Page 94 - November 2021

Although racing resumed after the First Battle of Juarez, its existence remained precarious because of the
forced Díaz to resign before subsequently turning on each other. A brutal, nine-year-long conflict ensued.
Unfortunately, Juarez didn’t emerge unscathed. On April 7, Francisco Madero ral- lied 2,500 poorly equipped men and launched a full-scale attack on the city. The govern- ment forces, comprised of just 700 soldiers, attempted to weather the onslaught by erecting barricades and hammering the rebels with their superior artillery. Their efforts were in vain.
To avoid being caught in machine gun fire, the revolutionaries blasted through rows of houses with dynamite, streamed into the city, and concealed themselves. After a month of fight- ing, the government surrendered. Although Terrazas Racetrack managed to survive, the effects of the battle severely hurt its business.
conflict inside Mexico.
Although racing resumed after the First Battle of Juarez, its existence remained pre- carious because of the conflict inside Mexico. Oddly enough, the track frequently hosted
one of Mexico’s most illustrious (and notori- ous) revolutionaries: Pancho Villa. The general and his men quickly distinguished themselves at the racetrack. Once, one of Villa’s top officers placed a bundle on a highly regarded mare named Pan Zareta. Improbably, a 10-1 longshot called Lady Panchita completely outclassed her opponents and won. The general was infuriated. Flanked by several of his men, he strode up to the bookie he’d placed his bet with and asked for his winnings. Bemused, the man reminded him that Lady Panchita– and not Pan Zareta– had triumphed. “It makes
no difference,” the officer declared. Suddenly
struck by inspiration, he continued, “We have changed our minds. Now we have bet on Lady Panchita.” As the bookie began to shell out the soldier’s “winnings,” a young horseman named Harry Mann (who– incidentally– had selected Lady Panchita) piped up, “If he’s going to
take all that money, then give me some.” The bookie grabbed $200 from the general’s pile and handed it to Mann. To the astonishment of everyone present, the officer looked at the lad, shrugged, and allowed him to keep his earn- ings. Another time, Harry Mann arrived at the track before dawn in order to time some work- outs. When he reached Terrazas Racetrack,
he noticed a corpse hanging from each of the grandstand’s four corners. “They were four of Villa’s men,” a journalist wrote, “who had stolen some racehorses.”
92 SPEEDHORSE November 2021