Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 43, Number 6663, 10 August 1872 — THE RACES — THIRD DAY. [ARTICLE]

THE RACES — THIRD DAY.

There was nothing in the programme yesterday to call out a large crowd. One race only, and that for horses that had never trotted in better, time than 2:13, and from whom nothing better than 2:33 was expected. The attendance was not large, though a little better than the day before. The " horse men " were in full force, but not apparently much interested in the I immediate matter in hand. The pool sel'ing was unat- ! tractive, and bids for toe first horse ran low, $20 to $20 being about the maximum. The side talk ran chiefly j . into politics, and the election in North Carolina seemed ' ' more interesting to the upper crust of the sporting fra- j : ternity than the rating of Jim Cook or Billy Poorman or George in the pools. It was curious to hear some of i : these veteran patrons of the turf, who all through the ! war weat with the army of Genera! Lee and the varying fortunes of JeflVr.-on Davis and his Southern Confederacy; who have rung all the changes of denunciation ' t upon the amendments to the Constitution; who have j I been tiained fora quarter of a century' in cursing Gree- I ley ami his Tribune, now talking in a subdued temper i of "saving the nation" with their ancient enemy as he'nuraan. Your genuine first-class "horse man" is nearly always a politician, I j and identifier! with that patty which believes most in a ' j "ruling class" and a pure breed. It is not in turf logic I to regulate the blood of men by any better process than ;is followed in regulating the blood of horses. The pure thoroughbred and the pure white stand together in the estimation of these philosophers, at the top of the heap; iand all crosses with inferior racers only depreciate the stock. In the good old days of the four-milers and repeat, when such grind specimens of the horse as Eclipse and Henry, Fashion and Boston, Blue Dick and IVyt'.na, Lecompte and Lexington, Gray Eagle and Wagner, graced the American turf, your true turfman was generally a " true blue" Democrat and a convert to the divinity of African slavery. Now that his divinity is obsolete and quick time and short dashes have taken the place of the long heats, he turns to Greeley and the coalition as naturally as " a sick kitten to a hot I brick ;" but there are still a few of the old heads left who hanker after a return to the long heats and the cultivation of strength and endurance; and these wise old gentlemen will give you a knowing shake of the i head at the mention of any untrained scrub for the ! great office which in the days of the turf i glory used I to be kept for the men of grandest mind and highest training, as the four-mile heats wers for horses of the I be.-t metal and longest and purest pedigree. Of out3ide horse gos;ip there was considerable, some of which may be of more interest to many of our readen than the report of the races yesterday. The gray stallion Tom Atchison, the best of the Norfolk colts so far brought upon the turf, has grown heavier since last ' year, which is thought not to be any advantage to his rather fiuely cut fore legs. His condition, as he appears in his exercises, does not strike the experienced eye as improved since last Fall, when he defeated every competitor. But he is thought good enough to eater and win the two-mile heats handicap race to come off at the State Fair. There was once a thought of catering him for the New Orleans post-stain of 130,000, four- ' mile heats, to come off next Spring; but that, we un- : derstand, is abandoned. The race will attract the very | best horses in America, including Harry Bassett, Lit- ' tleton, Susan (the winner of the four-mile dash at Long I Branch yesterday), and last, but by no means least, Norfolk, the very best son of Lexington, and in 1 the opinion of many good judges who witnessed i his early performances the best our-miler this country ever produced. We have no authority to say that Nor.'oik will positively be entered for the New Orleans race. Hut this much we can say, | that his owner, Theodore Winters, and his excellent j trainer, Marsh, are seriously deliberating upon the I matter; that they are "working" Norfolk now and getting him into condition as fast as they ought to, with the view of testing the question whether he can stand the hard raps which such a contest will demand ; and that if they once become satisfied on this point I they will enter him. It is an undecided question whether a horse, perfectly sound, after remaining for several years in the stud, aud some years on the shady side of maturity, can again be brought to his original power of speed and endurance on the turf. This question it is proposed to decide with Norfolk. He will be 12 years old next Spring. At 12 to 14 trotters are just in their prime, and hardly before that age. It is argued that a racer who has never been injured in any way (as is the case with Norfolk) ought to be as good at 12 for the turf as ever , and that if he proves equal to the necessary preparatory work for the ! great battle, he may be entered with