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JOHN A DRAKES RETURN TO RACING Famous light Blue and Gold Colors Will Be Seen Again on New Ycrk Tracks New York March For the first time in more than si decade the famous colors of John A Drake the light blue and gold will be seen on the local race tracks this year The western sportsman who in the halcyon days of the turf before the repeal of the PercyGray law in 1903 owned sind raced some of the greatest thoroughbreds in America has reentered the sport with two foreignbred twoyesirolds sis si starter starterThe The Drake horses are Midas II by Macdonald II Mary Louise III and an unnamed colt by Light Brigade Panne Phil Chlnn theKentucky horse ¬ man bought them for him in England last year and Mr Drake thinks so much of them that he has entered them In many juvenile stakes stakesFor For the last three or four years Mr Drake has been a dsiily visitor at the metropolitan tracks He inside many wagers but they never were large enough to csiuse any excitement such as in the old days when he kept tlie patrons of the sport on the qut vive siwaiting his wagers on a race Mr Drake loves si thoroughbred and has always been an admirer of a champion It was common gossip on the tracks last year that he was a psirt owner of the Kentucky Stable the nominations of which always Inive been made by Mr Chinn ChinnIn In the old days of the turf Mr Drsike wsis prob ¬ ably the most conspicuous racegoer in America AVith the late John AV Gates he won and lost for ¬ tunes on the success or defeat of a single horse Time and again it was reported that their winnings on a single event extended into six figures but in vsiriably both declared that the reports of their winnings had been grossly exaggerated exaggeratedRACED RACED SOME GREAT HORSES HORSESSome Some of the thoroughbreds which carried the Drsike silks will live forever in turf history for they earned undying fame by defeating the best horses in the country in some of the richest and most historic races racesIn In 19012 he won the two most coveted fixtures on the American turf His AVyeth raced home in front in a big field in the Americsin Derby in Chicago siud his twoyearold Savable won the Futurity sit Sheepshesul Bay by a head sifter one of the greatest rsices run for the famous rsice Each of these fixtures was worth many thousands of dollars and it wsis reported sit the time that the DrakeGsites combination had wagered heavily on each of their winners winnersIn In one dsiy sit Chicago his colors flashed home in front on four horses Jockey Garner carried them to victory on Knnnels Itebo Wes and Ireland IrelandAVhile AVhile a score of the Drake thoroughbreds earned rich purses and fsime it wsis Ort AVells which wsis considered his best This colt was one of the speediest and gamest thoroughbreds bred in this country countryIt It wsis in 1901 that Mr Drsike sold out his stable at Morris Psirk and it wsis then that Dave Johnson made the best investment of his career Mr John ¬ son nurchased Koseben which esirned for him H for ¬ tune Later Mr Drsike raced Grapple Metropolitsin Handicap winner Ort AAells Broadcloth Ed Ball Ainegar Bill sind Penryhn On the last mimed horse at Kelmoiit Park in 1905 he won 40000 sit odds of 9 to 12
