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] | a ; J , i : THE REMARKABLE SPEED OF AN OLD-TIME CHICAGO FAVORITE | + * In the course of the many years in wbicb racing over Chicago tracks flourished unobstructed and ranked - ■ highly popular open air diversion il was but natural that now and then a horse should become endeared io the patrons of the sport, in a measure much beyond the favor exleuded to its competitors. Of these i"eal idols in racing might be instanced such in their times as Emperor of Norfolk. I.os Angeles, Bene it Waddeil, McChesuey, lu Tambien, Dick Welles. Advance Guard, Pink Coat, Sidney Lucas, Imp, Morel, o, Kuglish Lad. Kudo.lo. Endurance by Right, Terra Cotta, Santiago, Ida Pick With, Tbe Lady. Silverdale. ioah. Don POSSO, Verge dOr, Six Sboottr, Hay S.. llaid Marian. Van Kitreu, Casli Day, George .inold, Gregor 1.. ToUalou, El Rio Key, Little Hineb, Oruiie. Proctor Knott. Garry Herrmann. Lady Hi ban, Macy, Clara IJaiier. Aloha, Guide, Lieutenant Gibson, John Lright, Aiaddin, Federal. Allau-a-Dale. i-. W. Johnson. Articulate, Runnels, Miss Bennett, Princess Howling. Hanuockburu. Sam Phillips, Heller Sk. Iter. Tim linrphy, Oregon, Eclipse. Pedestrian, Abe Frank, Fayette. Algol, Marion C, Colonial Girl, g at stayers some of them, others only sprimeis; famous stake winners on one hand, only consistent selling platers on the other; some liaviug long careers and returning to local tracks year by year; others, like Kl Rio Hey and Endurance by Kight. ouly tlashnic, through one season of brilliaui success. Many aud many are there in Chicago today who can recall the superb beauty and symmetry of George Arnold, "the amazing d of Dick Welles, the antics of those scampi of the track. Litt.e Mhich and Ortnie, the majestic appearance of MeChesney, Emperor of Norfolk and El Rio Key. the pretty half bashful ways of To Tambeai in nodding her head to the grandstand in seemingly acknowledging the ripple of applause from its occn m.iIs as she passed it on her way lo the post, tbe decided trotting action of wiry la.s Angeles, the fare i : his Stretch rashes Of blaze-faced Advance Guard ami other peculiarities that singled one and another from its fellows in a way recognized aud held in rcnienibiaiu-c by habitues of the track. All of those named and others had their varying measures of local popularity in their racing days, but none was more of a favorite than Dick Welles. He made Ids debut in racing here and it was here thai nearly all of bis racing was done. He was ■ bay colt by King I .lie from the Hanover mare, Teas Over, nil was undoubtedly King Erics b si son. King Eric was bred by David D. Withers, the famoii5 eastern breeder, owner and turf lawgiver, being a son of his Imported King Tom stallion. King Ernest, and the imported Parmesan mare. Cyclase. From this it results that King Brie was a purely English bred horse nil besides was himself a capital race horse in his days on Ihe track. Dick Welles was bred by Tt. II. Anlii-son. of Georgetown, K.v. He was Introduced to Use folks hereabouts at Harlem. June 14. 1902, in a half-mile sprint for two-year olds, over a heavy track. There were eleven starters and Dick. Starting U* the properly of Keating iV Becker, was at 50 to 1 in the belting. He was never accused of being a mud horse, but he could run fairly well in it when Ihe occasion demanded and he finished a good third tn The Don and Foxy Kate- after making up considerable uioum! in the last ipiartcr. there was soasetbing • b"u. the coils performance thai pleased Jerome B. Bespeat and be bought him for the reputed price of St. Kin and in doing so secured the bargain id his lifetime. Kight off tbe colt liegan to win races for him. I our days after his first race he was started for ids new owner at four ami a half furlongs and won easily in ." ::.. with Capi. Sam Browns Piuck second, "Lucky" Haldwins Americano third anil nine more uu placed, it was a fast Hack that day and so rapidly had Dick Welles faun- grown that he was a 13 to B favorite at tie post, June lit; lie started at Washington Park in a four and a half furlongs race, with s.ven opponents. John A. Drakes colt. Von House, was one of them. He was thought to be something more than ordinary and, besides that, the track was soft and slow, which was held to be in his favor. So la- was a 4 io .", favorite and Dick