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ERRATIC NATURALIST WINNER J E Wideners Speedy Gelding Victor in Em ¬ pire City Handicap Lion dOr a Superior Sprinter YONKEISS N Y July 14 J E Wideners erratic but brilliant brown gelding Naturalist by ISahclais Nature showed a sparkling performance in the Empire City Handicap today when lie made all the pace and defeated three of the foremost handicap horses racing on the Metropolitan circuit Naturalist took the lead quickly after the start and threequarters out was six lengths in front of his opponents At this juncture Mad Hatter came fast and cut Naturalists lead down to two lengths It seemed the Widener gelding was done but jockey Turner kept a tight hold on Naturalist and the gelding had enough speed in reserve to with ¬ stand all challenges at the end winning by a length and a quarter ridden out All four of the starters were heavily backed and at the close three of them were at about the same odds Mad Hatter was the longest shot in file race around 3 to 1 1Lion Lion dOr showed he is a Miperior sprinter when he defeated a shifty band of fast racers in the Katonah Highweight Handicap He got away quickly and made every postji winning one Charlie Summy was the contender all the way Tableau dHcnncur showed a good performance having raced wide all the way and got up in the last strides The opening day attendance was quite up to the expectations of the management James Butler president of the Empire City ISacing Association was busy receiving the congratulations of his friends on the numerous improvements whih had been installed here since last fall The new en ¬ trances helped greatly in the handling of the crowds The grandstand patrons found the new walk from Yonkers Avenue a big convenience Em ¬ pire City is now as attractive a racing plant as there is on the Metropolitan circuit circuitThe The Empire management hopes to have Mai o War as a starter in the Empire City Derby on Saturday next The champion would be called on to iveJohii E Grieiitwo more pounditlianhe did in the Dwyer Stakes at Aqueduct and should this pair come together the track would scarcely hold the throng The Whirl Stakes for twoyear olds will be run the same day and it too should be a good drawing card as there are some of the best of the juveniles of the year eligible to it itNaturalist Naturalist has always raced well at the Empire City course and those who remembered this fact profited today It was one of the best betting events of the year with little to choose between the four contestants When it came to racing how ¬ ever Naturalist proved best Trainer Tom Welch was greatly pleased and so was the horses owner J E Widener who came from Philadelphia to see the big gelding run runM M J Winn manager of the Kentucky Jockey Club tracks in Kentucky was a visitor He says lie will remain in New York until the Saratoga meeting when he will go to the Spa in the interest of the fall stakes in Kentucky The entries for these stakes close August 17 Mr Winn said vast improvements would be made at Latonia in time for next years racing racingE E IS Bradley wellknown Kentucky breeder and turfman was also a visitor He said his horses were resting at Saratoga where they would race next month
