view raw text
♦ Twenty Years Ago Today Chief Turf Events of April 24, 1903 Racing at Aqueduct, St. Louis, Nashville, Oakland and Lakeside. Jockey Watson was in the limelight at Oakland today, riding three winners. In the first race he had the mount on The Fiddler, it was a mile dash for four-year-olds and over and The Fiddler, after being in second position from the start, went to the front at the three quarters post, but at the head of the stretch he lost the lead, then came again and got up in the last strides to win by a neck. Vassalo was second and Halmetta third. The next three races were unproductive as far as Watson was concerned, but he took the next two on Lizzie Rice and Matin Bell. Fred Foster, who will handle McChesney and Dick Bernard for E. E. Smathers the coming season, passed through Chicago en route to Minneapolis to visit relatives. Foster stated that the horses would be shipped at once from Memphis to Hawthorne and that they would be raced on the Chicago tracks until the Washington Park meeting was over. After that they will be sent East and raced there for the remainder of the year, postponed until Saturday. T. P. Hayes Kilo, a two-year old gelding making his debut under colors, made an impressive showing in the last race on the card at Nashville. The band he defeated were also newcomers to racing and in the number was J. A. Drakes much talked of Ort Wells. The latter ran poorly and failed to live up to ex-pectaitons, finishing last, badly beaten. At the rise of the barrier Kib went to the front at once, with Council second and Lord French third and they finished in this order. The only change in positions throughout the race occurred when Bandillo headed Ort Wells for fourth place at the half mile post. The first stake race of any considerable value to be run at Kinloch Park, St. Louis, the Tranquil Stakes, was won yesterday by Elastic when she beat Barney Schreibers Sylvia Talbot home by a length and a half, the latter was six lengths before Delagoa. A sixteenth from the finish Sylvia Talbot was five lengths ahead of Elastic and looked as though she had the race already won, but she failed to stay and Elastic, coming with a rush, passed her to win easily. Sylvia Talbot had such a lead over the others that she was easily second, but had the race — three quarters mile -been longer the filly would not have finished in the money. It was decidedly an off day at Aqueduct and the racing lacked interest, there being no Teal exciting finishes. The favorites won in every case but one and there was a real excuse for the public choice in this race, the third, where a field of fifteen went to the post and a jam on the far turn resulted in a fall for four horses and the favorite, Paul Clifford, was puiled up to avoid falling over Lord Turco, Tenagra, Harrison and Mark Cheek. The latter was the cause of the mis hap, crossing his legs just as the horses were rounding the far turn and causing all the horses behind him with the exception of Paul Clifford to fall over him. This eliminated Paul Clifford, Lord Advocate and Bri.-k fought it out through the stretch, with Lord Advocate the winner by a neck. The Talisman was third. Fore and Aft was in the forefront when the five starters for the Cumberland Derby raced over the finish line in the big race featuring NashvihVs opening days racing yesterday. The betting odds on William Gersts colt forecasted his victory and the brown son of George Kin ney lived up to expectations. Barca and Postmaster Wright were the ones that gave him the most trouble and he wa.« unruly in the first half of the mile and an eighth, causing jockey Henry much trouble. He was pocketed all through the backstretch, but when clear rapidly overhauled Postmaster Wright and Barca and, taking the lead at the far turn, was never headed. Postmaster Wright was in front until the last turn, where he was headed first by Barca and then in turn by Fore and Aft, being lucky in saving third tlace from Reservation. The race was worth ,050 to Mr. Gerst. Adhering to their plans of the winter months Kinloch Park stag?d a race for four year olds and over, the riders to be amateurs. It re-suited in a stirring finish when Mary Moore, owned by W. Walker, got the judges verdict by a ncse from Eda Riley. The conditions called for a mile, all starters to carry 155 pounds. Seven started and Rastus went to the front at once, but his lead was short lived, Peter Duryea overhauling him quickly and the two staged a hot battle down the backstretch, with Rastus again taking the ! lead at the three-quarters post. Coming into the homestretch the weight tokl on Rastus and Peter Duryea and they fell away badly . beaten. Mary Moore, coming with a rush, took the lead and she quickly opened a three-length gap. ,Eda Riley, finishing fast through the ftretch after being far back during the early running, closed a big gap and just failed by a nose of overtaking the winner. Spurs was third, fifteen lengths back of Eda Riley. j Rastus and Peter Duryea were the last two 1 horses to finish.
