Popularity of the Driving Horse Unabated Members of the Tri-City Amateur Driving Club and Their Horses
Snap Shots Made at the Sprague Street Track, Omaha, by a Staff Photographer During an Afternoon of Practice for One of the Racing Matinees
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1 11ILE Omaha has In past years
IV I Wanted of tho number of fine
11 horses owned by residents of the
city, there lire today mora good
horses owned and kept in the city
than ever before. The residents of Omalw.
who first Invested In fine horse flesh natu
rally turned their attention to racing- stock,
and on the grand circuit and la the minor
racing clubs an Omaha horse was no nov
elty, but the Investment never paid from
a ruclng standpoint, and It never does, as a
business. Kacers, either of the harness or
Saddle class, are only valuablo as establisu
ing families or breeds which produce good
Individuals which can be used as roadsters
end drivers, und while the training for the
track Is necessary In order to establish the
eminence of a breed or family, It is in the
sale of horses which have never made re
markable records, but w filch possess many
of the qualities of the good ruce horso that
tho breeder finds remuneration for the
largo expenditures he is required to maks
in order to prove the quality of his stock.
The Omaha horse fancier has passed ths
stage, where he desires t". own a phenom
enally speedy horse, v. hnso sole claim to
notice is thut upon an especially arranged
course, under tho hands of a trained Jockey
or trainer, it can "do a inilo" in a few sec
onds more or leas than t:lW. What the ad
mirer of hoi.! nestrcs today Is an animal
Which, possessing sored in more than aver
ago degree, has othrr qtialtlics which ma Us
Mm a useful horse on Hi r.wd and an at
tractive Individual from an aesthetlo
standpoint.
With tho Increase In the Interest in fins
horses among the residents of Omaha aid
vicinity, and some of theso false concep
tions of the horse to combat, a number of
horse fanciers a year ago conceived ths
Idea of forming a club or association which
would have for Its object the Improvement
of tho quality of horses owned In the clt
and a dissemination of information on ths
subject of horses, especially those used In
harness, and as a result the Trl-Clty Aim.
ieur Driving club was organised, with meia-
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FRKD rAFFKKRKHGKU AND TUK KID,
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TO II DENNISON AND JIM BEATTV.
CLINTON BRIGG3 AND MACDINE
FLOYD J. CAMPCKLL, BKCKETAMV OF THE CLUB. AND ROY V.
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NORCOTT AND IREY WITH
ELACKSTRATIL
DO. BOQUET WITH MAYDAY.
KHUt vrr.r.'ir:.i.v AND v.'ll'E.
hers from the cities of Omaha, South
Omaha and Council Bluffs, to the number
of about seventy-five.
The uinalcur feature of the club is pr
vldod for and protected by throe rules,
which aro rigidly enforced. Tho first pro
vides against the selling of any pools or tlHj
perniUnk.n of gambling in any other form
on the races. Thia removes the great dan
ger of professionalism, and holds the riv
cing events of tho club to the interest that
crows out of tho pure sport afforded. An
other rulo forbids the Kle ct any intoxi
cating liquor on tu c rounds. This is not
essentially a feature of professional sport,
but it is thought wine by the members to
remove every objectionable feature possi
ble, in order that the standing oX the club
may be maintained at tho highest A
third ruls prorldes that each horse In a
race must be driven by tho owner, or by
some member of the club acting for bin
Theso three rules preserve tho amatror
spirit in Us purity, and have operated to
remove every possible suspicion of pirofuo
slonallsm. They have also added roucb te
tho interest of the races among people
who love to seo a pood horse race, but so
do not caro to watch the maneuvers of pro
fessional drivers for, advantage. Club
members aro well pleased with them aad
feel that they will do much to perpetuus
the c'.ub.
Not every member of the club Is a horse
owner, but amonj the seventy-five thore
aro owned about fifty horses which sre
considered by their owners as of sufficient
spee I to enter the contents of the club.
These contests, or matinees, as they are
rlll. aro held on the second sad
fourth Saturday of each month, for five
months. Tho Sprague street track, at
Bprai ne and Twentieth streets, has been
leaded by the club for theso events, and
hus been refitted and Improved In many
rnspect. fi that it now has one of th
best half-uule tracks In the west and
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ample accommodations for a'.l who desire
to attend the bi-weekly matinees.
