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ONE OF MOST NOTED GIFT HORSES Career of CaliforniaBred Mare Elizabeth M Reads Like Story from Pages of Fiction FictionNever Never look a gift horse in tlie mouth That is an expression among horsemen that was probably ut ¬ tered in the primitive days of the horse but it holds good to this idayand ever will hold good Many a horse has been given away or sold for the proverbial song which lias proved a valuable asset to a stable It is doubtful however if ever there was one which raced herself into prominence as did Elizabeth M a chestnutcoated youngster which practically did not have a home in her early days daysElizabeth Elizabeth M was foaled in California on the farm of 1 B Haggiri and shipped here among others as a yearling to be sold Whoever bought her discov ¬ ered early that she was afflicted with some dis ¬ ease or internal trouble from which it was doubtful if she would recover All the scientific methods were applied but the little runt of a filly did not improve and soon she was discarded She gave so little promise that in the winter of 1899 and 1900 Elizabeth if was oh the discarded list She was practipally the Cinderella df the stable in which she belonged She hardly had a friend Many a horse ¬ man looked her over and shook his head when she was offered to him to take her away Not worth feeding conclusionOne was the general conclusion One day while the winter snows were being driven around the corners of tlie stables at Sheepshead Bay by a fiftymile wind and owners and trainers had gathered in the nearest hostelry to swap racing stones some one incidentally mentioned that the man who owned Elizabeth M was anxious to give her away Bill Beckett who had only one or two horses in his string overheard the conversation and buttoning up his coat strolled out of the bar room Tramping through snow and slush to tlie stable of Elizabeth M lie persuaded one of the stable hands to trofout the filly so that he might look her over Surely she was a scrawnylooking object for a raw mare So poor ivas she said Beckett in telling the story that it was possible to read a news ¬ paper through her ribs but she was a Watercress iilly and I always had respect for a Watercress no matter how it looked Whats the matter with her asked Beckett of the man who was leading her around Really aroundReally boss I dunno answered the negro at ¬ tendant She doan seem to do well at all She done eat six or eight quarts of oats a day but thn mo she eats the thinner she get She like a man with himI a snake inside him I heard your boss wanted to give her away Is that true asked Beckett BeckettYassir Yassir Boss tole me if anybody took a fancy to her let him lead her off fore she die on our hands She a might fine dispositloned filly kind an gentle an seems as if she want to say something to me but can t get cut a sound Every time tlie boss look at her he say She round heah yet Why dont yo cut her loos an let her eat snow Im tired feedin her Then I say I fin a home for her some day Dp yp want to take heraway boss an give her a home She might be a good race mare if she ever get over what ails her Loan herLoan the halter you have on her and Ill take her tme said Beckett Ill take a chance feed ing her though I havent got any more grub in the feed box than would feed a chicken chickenIUCKT IUCKT PARTNERSHIP FORMED FORMEDAfter After bedding her ddxvri in her new stall Beckett went back to the hotel and wrote a letter to Fred Milden a frjend of his in Philadelphia telling him of the gift and declaring him in with half the filly if he would pay her feed bills The partnership was formed and Beckett went to work to try to cure the filly of her ailment It was weeks before she began to show signs of improvement but as soon as tlie spring sun began to shine Elizabeth M be ¬ gan lifeboon to pick up her ears and show signs of life boon she was strong enough to carry a light bov and she was jut to exercising Her improvement and growth were so rapid that long before the rac ing season in 1900 had started trainers and owners wondered what mare it was Beckett had which could outrun any colt or filly on the training grounds ihe raster she grew in weight and strength the speediershe became t Beckett held his secret as long as he could He and his partner were preparing for a killing there being little question Elizabeth M would win the nrst time of asking It was nothing to watch her reel off a quarter in 23 and as she filled out she became stronger and was developing into a weight carrier carrierThe The eventful day came for her Initial start and on June 16 1900 she was asked to go fiveeighths In a fiejd of eighteen horses One or two of the wise fish the dockers had discovered she was en ¬ tered and while they did not know her name they had her marked and no sooner had she made her appearance in the paddock than the news was quick ¬ ly noised around that Elizabeth M was the speedy filly Beckett had in his stable From 5 to 1 in the betting she was soon cut to threes but the weight of money oh the other horses drove her price up again until 4 to 1 could be obtained at post time timeWhen When the race was started Elizabeth M could be seen scampering along behind such horses as The Rhynier Dublin Competitor and others which later proved good racers At the bend in the track she was fifth with Shaw hand riding her In his usual intelligent manner Just as she was asked to inake her run in the last quarter she made a sudden suddenswerve swerve to the outer rail and her backers sank in their slices for sucli action usually meant defeat But not for Elizabeth M Shaw straightened her up in a moment and soon she was picking up the leaders one after the other A sixteenth from home she had every horse in the race beaten excepting Dublin which had been hanging to her for the last threeeighths Patsy McCue was on Dublin and booting him with all his might and tlie big brown horse seemed to be catch ¬ ing Elizabeth M inch by inch With but fifty yards to go the chances of Dublin winning seemed promising but ShaV had not utilized all the energy he possessed neither had Elizabeth M and calling upon her for a supreme effort the swift mare answered and finally won the race by a good length NICKNAMED HER CINDERELLA CINDERELLAAfter After this race the general public which knew the history of the mare nicknamed her Cinderella and she became one of the public idols Only three days later she ran again and was a pronounced favorite to beat such good horses as Beau Gallant Luke Ward and Fleetwing and she did it in such a masterly way that it caused John Madden who then iwiea Beau Gallant to look her over William C Whitney also watched her cool out in the paddock Shortly Afterward the racing shifted to Graves end herselfto and there Elizabeth M distinguished herself to such an extent that Milden and Beckett were asked to put a price on her by Mr Whitney She was entered in the Boulevard Handicap Prior to going to the post for the race Mr Whitney was told 15000If he could get the filly for 15000 If she wins this race today Ill take her was the answer to the proposition Shell win it all right replied the agent who 1 was transacting the sale and you can win her out if you get enough on her at 2 to 5 as she will only have to canter to beat her two opponents Puritani Scurry and The Puritan As predicted Cinderella simply galloped home i11 handicap carrying 124 ppunds to Scurrys 96 ahe had hardly pulled up before Mr Whitney and the agent of Beckett Milden were in the secre tary s office completing the deal When the check s was handed over Beckett said he did not know 1 whether to cash it or have it framed just to show now a gift horse could be developed into a 15000 article He finally decided to cash the check as J he needed the money moneye The following year Mr Whitney decided to send l more horses to England to try to gather a few of the big English races and Elizabeth M was one of f the chosen ones sent across tlie ocean As a three yearold she won races on the English turf and 1 when sold brought more than 16000 under tlie ham ¬ mer Her progeny are now racing in England and 1 while she lias not yet foaled a Derby winner her r sons and daughters have won many stakes and I pursest purses The life of Elizabeth M in the thoroughbred books s ins could be made to read like that of Cinderella in II fairyland stories She was practically the drudge l of her stable Nobody wanted her though her old I negro rubber had a kindly feeling for her Then II Beckett came along as did the good fairy In the e story books and finally tlie infatuated Prince in 11 the guise of Mr Whitney And Elizabeth M Ihcd 11 happily ever afterr New York Telegram
