The Close at Harlem, Daily Racing Form, 1899-07-09

article


view raw text

THE CL03E AT HARLEM. Saturday furnished a fine afternoon, for racing and a big half-holiday crowd of about 7.50O ent to Harlem to bid that track good-bye for a fortnight. It was Harlems last day of its second two-weeks term, and Secretary Nath-anson offered a grand card, consequently tbo fine attendance. An owners handicap at eight and a half furlongs and a selling race at two miles were the principle features. Besides these attractions there was a well-balanced mile and a quarter race and another, a three-quarter dash, that brought together the ba3t sprinters at the track. The field was small in the owners handicap, only three, John Baker, Tenby and Monk Way-man going to the post. All were well backed, but Tenby closed an odds-on favorite at 9 to 10. He ran his race, and a good one, too, but John Baker did better, and, leading from flag-fall to finish, the son of Seguin Lula Baker won handsomely by a length and a half. When the horses went to the post for the two mile race every seat in the grandstand was occupied and a big crowd filled the center field. The betting ring was deserted. This goes to show how popular long distance races are and this particular one furnished an excellent contest to look at. Starter Dwyer sent the field away at the first attempt to a beautiful start and the first time around the field passed the stand well bunched. It was truly a stirring contest, and when the horses swept past the stand, each one fighting for its head and the riders on the lookout for an opening where they could better their positions or save ground the crowd sent up a series of cheers that seemed to put new life in the boys and horses. At any rate, after the first mile, the pace began to quicken and down the back-stretch first Sunburst and then Mr. Easton fell back beaten. On the far turn Barton and Ban-quo II. moved up rapidly and the cry went up, "Teutons is beaten!" but Knight, who rode the Barrett colt, had something up his sleeve and when well straightened away for home parted company with the others and won very cleverly by about a length. Banquo II. and Barton fought it out hard for the place, the former winning by a half length. There was a lot of speed in the six-furlong sprint and it furnished by far the best bettiag race of the day. Old Meddler was the favorite and opening at 2 to 1 was backed down to 9 to 5. He won and won off by himself and incidentally won a few more new friends for himself. He did not get a running start either, but stopped into a deep hole and stumbled shortly after the start, but this cut no figure. He smothered his field for speed in the first five furlongs and loafed the final eighth. Sam Wagner and others from Dayton, Ohio, made a "killing" on tha mile and a quarter race. They backed Maym3 M. M. from 20 to 1 down to 8 to 1 and the filly won handsomely from Uarda, who was miserably ridden by Rutter. "Umbrella" McGuigan, who has not been right sinca. the flcod, let his, or rather, his daughter Ethels filly, Unsightly, run loose in the first race. Unsightly was 8 to 1 in the betting and won like a lady for her fair owner. The sport closed with a mile race under sell, ing conditions, and Sidney Benders filly Free Hand, desperately ridden by T. Knight, wo after a hard drive from Newsgatherer and Eg-barb. By winning on Free Hand, Knight made it four victories to his credit during the afternoon. This is a most promising light weight and is in good hands.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1890s/drf1899070901/drf1899070901_1_6
Local Identifier: drf1899070901_1_6
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800