THE AMERICAN TURF.

Otago Witness, Issue 2371, 10 August 1899, Page 35

THE AMERICAN TURF.

Over 30,000 persons bought tickets of admission to the Coney^ Island Jockey Club's course on the 17th June. The draw was the Suburban Handicap. For this important prize Banastar was favourite at 8 to 5 on, his fine perfoi'mance in the Brooklyn Handicap causing the public to rush him up to that price. There was an aggravating delay of three-quarters of an hour at the post, the result of numerous breaksaway and recalls, and the chief sufferers were Banastar and Ben Holladay. When Banastar refused to respond quickly to the will of Matter, the jockey lost his temper and struck the horse over the head. This made things worse, and when the flag' went down Banastar was out of the race. He was left, at the post. The thousands who had gone to the course to see him make a determined effort to win were cheated of their hopes, and they kicked up a jolly row. Ths race resulted in the victory of Imp, a black mare, five years old, got by Wagner (so.i of Prince Charlie) out of Fondling, by Fon-o from Kitty Heron, by Chillicothe. The victory of Imp was decided, and the time 2-jiin 5 4-sseo, made some of the experts rub their eyes. The fastest previous time in the ha.idicap was the 2min 6 l-ssec of Ramapo. The time of Tillo in 1898 was 2min 8 l-ssec. Thiß year's race was the sixteenth renewal of the Suburban, and Imp enjoys the distinction of being the first mare to place the classic event to her credit. The odds against her were 8 to 1, and she ran a wonderfully game race. The favourites in the Suburban hare won only five of the sixteen that have been run, and the fortunate one? were Raceland, 1889; Salvator , 1890 ; Montana, 1892 ; Ramapo, 1894 ; Ben Brush, 1897. After the race the *i,swards met to coneider the riding of Bitiias.ar, and i.heir decision was to impose a fine ox 200dol on Maher and suspend him for ten days for failure to get away and for needlessly punishing Banastar. This, however, was only part of Maher's fate. Later in the day Mr Clark, the millionaire owner of Banaetar, notified the jockey that he would not again bo allowed to ride in a race. "I believe,"' said Mr Clark, " that Maher's action was deliberate and thoroughly premeditated. I ">elieve he had no intention of getting Bana4ar away with the other horses. I believe thtto the horse went to the post as tractable as he ever was in his life, that he did not swerve of his own accord, but that he moved at the ,ug of the jockey's line. Maher is under contract to mo at 10,000dol a year until the end ot 1900. I have ordered him out of my staKe, and he is never to approach it again. fie cannot ride for me, and I shall not consent to his riding for any other owner. I shall_ keep him uuder the contract and shall pay him his salary regularly. If I broke the contraot, as I might easily do, he would be at liberty to feign, with some one else, and would soon be in tho saddle again. lam determined that that shall be impossible." All this looked very bad for Maher, bu, a week later a silver lining to his troubles appeared when tho stewards, in their fuller report, said that while they had found it necessary to fine Maher for abusing Banastar and to suspend him for ten racing days for wilfully spoiling starts, they had been unablo to discover any intent of fraud on the part of Maher. Maybe, after all, it was nothing \\ orse than a combination of a hasty horse and a hasty man that caused Bana&tar to be left. It is a bad combination, but not so ugly a° that which was suggested — namely, that Maher was in league with interested persons to spoil the favourite's chance.