One of tho Interesting facts that have de
veloped since tho formation of the club Is
that among the members, as also among
horse owners of tho city who have not
yet enrolled their names upon the b 'ok,
the piieer Is much preferred to the horse
whose natural gait In a trot. This Is ex
plained by the fact that nil 'T the horses
which are owned by people interested lit
this form of amusement and recreation aro
used as driving horses in the city, wliero
the javed streets Injure the feet and le.
Of horses. It has been foun 1 that tho
pacel can travel longer upon these hard
roads without injury than the trotting
horse, as the former strikes the p ivem -nt
with a sort of gliding movement, while
the litter pounds it squarely, the shock
being much lighter in the former caso
than In the latter. Tor this reason tho
grenter number of horses entered In tho
contests of the club aro pacers, nlthouKh.
as a rule, there Is no discrimination, all
events being open equally to trotters or
pacci m.
In the matinees of the driving club there
are no classes as upon the regular raco
track Hiid "marks" and "nvords" do not
receive consideration In making up the
races. In lieu of thU the horses arc divided
into groups known as "A," "It," "C," etc.
previous to a matinee the members of the
club are requested to enter as many horses
lor the races as they may ne.ure, nnti men
the board of managers, who take the place
Of the stewards upon the tegular race
tracks, Inspect the animals and from wh it
they know or can learn of their ability
place the horses In one of theso groups
with other horses of equal ah Illy. In
pi icing a horse In group the speed of the
horse is not alone taken lot consideration,
but the ability of tho driver. 8 mo very
fast horses are driven by men who cinnot
get the speed out of them on a race course.
For this reason a horse owned one year
by one driver may be In a high class when
the next year after passing Into tho handg
CLOSE WORK AROUND Till: ISA ST TURN.
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C. E. MACKAYE OX ANOTHER TACK.
ONE OF TIIR MANY HANDSOME EcJL'lPAGES BEEN AT THE TRACK.
A I, RUSSELL AND POVERTY.
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L. F. CitOFOuT AND GOYKUNOR TAYLOR,
C. E. MACKAYE AND TONY W.
CLINTON BKIGGS DOWN TO BUSINESS.
C. C. KENDELL AMD BLUGEN.
W. W. UMSTED AND WIFE.
of another owner It may be in a 1 w.T one.
This plan is in keeping with the Idea of
training, not only tho horses, but the
drivers, in tho care and management of
horses, and with but one year of tho plan
In operation it has ul ready produced re
sults which might never have beer, secured
had the owners not been brought Into direct
contact with their fellows.
Since tha organisation of the club there
has been something of a change In the
ldenl of Omaha horse fanciers. When the
club was first organized there was a
tendency on tho part of many persons to
look to style as the thin;? ta be require!
of all horses purchased for driving In the
city. Today there Is r.o diminution In the
desire for style, but, coupled with It and
equally insisted upon, is speed. With
style and speed a horse can be sold in
Otoaha to advantage, and size, that which
a few years ago was considered abso
lutely essential to a driving horse, is not
so much required. For this reason some
of the most admired horses la the city are
between 15 und 15Vi hands high, and a
roadster does not have to he at least 16
hards high to find a purchaser. Taking the
list of horses entered for the matinee yes
terday it will be seen that color is another
feature which Is considered immaterial.
For many years the dark bay was the
fashionable color for driving horses, but
today there are almost an equal number of
blacks, while the browns and sorrels com
bined are almost equal in number to bays.
The affairs of the club are handled by a
board of officers, which at tho present time
Is not complete, J. M. Arnold, who was
elected president this year, having removed
from the city and his successor not having
been chosen. Tho vice president of the
dab, who is now filling the office of presi
dent, Ifl E. 8. narroll of South Omaha;
Thomas B. McPherson of South Omaha U
tresue, and Floyd J. Campbell of Omaha
secretary. Each matinee is in the hands of
a special committee, which Is appointed at
the close of tho preceding matinee.
