view raw text
Twenty Years Ago Today, Chief Turf Event$ of Oct. 30, 1903 Racing at Aqueduct, Latonia, Worth and St. Louis. General Stewart, ridden by J. Booker, waa disqualified by the judges after winning the fifth race at Worth on account of the foul riding tactics indulged in by Booker. The horse was slightly in the lead approaching the last sixteenth, but was beginning to tire and Ralph Young was gradually closing on him and was seemingly going the fastest. Booker, to keep Ralph Young from passing his mount, drew his whip and applied it vigorously on Ralph Youngs head, causing the latter to falter. Jockey Mclntrye immediately on dismounting lodged a complaint against Booker with the judges and they promptly set General Stewart back, placed Ralph Young first, Avenger second and Myron Dale third. Later they announced that Booker had been suspended by them for ten racing days for foul riding. The wording of the suspension means that he will not be permitted to ride in California, where it is understood he is going for the first nine days of that meeting. Palm Reader, which started in the fourth race, was badly cut down and will in all probability not be in racing shape again for a long time. When Silver Dream, which was No. 3 on the program in the third race at Aqueduct and won, the crowd was dumbfounded at the hoisting of Dimples number, 6, as the winner. There was a great shout all along the line, for Siver Dream had won decisively, while Dimple was out of the money. The mistake was quickly rectified, and upon making an investigation it was learned that judge McDowell was in no way to blame. He had called the first three horses correctly and had reached for a board in No. 3 pocket before him to indicate to the man who handles the jockey board across the track. But by some error a No. 6 board had been placed in the No. 3 pocket, something over which judge McDowell had no control. It was said that the man whose sob duty it has been at all local tracks to take charge of these pockets was for some reason dispensed with by the Aqueduct management, which, by the way, has also deprived judge McDowell of his able assistant, C H. Pettingill, who has been calling the third horses at metropolitan tracks for several years. John McGraw, manager of the New York Nationals, said today that the report that he had won 2,000 since the Brighton Beach meeting was untrue. "I never saw 2,000 in my life," said John, "but if I ever do Ill put a cotton hook into it so quick that Ill be busy for week fastening bills together."
