100 years ago in Spokane: Horse named Say wins thrilling Spokane Derby at interstate fair

From our archives, 100 years ago

Horses provided most of the thrills at the Interstate Fair. First, Spokane’s polo team rode hard against the North Fork team, although it came up short.

The biggest thrills came in the annual Spokane Derby, the region’s richest horse race of the year

“There never was a closer and more exciting race,” reported the paper, with a touch of hyperbole. “Only four faced the barrier, but from the springing of the webbing until the last few strides, it was still a four-horse race. At one stage, with the wire only a quarter-mile away, the four were running side by side. From the stand across the track it was a wonderful sight. They might have been a four-horse Roman chariot team.”

A horse named Say, ridden by Joe McBride, made a tremendous drive down the stretch to win. The awarding of the garland in the winner’s circle was a picturesque sight. “The little jockey was the center of a cluster of Spokane society girls, with a $700 purse in his hands.”

“Big Crowd Goes Wild,” shouted a front page headline.

From the booze beat: The notorious “booze special” excursion train to Montana – a “wet” state – never left Spokane. According to organizer Art Baird, the publicity surrounding the excursion “discredited it so completely that men would not purchase tickets.”