Welles was at 3 to 1. He lost no time about showing that it was him sell that was above the ordinary and, leading all tbe way. won in a canter by live lengths, with J. Sidney Walker second and Poxy Kane third. Time r.."1-,. It was different when he made his next appearance. I i i- was on June 28, in a five-eighths of a mile dash over a slow track. He had seven good opponents, but was -it ] to 3 in the betting, ami won pulled up by ten lengths in 1:04%. with Topsoil second and Linguist third. By this time Ihe colt bad accumulated ■ larg store of public Confidence, which was rudely shaken and diminished when he nest started. This was in the Kenwood Stakes, at five-eighths. July 1. •ny Sam Hildreths Tom Cogan and Fred T. Woods St em winder opposed him and. as frequently occurs i ii n lields arc amaH, the colts and their riders were inuiily at the post and wasted considerable time before a start was effecieil. Dick Welles was at 3 to 8 in the betting. Stemwinder led into the stretch, but when his admirers wcie expecting Dick Welles lo forge into the lead they were amazed to see Tom Cogan pass the other two with a rush and win by a length in such slow time for the distance as 1:08%, the track being extremely heavy. Of course ii was a fluke fordCom Cogan to beat Hick Welles, bu1 ihc hfstarj of i.oing is full ot" such surprises. All carried 118 ponmMr.nd Dick Welles tinisbed second. So it cum about that when the rich Hyde Park Strikes came on for decision. July ]7. Dick Welles was ■ I favorite, preference going to the Drake coupled entry of Savahle and Von Bowse a! 8 lo r . while be was second choice al -_• to 1. There were fourteen starters, bill so far as the rait- was concerned it was .-: case of ane horse and thirteen pursuers. Dick Welles was tar out in front ad tie- way and won eased up by six lengths, with Savahle second and Early third. Since Savahle afterwards went to Rheepshead Bay ■•■nil won the Futurity from twenty-three opponents, some idea can be gleaned of what kind of a tWO-yeat "•d Dick Welles was. The subsequently great winner, Claade, and his Kenwood Stakes conqueror. Tom i ogan, were among the also-rans in tbe Hyde Park, lie three quarters of a mie was covered in 1:13%. His net statl was in the Test Stakes, at Hawthorne, July 31. It was a heavy track and he lost so much ground by a wide stretch turn thai he could not gel up and finished fourth to Topsoil, Gregor K. and i oy Kane The distance was live and a hall lutoiigs. run in 1:11%. A1 Harlem. August 4. be van tive-eighths of a mile in a purse race in 1 :K and iron in a canter from Sidney C. Love, Mlranee and six im.rc, and at the same track, August t, wou another at four ami a half furlongs in DS%, witii St. Minor second ."id About third. His last race of the year was in the While Plains Handicap, al Mortis Park. October 25. The race was over the iraight Eclipse course of three-quarters and at the finish in l:"a:;. Merrj Vcrobat, MM pounds, was first: Rivet Pirate, lis. second, and Dick Welles. IIS. third, a bead aud two noses apart. Eight more ran ind if Dick Welles had been at his best that day he would have won iu a canter. I: was hi- only race over . New York track. When a three-year-old in 1!HJ.", Dick Welles was only once beaten and won fourteen races. His campaign began ai Lalonia. May 20, in the Brewers Exchange Handicap, at three ipia iters of a mil. tor three Mm-olds and over. Ar 2 -: to I he was second Choice to He coup:ed entry of Jack Katliu and Bardolph, bin won in a canter by four lengths in 1:13%, with Jack Bat 1 fa second and Hilce third. He carried 112 pounds to 118 on the fonr-year-Osj Jack Ratlin and 89 on Hilce. Then he was brought to Chicago and. al Harlem. June 13, defeated Bornia Bnnton. Nitrate and five more at three i|uarters j,, 1:13%. At Washington Park. lane ~~. lie wil at tbe same distance in 1:12%, deflating Huunels. A. D. Gibson and four more and was a 1 to " favorite. June ltd be ran one of the most wonderful races on record. II was another dash of tbrec-ipiat lers. in which be carried equal weights. DK* poinds, with the fast John A. Drake four -year-Old -oit. Hum. els. the other- all having less weight. Dnk was the favorite at g to ."