"Breeder and Sportsman" (1888)
English: Title: Breeder and sportsman Identifier: breedersportsma131888sanf (find matches) Year: 1882 (1880s) Authors: Subjects: Horses Publisher: San Francisco, Calif. : (s. n. ) Contributing Library: San Francisco Public Library Digitizing Sponsor: California State Library Califa/LSTA Grant View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: ^H*=^ae ^J Text Appearing After Image: SAN FKANCISCO, SATURDAY, JULY 21 1888. AMERICAN TROTTERS in FRANCE. Misty Morning:, Pat Dempsey. Kozyr, Capu- cine—The Aeony is Over. Pabis, June 19—AJdoublful, cloady eky, a chilly nor'- we3ti-r, aud the absence of the snn marked the third meeting of irotters at Paris-Vincennes, yesterday. Still, falling weather kiodly remaining away, a large number of sight- seers gaihered at the firBt trotting hippodrome of "La Belle France." Sight-seers, yes, many; horsemen, few; book- makers and their victims an innnmerable quantity. Of coarse, the old gaard was there, the faiihfnl few that nothing short vi a funeral can keep away. And this reminds me that it was the dav appointed for the fnneral of poor Emperor Frederick III. of Germany, a martyr and a hero, whose un- toward taking away every Frenchman, I may say, deplores. Yes, he was appreciated on this side of the Rhine as a man of liberal intentions, with a philosophical and literary tarn of mind, a desire to do right, an unmitigated contempt for military distinction, mindful of the horrors of war and desir- ous of peace on almost any terms. To-day William II. reigns, and Europe stands uncertain, waiting to see what this young man, moulded by Bismark, may bring forth, and whether or no the Emperor of to-day will endorse the senti- ments of the Kronprinze of yesterday. But I am all abroad with my subject. I meant to talk horse and I fall into politics. Let us resume our account of the Summer Meeting yesterday. Six races, of which two were international, filled the pro- gramme, and the first Whs: Prix de Nugent, 2,500f., for stallions and mares, four, five and Bix years old, born and raised in France; to harness, two or four wheels optional; l,300f. and GDtries to first, 800f. lo second, 400f. to third; fourth gets back his entry; entry 50f., forfeit 20f., weight of vehicle and driver optional; dis- tance 4,500 meters, (two miles six and a half furlongs). Oat of eleven entries six horses came to the post, starting with Kalouga, a handsome bay mare, in the lead. Kalouga is another pseudo-French mare, being born here of Russian parents. She is a good animal, but did not shine particu- larly yesterday, as Jber driver evidently pulled her, for reasons better known to himself and probably to her owner. He dropped third immedtately, so as to make sure not to win, leaving the race to be disputed by Varvar, Kalouga's half-brother on the sire's side, and the French mare Diva. These two struggled honestly for the lead, and though Var- var kept it for a mile he was finally passed by Diva, then passed her again, and finally had to give it up on account of want of wind. This horse is good for two miles and fast, but anything over that distance interferes with his respira- tory organs, he having undergone twice a throat operation on account of thickness of wind, which, alas! has not proved totally efficient. Neither broke during the whole length of the race of almost three miles. Here is the reBult: Diva, ch m 6. by Phseton—Pretty Boy, 7:36,1-5 rate of 2:42 per mile) 1 Varvar, gr s 6, by Peretz—Metcha, 7:39 2 Kalouga, b m 5 by tertz—Kassatka, 7:40 4-5 3 Gentleman b c 4, by Tigris—Conqnerant, 7:51 4 And now comes the International, to saddle. For the first time the Haras de Marishall, irom Frankfort.(on the Main, not Kentucky), appears on the Hippodrome de Vincennes, ready to fight French and Russian horses with American importations. And right good ones they are, two. They c >me with Bob Johnson for the Baddle race, and-Pat Demp- sey for the harness race. But, alas! and alack a day, fates vere not propitious, and though both horse and driver did their best, it was not to be this time, and brave old Kezyr once more remained the undisputed champion of the meet- ing, trotting his three miles and one furlong at the rate of 2:35-J per mile, and could have done it, says Malcolm, six seconds faster, had it been neceasary. Oh! it was a hand- some race, and there was good riding you may rest assured. Ten horses entered, six stirted, three French, two Russian, one American, bat it was evident from the start that the Teal play waB between Bob Johnson and Kozyr. As for the Russian, Superbe, he was only entered to allow him to start later in the season in the races at Havre. Besides, he was lame. Epinal, the third horse is fast, but uncertain. He is endowed with a fair share of "cassedness," aad in order to punish him for not winning, I Sprtsame, his owner started him in the next race, which was for two milej so that he got five miles and one furlong almost uninterruptedly. Smart and sensible, don't you think so? Sure, they had not the time to dry him, nor did (hey care or try. As