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RACING DAYS OF NORFOLK RECALLED Interesting Account of the Career of An Unbeaten Thoroughbred of Other Days On the old Ranclio del Rio down the Sacramento River in the Sutterville Hills district is n tablet that keeps alive the name of Norfolk one of the finest race horses America has ever known knownPostmaster Postmaster Thomas Pox remembers the history of Norfolk and tells some Interesting stories about him himAlong Along about 1SG3 the race horse Lodi was the un ¬ defeated champion of California and although many attempts hart been made not 1 horse in the country seemed to be able to beat him himSo So Theodore Winters went east determined to find an animal capable of outrunning the unde ¬ feated horse lie finally had offered to him by R A Alexander in Kentucky two animals half broth ¬ ers whose sire was the famous Lexington Norfolk was oiib of these horses horsesWinters Winters was undecided but he eventually agreed with Alexander that which ever one should win out HI a mile and a half race he would take with him to California and use as a challenger for Lodi LodiNorfolk Norfolk was the winner and Winters prepared to return Nothing however had been said about the price until then but Alexander had often boasted to his friends that he would some day sell a colt from Lexington for more than he had paid for the sire itself When itselfWhen Alexander told Winters this the latter latterasked asked what the price for Lexington had been and 1 having rightIll been told it was 15000 he said All right Ill give you more than that for Norfolk well wellmake make it 15001 15001Alexander Alexander agreed to the bargain and Norfolk went back to California with Winters and as events proved he was the horse destined to defeat Lodi The first race to be run by the two horses took place on the old Ocean House course in San Fran ¬ cisco on the 23rd of May 18C4 Lodi was then n f ireycarold and the backers of the famous horse sired by the equally famous Yorkshire were anxious to see what would be the outcome when Norfolk sired by the blind Lexington for which Alexander racedDick had paid 15000 raced Dick Havey rode Norfolk and Gilpatriek rode Lodi in twomile heats Betting was 10 to 7 on Norfolk A heavy gale blew over the track as the race started and the winds seemed to race with the two animals as they flew around the course Norfolk ran a dead heat in 343Mi won the second in 342 and the third in 351 351The The second race was run in the same year Sep ¬ tember 18 in Sacramento for a purse of 1000 Havey rode Norfolk again in twomile heats and Wilbur Pierce rode Lodi Norfolk won both heats tic first in 337 and the second in 338 And it is believed that Norfolk could have run the heat in 335 had he been forced forcedThe The third race however is the one that is re ¬ membered most clearly in the minds of the old timers who loved the track A few days after the second race on the 23rd Norfolk and Lodi met again for the third and last time on the old race track in this city An enormous crowd turned out the day was good and the track perfect perfectWONDERFUL WONDERFUL SPIRIT OF THOROUGHBRED THOROUGHBREDThe The heats were three miles this time the riders tle same as in the second race Only Lodi had a quarter crack of the hoof and was lame The first heat Norfolk won in 527 the second in 529 When the end came Lodi was hard put His hoof was covered with blood but he came on trying his best for so wonderful is the spirit of the thoroughbred that however badly beaten lie may be he never gives up but strains his last effort to reach the horse that is in front of him himBut But Norfolk was the hero of the day He estab ¬ lished a record for three mile heats that has never been broken The best previous time was 528 flat by Brown Dick a threeyearold in New Or ¬ leans leansWhen When Norfolk was retired undefeated Winters took the horse to his ranch in Yolo County where the town of Winters now is and when he moved from there Norfolk went with him to Sutterville Hills There the wonderful animal stayed until his death deathNorfolk Norfolk was not only n fine racer but an animal of great intelligence When his trainer a man of the name of Marsh who always slept right in the stall with him would fail to wake up in the morn ¬ ing Norfolk reached over and pulled the blankets off of him This trainer Norfolk and a dog were inseparable companions and always a happy family familyAlfred Alfred G Folger of the Peoples Saving Hank was Norfolks exercise boy in those days and he too remembers many incidents that added to Nor ¬ folks fame fameNorfolk Norfolk had many famous descendants and some of them were superior race horses Golden Maid which won the Irish Oaks last year was a descend ¬ ant of the undefeated champion It is estimated that Norfolks progeny won over 600000 and the annals of the turf are filled with names of horses sired by Norfolk NorfolkWhen When the time came to destroy the horse h was old and infirm not a person on the ranch could be found who was willing to do the deed Some one went out on the road picked up a sorry looking tramp and offered him 20 to do away witli the animal animalThe The tramp went to the stall and a few minutes later came out again In answer to his question the owner confessed that the tramps surmise was correct and the horse was Norfolk NorfolkThen Then the fellow said I havent eaten for two days but Id rather not eat for twenty than to buy my food with the money taken for killing that wonderful animal animalNorfolks Norfolks time had to come though and now only the headstone which Tom Fox reestablished about a year ago remains to mark his grave but his memory will live forever in the annals of the turf Sacramento Bee
