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SPIRITED AND SPECTACULAR Immense Holiday Crowd at Bowie Sees Delightful Racing. Ormonda Wins Thanksgiving Handicap, Defeating Slippery Elm in Sensational Finish. BOWIE, 3rd., November 27. The Southern Maryland Agricultural Association was favored with ideal weather today, and the immense Thanksgiving day crowd taxed to .capacity the accommodations of the plant, over 8,000 being present. The track was at its best and good times "was recorded in most of the races. If not the best, todays racing certainly proved the most interesting of the meeting, and the large crowd found keen enjoyment in the thrilling and hard fought finishes that were distinctive features of the afternoons sport. Particularly was this true in the two principal races of the program. In the ,500 Thanksgiving Handicap, the main attraction, W. A. Sheas good filly Ormonda defeated some of the best handicap horses at the track in a splendidly contested race tli.it ended in si sensational finish. The Superman filly was the pacemaker throughout, and after apparently being beuten at the head of the stretch, when Slippery Elm passed her, hung on, gamely and managed to get her nose in front in the final stride. So close was the finish that the spectators were in doubt as to the winner until the official placing was announced. The game filly and her popular rider were cheered to the echo on their return to the wales. Slippery Elms performance was a meritorious one and he was probably best, but racing on the outside of the leaders most of the way accounted" for his.. .downfall. , - . ... The Quickstep High-weight Handicap, the secondary feature, was productive of another thrilling finish when the three placed horses flashed past the winning post heads apart. St. Allan was clearly best, and closing fast from the rear in the stretch got up in the final strides. Crank, Fort Bliss and Grimalkin closely contested the -leadership to the stretch head, where Fort Bliss took command, but he tired near the end and was headed by Crank nfter a hard drive. Grimalkin gave it up in the final eighth. There was keen disappointment expressed over the withdrawal of Flags from the race. Fairy Prince and Le Balafro gave the spectators iin inkling of the good sport that was in store for them when they put up a rattling hard fight in the opening dash, the former prevailing by a small margin after a spirited stretch drive. BAD DAY FOR FAVORITES. Joan of Arc, favorite in the second race, had scant chance after being practically left at the ltost. Xapoli was returned an easy winner, going to the front after Mackenzie quit and encountering no serious opposition .thereafter. Another blow to the talent came in the following race, the unconsidered filly Weary taking the measure of the heavily backed Sister Helene. Another tight finish came in the sixth race. Uncles Lassie, after leading throughout, just barely lasted long enough to get a neck decision from the fast closing Wood trap. At the conclusion of this meeting jockeys Hamilton,. Pierce and Johnson will go to their respective liomes for a short vacation. After the first of the year all three will go to Xew Orleans. At the conclusion of this meeting several of the larger stables racing here will go into winter quarters. The W. It. Coe racers will go to Belmont Park; It. F. Carmans string to his Maryland farm, "While the Sanford stable will be wintered at Ben-wing or one of the Long Island tracks. A. H. Morris Quietude and Irene, also the Triple Springs Kamis filly Pen Rose, will be given a rest during the cold months, but trainer .1. Boden is making preparations to ship the majority of the other horses in his care to Cuba for awinter campaign. A great many of the other stables which took part at this meeting will depart for Xew Orleans, preparations having been made for two special trains, one on Sunday and one on Monday, from liere direct to the Crescent City. Among the riders who will leave for Jefferson Park on Saturday night :ire Rice, Collins, Rodriguez. Hichcreek, McTaggart, Stirling. McCrann. Walls. OBrien, Obert, Sneid-liiau and T. Rowan. AVhether jockey Elisor will ride at the southern tracks depends upon the decision of trainer M. Daly of the Jeffords stable, to whom Elisor becomes under contract on December 1. The Beach Stable and B. Boyle strings will be sent to Gravesend after this meeting.
