view raw text
ABOUT OGDENS FUTURITY VICTORY. Story of How Marcus Daly Was Persuaded to Start the Colt. II. I. Wilson, president of the Butte Racing Association, was a close personal friend of the late Marcus Daly during the latter years of the life of the copper king who bnihlod and maintained the magnificent thoroughbred breeding establishment which was known as the Bitter Root Stud, in Montana. During an idle hour at the Butte track a few mornings ago the name of Ogden was mentioned by one of the party of which Mr. Wilson was a member, and this brought from him the following story: "That the name of Ogden is enrolled in the list of Futurity winners might bo termed a scratch. It was only after days of persuasion, almost of entreaty, on the part of Johnny Campbell, who had been engaged to handle the western division of his stable, that Daly consented to send Ogden east after the big two-year-old race. "As usual, Matt Byrnes had come out to the ranch Bitter Root Stud in the spring of 1S!G and, after trying out all the youngsters, had selected for the eastern division of the stable all that he considered good enough to race on the big tracks, and Ogden was in the discard when the famous trainer took liis departure for New York. "A few days later Campbell put in his appearance to take up the horses which were to carry the Daly colors at Butte, Anaconda and other minor tracks in this section, and during the winter at San Francisco. He was stopping at my hotel and one evening he called me to one side and said: Mr. Wilson, I want you to try and persuade Mr. Daly to let me take Ogden east to run in the Futurity. I know this is a great colt; the best I ever saddled. I can drop him off at Saratoga for a few weeks take him down to Sheepshead Bay a couple of days In advance of the running of the Futurity and win the big race with him just as sure as your name is Wilson. I want "you to go and see him work tomorrow. The colt was then with others of the Daly horses at our track and, in fact, had already won a race here, beating the subsequently famous May W. After you see htm work I know you will use your influence to have him sent east. "The next morning I drove out here to the track with him. In those days the Parrot Smelter was down in the valley, not far from the track, and when Ogden was brought out to work seven furlongs the smoke from the smelter was so thick a person could hardly discern objects across the track. In that stilling smoke the colt with 12."; pounds up ran the first half mile in -IS, the live-eights in 1:01, the three-quarters in 1:1-11 and the seven furlongs in 1:2S, according to Campbells watch, but a shade better, as I caught it, with his head swinging. That, of course, would be considered wonderful work for a two-year-old late in the season, and under the most favorable conditions, but as it was it was little short of marvelous. "That night I saw Daly and spoke to him concerning Campbells desire to have a try for the Futurity with Ogden, but did not say anything about the work I had witnessed, as I did not want to run any risk of compromising the trainer. Campbell is .crazy, said Daly; Byrnes tried out all my stuff over at the ranch, and If this colt was a New York horse he would lie there now. "I concluded to let the subject drop for the time being. A few days later Campbell came into the hotel about noon with a smile on his face that could almost lie heard. We leave for the east tonight, was his greeting, and Ogden and Tuber-Tiije go with us Johnny Lamle and Tubervllle, the Daly jockeys, were both stopping at the house at the time. Campbell had worked the colt for Daly that morning, and had thus converted 1dm to his way of thinking. Have a nice bet on this colt In the big race, for he will win as sure as he starts, barring accident, was his parting advice, aud I took his tip. When Daly left to see the running of the race I gave him money to bet on Ogden, and so did several others. When the report came to us out here at this track just after the running ,pl; the race that Ogden had won, pandemonium broke loose, for naturally there was much local pride In the colt. "When Daly returned to Butte I asked him why he had started Scottish Chieftain In the race with Ogden, for it seemed to mc that a better price could have been had against the winner had not Scottish Chieftain been coupled with him In the betting. His reply showed how foxy the millionaire Irishman was. My boy, be said, yon have yet got much to learn. I started both colts for the ery reason yon Imagine I should have started Ogden alone to get a good price for all the money I should wager. If Ogden had gone alone 50 to 1 might have been quoted against him, but the first 100 I bet would have caused a cut to 40. My next 100 would have sent the odds down to 30, and after that the bookmakers would have refused my money, as they would not want to take a chance on being burnt up on an to them unknown horse with an unknown jockey up. As it was, they supposed It was Scottisli Chieftain, with the great Garrison aboard, on which I was betting, and as they did not have too much respect for the Chieftain, they probably thought Poor, foolish man, and let mo get a chunk on at from 20 to 30 to 1. "Daly would not tell at the time how much he had won on the race, but said that the bookmakers were still settling witli him on the Tuesday following the running of the race. He subsequently told Finlen that he had taken close to iS0,000 out of the ring over Ogdens victory."
