view raw text
STAKE RACING AT SARATOGA. Many Important Events to Bo Disposed of in Its Four Weeks of Racing-. The Saratoga meeting, of 1009 begins next Monday and will come to an end Saturday, August 28. In-its course twenty-seven stake races will be run. the majority of which will be of the reduced, values, incident to racing at the present time, but several of which, having closed for entries before the passage of the Hart-Aguew bills, are of the higher figures of former years. Two of these, the Spiuaway Stakes for two-year-old fillies, and the Alabama Stakes for three-year-old fillies, will be run in the first week of the meeting. Precedent and public opinion will assign the majority of these events to the Hihlreth and Keene stables. But new factors always come into play at Saratoga and the Sanford horses, and Olambala. Wintergreen, High Private. Piute, Angelus and Orbicular are among those that may prove capable of surprising checks to the progress of the two leading and rival stables. Saratoga is the battling ground where tlie best of the east, west and Canada meet in mimic fray annually and great overthrows of supposed invincibles are not infrequent there. Eight stakes are assigned to the first week of racing at Saratoga, the Flash Stakes and Saratoga Handicap will be run Monday, the Spiuaway Stakes Tuesday. Mohawk Stakes Wednesday, Alabama Stakes Thursday, and Saturday will have an extra attraction in the Saratoga Steeplechase, Saratoga Special and the Delaware Handicap. In these practically the best form of the meeting is represented and by the conclusion of the week most of the stars will probably have been seen in public. The Saratoga Handicap, at a mile and a quarter, will be the. most important race of the week and, at the weights, tlie most probable starters are King James, 129 pounds: Restigouche. 117: Maltbie, 117; Olambala. 110: Alfred Noble, 115: Detective, 109; Piute. 10S: Wintergreen. 107; Kings Daughter, 101: Fashion Plate. 101; Afiliction, SO; Lady Bedford, SS, ami Petticoat, SO. Tlie stakes apportioned to the second week are: Tuesday, the Travers Stakes; Wednesday, the Troy Stakes: Thursday, the Seneca Stakes: Saturday, the Shillelah Steeplechase. Hopeful Stakes and Merchants and Citizens Handicap. " Xext to the Futurity, the Hopeful is the most valuable race of the year for two-year-olds and is naturally regarded solicitously by those owners fortunate to possess promising cligibles. In the wav of public form Dullcare, Starbottle, Ocean Bound, Sweep, Rocky OBrlen. Xewmarket, Shannon, Perry Johnson, Folliu Levy, Interpose and Barlcythorpe have already shown that they are above the average and there are quite a number of dark ones of whose prowess Minor affords tlie only evidence. John Sanfords Chief Bartlett and Queens Song and J. R. Keenos reputed crack, Grasmere, are in tills category. The gross value of the race is now 9,320, to which each starter will add 50. If ten go to the post the winners portion will he 9,920. The stake races for the third week of the meeting-will be distributed as follows: Tlie Albany Handicap on Tuesday; Huron Handicap on Wednesday; Catskill Stakes on Thursday, and the North American Steeplechase. United States Hotel Stakes and Champlaiu Handicap on Saturday. The fourth and closing week of the meeting will have the following stake features: The Kentucky Stakes on Monday; Amsterdam Stakes on Tuesday; Adirondack Handicap on Wednesday: Saranac Handicap on Thursday, and Beverwvck Steeplechase. Grand Union Hotel Stakes and Saratoga Cup on Saturday. It may turn out that the Huron Handicap will prove tlie prin- " cipal race of the third week of the meeting. It 13 a race for three-year-olds at a mile and three-sixteenths and it may prove the occasion of the first meeting of Fitz Herbert and Maskette. Besides this great pair. Detective. Miami. Piute. High Private. Olambala. Joe Madden, Fayette, Arondack. Gin-Fisher. .Mary Davis, Wintergreen, Duncraggan, Fasli-ion Plate, EfTendi. Lady Bedford. Petticoat and The Gardener are engaged, so handicapper Voshurgh will have nearly all of the prominent thcee-year-olds of 1000 to consider and may bring about one of the most notable races of the year if his adjustment of weights proves satisfactory to the owners concerned. At this time it is a race that seems vested with fascinating possibilities.