• ami Banners second at l io 1. it being recognized that the race was be, ween the two. Dick Welles was so badly lei I al tin- post thai it seemed madness to hope that he might win. Selling a great pace, John Peters rushed away in the lead, with Kunncls racing close up. ami led lo be last eighth. Rut. knowing what an ex Inordinary racing maehim was under him, jockey T. Knight had sent Dick Welles alter the others and by the time the stieleh was reached bad made up considerable "i the lost ground, but was still next lo last. Then, calling on tbe colt, the latter covered the ground with an unequalled linrsl of speed and. tin isiilng straight as a ballet, -ot up and nailed Huunels in the last stride to win by a nose in a din of screams ami cheers beyond description, when the then new record time ,t l:H% was banc out there was another frantic outburst. As a matter of fact, separately limed by competent men. Dick "Welles ran bis three ■inarters in 1:10% and it was a marvellous feat only to 1« done by a marvellously fast horse. July 7 he lurried 11" pounds in the Drexe] Stakes and, running its mile in 1:3.**, won with ease from Pad News. M.i.ee ami MeUowau. being a 1 to 3 favorite. At Hawthorne. July 20. he won the Premier Stakes, at a mile in 1:41. and. carrying 122 pounds, won by four lengths from IfcOee, 107. and Orsina. 112. Sir Hugh :nd Gilfain running unplaced. His solitary defeat of tbe year followed at Harlem. August :s. in the Garden City Handicap of three-quarters of a mile. The track was bad and having 122 pounds to carry, besides being pocketed and knocked about, be was not even placed. Jack Kallin. 10". pounds, winning in 1:15%, with Abola. 07, second, and Grfeo. 01. third. Five days later, with 110 pounds up. he won the Chicago Slakes, al a mile in 1:41%, from Toah. .". 11::. and Bragg, 4. 117. with McGee, John Bright. Aladdin. Ontonagon and Gregor K. unplaced, it being safe, but not fast, going. August 12 he won n purse Ht three-quarters in 1:12% from A. D. Gibson, DelagOS and four more, but had to he driven out to beat A. D. • .ibson by a BOSe, carrying 113 pounds to 10.", on the latter fast five year-old. It happened that at that time E. E. Bmathers owned an extremely speedy four year old named Grand Opera, which be conceived could trim Dick Welles at a mile, so on August 14 the two came together at Harlem, with Dick curving ill iioiinds to 115 on Grand Opera. There was not much to the race so far as a contest was concerned. but the colt set bis army of followers to whooping lusliiy when, after leading all the way ami winning easily. Ihe new mile record time of 1:37% was displayed. That record stood for six years and was one of the iliins that made him a famous horse indeed. Next he won the Specnlat ion Stakes of a mile at Hawthorne over a slow track in 1:4B%, with Orsina second and l-locarline Ihird and then teat Postmaster .light, l-loi-arliiic Pondage and Classful at a mile and an eighth in 1:52%. Onlv DelagOS and Emma A tailed against him in the Speed Stakes, a; Harlem. September 28. and he won in a eauter in 1:14%. His next and last two races took place at Latonia. As a 1 to 10 favorite he won at three-quarters pulled up October 24, in 1:14 from Red Haven and Carl Kahler. Then, on October 20. to please the home folks he was sent a mile against the Own existing Latonia mile record of 1:38%, made by Battia in 1888, ami delighted all hands concerned h covering the distance in 1:38. That was tbe last race of one of the fastest horses that ever Stand on iron and his record and pedigree ar.- as follows: Year. Age. Sts. 1st. 2nd. 3rd. Ulan, Won. 1802 i H ,; - 1 I 8,800 1803 :? M 14 ■ • 1 lS/JOr, Totals 2 - 20 l 2 2 7. Our. H-iik-iwav J IVonotuisl f_ Pocahontas j Clencoe king ■■III. .- ■ -j Marpev-a I ,. Touchstone J Camel I I r, "leslme J P.anter ldyCeralsane J The Oatanel . Ring „, Eric Nurse B I , * r_ .Sweetmeat 1 Gladiator 0- | Parmesan | Loir/pop •J I lt ., , Ciliyelo j Veriilain ,0-2 •!••" ■ | Jennala W Wild j a , Davi.U Ion 3* l Typhoon J I Ellen Middletoa D ? Midia j Scutari S ■ I Marin. 11a W * Virgil Vandal i u- Hindoo , J ■ O . | Hymenia O 1 Florence i Lexington o r .-Hanover mnovei i 1 Wcatuerwlfch m . , I Ronnie Scotland. J Iago i. „ r, ,■ 5 I Bourbon Belle Queen Mary ■° l I.Ha D j Vandal TeVs If a s Over over j Fal.on , Phaeton J King Tom I King Alfoiisi J • 1 Merry Sunshine l_ Capitola j Vandal - . 1 1,:i K"*** ■ | Mare by Margrave l Vigil J Virgil I Tube Rose I Banna I P.utloroiip j Qlen Atliol I Hay Flutter
