A march song from 1896.
Words by Dave Reed Jr.
Music by George Rosey.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by Jonathan Parks:
Lyrics
- Down at the races, keeping cases
We don’t care a rap
People are here from far and near
To see the Handicap
And ev’ryone’s making their bets you see
They’re backing the favorite one, two, three
The jockey is handy, the horse is dandy
A positive winner is he
Chorus
Now the fun, has begun
they are prepared to start
All the people are watching them anxiously
With their hearts over-flowing with ecstacy
Now a cry you hear, far and near
Gladdening ev’ry heart
They’re off, they’re off
The favorite leads you see
As home they fly, they dazzle your eye
You don’t think where you are
But yell and shout, and running about
You’ll cry hurrah, hurrah
The whips all crack, as over the track
The study horses fly
Who’ll win? who’ll win?
Excitement now is high
The fav’rite horse is leading of course
The jockey makes her fly
Don’t talk! don’t talk!
She’ll win in a walk, the crowd begins to cry
He leaves the pack, away in the back
And clears the judge’s place
Hurrah! Hurrah! the favorite wins the race
See them all hustle to cash their checks
You would imagine they’d break their necks
Tally ho, trumpets blow, Ho
The fun is done and everyone
Prepares to leave the place
A look of glee you plainly can see
On almost ev’ry face
We all return with money to burn
So we don’t care a rap
Open wine, extra fine
We’re back from the Handicap
- Look at the girls with hair in curls
And chaps of ev’ry sort
Cutting a dash with Papa’s cash
Each thinks himself a sport
A call from the bugle now greets the ears
Then follows a volley of shouts and cheers
The crowd is excited and all are delighted
As soon as the fav’rite appears
Chorus
There they go, in a row
Oh what a lovely start
It’s a hundred to one as you must confess
That in picking the winner you’ll lose your guess
Like a light’ning flash, on they dash
Gladdening ev’ry heart
Away, away, the galloping steeds depart