AND OTHER SKETCHES 



49 



A MEMOEABLE EACE MEETING IN MONTEEAL 



IN 1873. 



I propose here to rake up the doings at Decker Park, 

 Montreal, in July of 73. L. W. Decker, then proprietor 

 of the Albion Hotel of that city, had expended a good 

 deal of money in the construction of Decker Park race 

 course and club house, and turfmen of the commercial 

 metropolis were sanguine that at last the royal sport 

 would flourish in their neighborhood. These expectations 

 were, however, sadly disappointed. The track was only 

 a half-mile one, and the turns were so abominably sharp 

 that I have seen four horses go down in one day trying 

 to get around them, and, in addition, the management 

 soon lost the public confidence. 



The July meeting I am going to talk about will live 

 long in the memory of western horsemen who were pres- 

 ent. Ontario wigs lay thick on the green during the 

 week the fun was in progress, and every effort made by 

 the western men to recover themselves only dropped 

 them the deeper in the mud. The first instalment of bad 

 luck was secured in the hurdle race, the opening event 

 of the meeting. The horses engaged were Notary Pub- 

 lic, Old Eye, Jack the Barber and Ivanhoe. Jack was 

 fresh from his western triumphs, showed in good form 

 and temper and was, therefore, in his present company, 

 booked a certainty, but like the majority of "sure 

 things" it wasn't pulled off, both of those old pelters, 

 N. P. and Old Eye finishing ahead of the favorite. 



In the next race, the Ottawa Hotel Stakes, mile heats, 

 the starters were Mr. Barber's Carleton, Lord Byron 

 and Vespucius. The chaps from the West stuck to their 

 represenjtatives, the two latter, and were about equally 

 divided in opinion as to which was the better horse. The 

 first heat was captured by Vespucius, and he was at once 



