoAAcA>, 1>. l., mug D. Ills
drowsy village of $500, stepped in the
lore of the trotting horse, once more
is ready for the ten-fold increase in
its population which always takes
place when the pick of the Ma
tions 3-year-old trotters match
strides in the $4,000 Hambletonian.
Already Goshen's winding, elm
shaded Main street is bustling with
activity. All of the rooms in the
towns rambling hostelries long since
have been reserved. Housewives
have busted off the furniture in the
spare room to help take care of the
overflow crowd that for one day
makes Goshen the capital of the
sports world
That one day for 1899 will be
next Wednesday.
Park Spick- Span.
Bill Cane, sponsor of the buggy
whip derby since 1880, has Good
Time Park spick- k-and-span. Over a
large section of the bleacher seats
has been stretched a canvas to
break the rays of the sun. The
big betting tent has been pitched
behind the grandstand, next door
to the Ladies' Aid Society's refresh
ment tent.
Along the midway" leading from
the newly painted barns to the
stands, other concessionaires are
ready to bark their wares while
here and there are scattered little
booths housing bookmakers, who
offer 2 to l on a 6-to-1 shot.
For week now, horsemen who,
on the smallest excuse, reel off the
breeding and record of horses that
raced way back when, have been
leaning over the WhiteWashed fence,
watching the horses 60 through their
PAGES or lounging on hotel porches
discussing the merits of Hamble-
tonian candidates and such great
champions as Greyhound and Billy
Direct.
All of which would tend to indi-
cate that Goshen's hospitality might
be taxed. But somehow the little
Orange County capital manages to
make all happy, even though it does
bulge little at the seams.
Maybe it is the county fair atmos-
phere that annually surrounds the
trottlng classic. Or maybe it is
because the natives have not learned
how to charge SO cents for a 25-
cent drink.
Atmosphere Attracts Many.
The Grand Circuit meeting at
Canes f1at-iron-shaped track ac-
tually gets under way Monday, but it
Is toward the Hambletonian that
both townfolk and horsemen are
looking. Even then the setting al
most overshadows the race itself.
thousands come to Goshen because
they love trotters but thousands
more make their annual pilgrimage
just to soak up some of the at
mosphere.
The only two reinsmen ever to
win the Hambletonian twice both
have entries this year. They are
Ben White, winner of 1888 with
Ben White, winner in 1888 with
Rosalind, and Henry Thomas, who
scored with Lawrence Sheppard s
Shirley Hanover in 1887 and McLin
last year.
But the betting is odds-on that
DR.. H. M. Parshall of Urbana, Ohio,
will join the pair in their dual
record niche on Wednesday. The
Ohio veterinarian. winner with Lord
Jim in 1884 will be up behind
Peter Astra, top money winning q
year-old of 1888, unbeaten in four
starts this season,
Peter Astra is owned by country
doctor, DR.. L. M. Guilinger of And
over, Ohio, who hopes his patients
Will stay in good health while he
follows the fortunes of the son of
Peter Volo. Peter Astra trotted a
mile in 2:0214 his last time out at
Old Orchard Beach, Me. Some
horsemen are predicting he'll travel
around Canes track in two minutes
or better.
Chief among Peter Astra's rivals
are Gauntlet, owned by C. w.
Phellls of New York City, and Bag
piper, a consistent money winner
from E. Roland Harriman's Arden
Homestead.
Ned Abbey Dark Horse.
II any dark horse" upsets the
18th edition of the race it's expected
to be Ned Abbey, owned by Aaron
Williams of Corning, N. Y, and
conditioned by that astute trainer
Walter Long Shot" Cox. Ned Abbey
Gid not start as a juvenile and has
not shown much this year except
IN workouts. But, experts point out.
neither did McLin and he won last
year in straight heats after Cane
and Cox sold him to Sheppard for
$4,000 a week before the race.
The other starters are expected to
come from field that consists of
The Abbot, owned jointly by Bill
Strang of New York, Ben White of
Lexington, KY, and j. j. Mooney of
Fremont, Ohio; Homer D. Biery's
Belmont Hanover of Butler, Pa: I.
o. Blake's Britannia of New York;
Sheppard's Cherry Hanover: Chris
tine, property of Dunbar Bostwick
and his sister, Mrs. Ogden Phipps of
Old Westbury, N. Y: j. J. McIn-
tyres Lyrmite of Cleveland; Har-
rimans Spud Hanover and voltina
from Jacob G. Lang's Buffalo On. "