confidence that he will perform as well as he was able to do at four years old. The race allows him the light weitrht of ICO pounds, and if hi? action and endurance have not been impaired in the stud, through the past seven years, it I Is thought the light weight would give him an advantage, with his matured bone and muscle, over four and five year olds. We have no opinion on the subject for which a well-informed " horse man " would thank us. We only tell the news as we hear it, and think we may encourage the universal wish that the "greatest racehorse " the United States ha 3 ever produced may again be brought upon the turf, and that he may show his heels to Bassett an! all the "crack " Leamlngton3 and Lexingtons of whom Eastern sportsmen have of lat? been so loudly boasting. It is likely that Norfolk will be in racing trim by the time of our State Fair in September, as he i 3 now being worked " on Winters' track over in Yolo. If so there may be a trial of speed given for one mile or tivo miles, provided any other equine in the Stale can be found to accompany him. While we are proposing to send the most famous runner of the State East in the Spring to carry away the prize from New Orleans, it may now be announced positively that the East will send out the two renowned trotters, Goldsmith Maid and Lucy, in time for a race here "the day after the fair," or to be more particular, on Saturday, the 28th of September. This news came to us from an authentic source. The mares will be started for California in a few days, in the neatest kind of a "horse palace car," and will arrive here in time to rest and acclimate before the State Fair. The first race will be between the Maid and Lucy only, and will show their speed and performance in this climate, and whether they lose or improve by the change. There will be another race in October here, in which the Stanford horse will enter and test the question whether he can do as well in company and under the excitement of a sharply-contested race as he has done alone when timed by "admiring friends." THE RACE. The race was for trotters that had never beaten 2:43 in harness; three in five; for a proprietor's purse of $200, free for all of the class; $150 to the first and $50 to the second. The entries were, b. h. Jim Cook, clay-" I bank h. Billy Poorraan, eh. h. George, and br. m. Emma. Cook was favorite in the pools, .which went about as follows : Jim Cook, ; if 2o ; Billy Poorman, $10 50; Emmu, *:); George, tl. First Heat— George had the pole, Emmi second, Jim Cook outside. At the word Billy Poorman was a length ahead of the rest, and kept it to and round the I turn. Near the quarter-pole Jim Cook passed Lady I Emma with a rush, and half w. y round the far turn he j led Poorman, who lost his feet or i moment, but soon | recovered and rallied for the lead. In this he was un--1 successful. After a sharp brush on the homestretch ! Cook came in winner of the > heat, Poorman second, ! Emma third, and George fourth. Time, 2:33^. I Second — Cook rose in the pool?. Billy Poorman j again had the advantage in the start and improved it to the quarter, where he brow up and Cook passed to | the lead. Emma and George lagged superfluous on the : field, and were seventy yards behind Poonnan on ronading the far tarn. Cook f took the heat easily by ! forty yards, Poorman second, George third and Lady Emma fourth. Time, 2:3o&. { i ; Third Beat— Objections being made to Eoff, Butler was placed behind Poorman as di iv( r. There was an even start, but approaching the turn Biily Poorman broke into an elegant, striding and ''winning" run, passed ahead of the Odd, and at the quarter was three lengths ahead of Cook, who had also been (excited into something like an imitation of Poonnan's magnificent effort. Up th.> stretch the steady trotting was left mainly to Lady Banna, but she lacked the heels to keep up with the running gait of Poorman : and Cock. When they ; turned broadside to the stand, and in rounding into the home stretch, Poonnan led, closely followed by Cook. i Down the stretch both trctte 1 an.l ran at intervals, and | at the score there was not half a neck's difference, . Poonnan having it. The heat wa3 awarded by. the I judges— Reed, Woods and Capt. Johnson — :>s follows: ; Jim Cook's heat, Billy Poormnn second, Emma third and George fourth. Time, 2:41#. RECAPITULATION. ; Union Park Course, Sacramento, August 9th, 1872. Trotting race, in harness, mile heats, three in five, for a proprietor's purse of $200, free for all that have never beaten 2:43; $150 to 'he first horse, and -•}.■>() 1 to the second. Dennison's b. h. Jim C00k....". ; 1 1 g I EofTscl. I), h. Billy Poorman. r. -...-; 2~ -2~ -i I C. P. Shear's br. m. Lady Emma 3 4 , 3 MoulthroD's eh. h. George 4 3 ' 4 Time, 2:3S)s— 2:41*. There will be three races to-day, as follows : A dash of three-quarters of a mile for runners, in which -tone--1 wall Jackson and Tom Atchison are entered; a twoI miles and repeat pacing race, sweepstake, J2?J each, in which Ameriou?. Trifle and Swindle are entered ; [and a match running race, 500 yard., »».veen Lily Poland and Miller's b. h. Pete. First race at 1 o'clock.