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OLD BUDWEISER AT THE FAIR GROUNDS. New Orleans Paper Comments on the Performances of the Turf Patriarch. Eating his oats and munching his hay with the dignity of a king, every now and then going to his window to look at the broad expanse of track and to wish for the opening day of the winter race nieetng. there stamps in a stall at the Fair Grounds one of the oldest horses that ever led an active life oi. the turf, says a turf writer in the New Orleans Times -Picayune. That is, if the legends which are told of him arc true. Budweiser is the name of this ancient thoroughbred. Budweiser, according to the records, has improved with age. He won five races during the past winter, and will gain many a bracket here — if he can run fast enough. But Budweisers chief claim to fame is that he is seventeen years of age and that he raced at the City Park race track in 1905. It is next to impossible to dig back into the moth-eaten records and turn up the details of Budweisers history. A casual visitor to the barn of Kelly Phillips, who owns Budweiser. will be glad therefore, to become "buddy" with Joe Baker. Joe Laker says — but perhaps its better to say a word about Joe Baker first. Joseph, according to his own story, has been around race horses all his life. He had the pleasure of "galloping" Budweiser in work-outs at the City Park in the old days. Joseph is now employed as a sort of assistant trainer in Kelly Phillips barn. It easily can be seen, therefore, that Joseph should know a whole lot about Budweiser. That being the ease, it probably is better to let Mr. Baker relate the story of Buddys career — especially so as Joe is authority for the legend. "Well," says Joe, aiming a stream of tobacco juice at one of those graveyard grasshoppers which waltzed up with the hope of being in on the story. "I know Budweiser like a book. I like him. too." It will be noted that Joe says "him" and not "it" when referring to Budweiser I. "It was way back in 1902 that I first met Bud. I galloped him as a two-year-old at Essex lark. Hot Springs. No. I wasnt two years old. lie was. "I rememler the day that Budweiser broke out of the maiden lass. He sure was a proud nag. and I was a proud exercise boy. "In 1904 we went to St. Louis and Bud raced at the Worlds Fair there, winning a couple of races. We came to New Orleans the next year and he taced at the City Park track. "After that I sorter lost sight o Budweiser. In fact, nobody knew what became of him for nine years. Guess he was ratin around in the bushes somewhere, or drawing a milk wagon. "We brought him to life last spring, and here lie Is, ready to make em step." Yes. Budweiser is a remarkable- horse, if he did all that. In justice to old Father Time, however, it must be said that the seventeen -year-old doesnt look that elderly. In fact, if he were introduced as a two-year-old he would arouse no comment at all. Anyhow, Budweiser is out there, looking fine. If he could talk, he probably could relate much interesting history, but he cant . He seems satisfied that he will get his share of bacon at the coming meeting in spite of the fact that there will be no class for seventeen-year-olds. Budweiser is by Buckmaster — Missouri, and was bred by Barney Schreiber of St. Louis, according to Joe Baker. There is one other old horse at the track, but lie is only middle-aged when compared to Budweiser. He is an Alaskan horse said to be fourteen summers.