for poor old Ponrquoi-Pas, coming fourth, wearily dragging his twenty- two years along, let ub praise bim. The heroc old fellow is so stiff from age and track work that he requires two solid hours' walk to limber him up before they start him for any race. Bat the bell rings, with a last'shout the bookmakers rush to the front, offering aew odds as the different struggles in the race unroll before the public, the horses leave the pad- deck, enter the track and hasten to the starting point, which on French tracks, varies according to the length of the race. And, behold! the old warrior, Pourquoi-Pas, takes the lead with the greatest assurance possible, Bob, Kozyr and Epinal follow in succession. At the end of the first quarter Epinal leaves his cassedness and goes to the front, Bob and Kozyr followed him, and the old man is left behind. And so they keep on aud pass the grand stand, Bob and Kozyr evidently husbanding their speed for the crucial test. Then they both pass Epinal. and for the second time approaching the grand stand, Bob Johnson, with a superb swinging action, passes Kozyr amidst the frantic yelling of a French crowd; but, alas! his triumph is bnt short. He is up and breaks. Poor Bob has hit himself and it seems to cut all tbe spted and ambi- tion out of him. Kozyr regains the lead, and after a beauti- ful tarn of trot on the backsrtetch he turns on the home- stretch and is taken in hand by Malcolm, who brings him home leisurely, a winner, with the following summary as the result of the race, Prix de VEte (international), to saddle, 3,000f for stallions, mares and geldings; all ages and all countries, four years old and over, l,800f. and entries to first; 800f. to second, 400f. to third; fourth gets back his entry; entry 100f.. forfeit 25f.; weight, four years, 68 kilos; five years, 73 kilos; 3ix years and over, 75 kilss; distance, 5,000 meters (three miles and a furlong.) Eozyr, bib 8 Russian, 8:04 4-5, rate of 2:36$ per mile 1 Bob Jobnson.bg American, 8:01* 2 Epinal, b s French. Bill, 1.5. 3 Pourqnoi-Pas.br g French, 8:26 4 Unplaced: Bonne Mere, Saperbe. Drawn: Thabor, Varvar, Milton, Bonita. This was a race indeed, but the following was quite tame compared to it, as it was a selling race, interesting particu- larly the owners. Seven horses started out of eight entries, and here is the due account of the conditions of the races, which itself desirves nopeaticular mention:" Prix Daumesnil, to saddle, 2,000f.; for stallions and maaes born and raised in France, three, four and five years old; all horses to be claimed for 5,000f., l,200f. and entries to first; 500 to second, 300f. to third; fourth will first doable his entjy; entry 50f., forfeit 20f.; weight: three years, 62 kilos; four >ears, 6S kilos; five years, 72 kilos; three-year-olds will start at 3,050 meters, four-year-olds at 3,150 meters, five- year-olds at 3,200 meters (2 miles); horses to be claimed for 2,500f. will start as follows: three-year-olds, 2,975 meters; four-year-olds, 3,075 meters; five year-olds, 3,125 meters; distance. 3.200 meters (2 miles). Happe, b f 3, 2,600f., trotts 2,975 meters In 5:22i, rate of 2;54 per mile 1 Herxisson.ib c 3, 2,500f., 5:24 2 Gltano, be 4, 2.60nf., 6:29,2-5 3 Monsquetaire, gr c 5, 5.l00f., 6:4', 1-5 4 Unplaced: Heroine, Actrice and Frigate. The winner was claimed for 2,610f. As I was leisurely strolling along before the grand stand at the beginning of this race, accompanied by the vociferations of the bookmakers, seeking to drown the quiet and orderly Paris mutuels. one yell louder than the rest caused me to turn around. It reminded me of New York and Thompson Street, and, in fact, it was uttered by a full fledged colored bookmaker, elbowing his way among hie white confreres, who were nothing loathe to welcome him in their ranks. "Two to one Happe, two to one," cried he lustily, and as I stared at him in amazement, I thonght of what a row he would have raised in an American crowd. But here tbey don't mind such small differences. What's in a name? says Shapespeure What's in tbe color? they say over here. And he tilled quietly his book. I was thinking of looking at the horses, Blowly wending tbeir way on tbe track, when I was buttonholed by a woald-be connoisseur, who tried to prove to me tbat all'cbecfes and martingales'were a snare and a delnsion, and that he had a boy 14 years old, learning to be a jockey, and who could manage any kind of a horse any- how without the use of such contrivances. Well, I think that if he took a good look at-Pat Dempsey in the harness race might have seen th it both checking and martingaling were quite as useful as ornamental, and he might have hesitated before confiding the hopes of his declinioR years to Pat without chfck or martingale. And so. you see, between the colored bookmaker on one side and the ami martingale maniac on the other, I lost sight of the race, which was no great losa after all. Bat in the next race a great sarprise was in store for all — an unpleasant sarprise indeed for these who indulge freely their betting propensities. And if I am proud nf one