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SENSATIONAL STEEPIiECHASJNG. i The beauties of the Hawthorne track were too great for the race-going public to overlook yesterday and there was a holiday crowd of about 12.000 at the Cicero course. That they were treated to sensational racing would not bs giving the sport its just dues. The Bteeple. chase alone furnished enough excitement for ten ordinary days, but besides this there were three extraordinarily close finishes. Consequently the enormous crowd was kept keyed up to concert pitch from beginning to end. The steeplechase was the exciting feature and how all the riders that fell escaped alive was a mystery. There were five ugly falls and four of the jockeyB had their collar brnes broken. The jumping game has grown so popular of late that every man with any kind of an old horse has started him to fencing. Consequently the fields in these races are becoming too large for safety. In yesterdays steeplechase an even dozan started but only five finished, accidents happening the other seven. Five of these went down and the other two went wrong and were pulled up before the journey was completed. At the water jump, whicn is directly in front of the grandstand, is where the principal accident happened, and it was such an ugly-looking one that it drew forth horrified groans from the spectators. After the mix-up not one-quarter of the crowd cared about the outcome of the race. All they wanted to know was how badly the jockeys were hurt or whether any one -was killed. The falls Minor D., Nobilis and Czarowitz got were perhaps aB dangerous looking as were ever witnessed on a racetrack, and how Stewart, Cummings and Welch -escaped Berious injury is a miracle. Minor D. was the first to go down. He turned a complete somersault and rolled over jockey Stewart. The latter stretched out as though life had been crushed out of him anil was naturally kicked a few more times when Nobilis and Czarowitz came rolling over the hurdle. A crowd immediately rushed for the spot where the boys fell but before a half dozen had arrived all three boys were on their feet and walking around. At the first jump beyond the water jump down went My Valentino. Nothing out of the ordinary happened after this until the last jump was reached. Here Chenier fell, and Joe Clark and St. Brandon were pulled up. During all these accidents Hueston on Gypceiver was lucky and attending to his business with the result that he won the race. Clifton B. was second and Bellamy third. After the raca Judge Rees ruled jockey Koyce off for his ride on Chenier. It seems that Royce interfered with and almost carried Gypceiver out of the course just before taking the eighth fence. In fact the judge said the boys ride was not satisfactory in any respect. Jockey Burns figured prominently in the three close finishes. He won one of the races and should have won the other two bnt through sheer carelessness and overconfidence he threw thorn away. The races he threw away were on Capron and Jackanapes and the admirers and backers he lost over these two defeats will tako him a Jong time to win back again. That Burns is a good jockey is beyond doubt, but his head is becoming enlarged and by thinking too well of his hand, and underestimating the other jockeys he has lost several races recently and the two yesterday were hard blows to his roputation. Jackanapes belongs to Mr. Schorr, for whom he works, and after the race, Mr. Walker, trainer for the stable, was very soro. Ho is a conservative man, however, and said nothing. Croesus beat Jackanapes by a nose on the post. The first race was won by Dr. Nembula by a i narrow margin. Burns rode him and his finish was powerful. He beat Vititoe, on Bert Davis, simply because he was the better rider. Algareta won the six and one-half furlong sprint very easily and incidentally took a half second from the track record, which was 1:20. Bishop Reed was an even money chance for the last race, but finished third to Newsgatherer and Tappan. Reed was entered for 00 and P. M. Civill, who owns Damocles, claimed him. Sydney Benders good horse Tenby was hurt worse than was supposed when he picked up a stone in his last race. The horse has been turned out of training and is in the hands of Dr. McKellop. It is doubtful if he will race again this fall.