thing, it is that they came to grief through the misbehaving of my favorite filly" Haydee, the Ruseo-pseudo-French. She was faster than ever yesterday, but fall of the devil, and her rider did not have nerve enough to conquer her. So after a boat half a mile of splendid trotting, distancing all her competitors, she took it into her head to break and run for about 200 yards, and poor Bondet could not stop her, though he tried hard. Ah! if Malcolm now had had the squeeze of her between his mighty knees, the tables might have been turned and the gamblers on the favorite might have been made happy. Bnt it was not to be, and so she was disqualified and disgracefully returned to the barn, amidst the shrieks of a thousand losers. "Well, good luck to her, 6be gave the belting fraternity a good lesson. The rest of the rsce was tame and concluded as follows: Prix de la Sockte, to saddle; 5,000f. for colts and 611ies bcin in France in 1885 and raised there; 3.000f. and entries to first, l.OOOf. to second; 700f. to third, 300f. to fourth, fifth gets back his entry; entrv 100f., h f.; weignt, 62 kilos; distance, 3,000 meters (one mile and seven furlongs). Hantmesnil, ch c by Phaeton—Conquerant. 5:09, 4-5 (rate of 2:45 per mile) 1 Heliotrope, br c by Valinconrt—Conqnerant, 5:10, 2-5 2 Heliodore. b c by Un Elu. 5:23 3 Oberon, b c by Revoli—Phaeton, 5.24 4 Oriflamme, blk f by Lavater—Slowmatch. 5:261 6 Unplaced: Balthazar, Halo. Drawn: Eermine, Hortense. Disqualified, Haydee. And now we have reached the sixth event of the day and Malcolm is in the saddle once more. Ah! what a difference in his ridiug compared to that of the monkeys surrounding him and handing on their horses like grim death to a de- ceased colored gentleman. Bnt he only gets second money, for the little horse he rides, Yilna by name, has been in his hands hardly a week and he lacks staying power, which Malcolm's training will give him in due time. Speed he hap, and of no mean order. But his opponent Grande Dame, is a good mare though a slovenly goer—one of the kind thrit trots with the bodyie as much as with the legs, so that at a distance you may fancy she is constantly on the break, which, indeed, she is not, but gaining ground surely but in a disreputable way, whilst Vilna, a handsome chest- nut, five yearsold, with light mane and tail, trots squarely and evenly, head and tail up, and his rider may sit on him with hardly a move of his body. It would surely cure Johnny Murphy for good of all his troubles just to see bim once. And so they start, Yilna in the lead, Mandragore next, Grande Dame third. Down the hill Grende Dame tries to pass, bat is unsuccessful. On they go to the turn, where, with another of her gyrating efforts, Grande Dame succeeds in passing Yilna, who breaks but soon recovers. It was the story of Bob and Kozyr repeated, bat this time Malcolm had tbe wrong end of the stick. And so they came onto tbe wire without another change, as follows: Prxi de Croix, 3,000 francs, for stallions and mares four and five years old, born and raised in France; 2,000f. to first, 700f. to second; 300s. to third, fourth gets back entry, entry 75f., forfeit 25f.; weights: 4 years, 68 kilos; 5 years, 75 kilos; 4,000 (two miles and a half). Grande Dame, b f 4, 6:47 (rate of 2:43 per mile) 1 Vilna, ch b 6. 6:52 2 Gallant II.. be 4.6:54 3 Mandragore. ch m 6, 6:56 4 And now for the concluding tableau. The Great Interna- tional Race to harness—France, America, Rnssia and Ger- many pitted against each other, tbe latter with an American trotter. Bloodless battles, thank God, in which no mother may mourn the loss of her preoious first-born, and where no greater harm may happen but tbe Ions of a few dollars to the bettingly inclined. The Great Kozyr is out of the fray, rest- ing on his freshly-won laurels. Here comes tbe bright American mare Misty Morning, with good old Charley Dick- ermun behind her, and entered by Mr. A. Terry. Over there, quietly walking, unchecked and" poorly hooked up, looms np the French queen Capncine, a compactly built bay mare. No road too lone for her, and no B. G. nonsense about her, as Dickens used to say. Do yon see tbat black, handsome, up-headed gelding, of check and martingale fume, tbat troubled the Frenchman's viBicn? Tbnt is Pat Dempsey, the American, who has taken naturalization papers in Ger- many. That handsome grey is the Russian Thabor 111., who has not a ehoet of a chance, and thnt poor skeleton of the same color in all tbat is left of poor Resway of tracheo- tomy fame, who is fast going to the dogs. Alas! his owDer was shut up in « mad-house five weeks ago. So you see that is not a happy family. Tbat great black gawk in London, a misformed Russian monster. As for Milton, Misty Morn- ing's stable companion, he is absent, though a much better horse to-day than he was a year ago. No sign of Mollie Wilbee anywhere. So here they are in presence, three Rn- pians. two Americans and one Frenchman ready for I The employe at the gates lets them all ont on the tn> (Continued on 5th page) Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.