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. .m STAR OF RANCGCAS STABLE SCORES NOTABLE TRIUMPH --KENTUCKY FURNISHES WINNER OF FLASH STAKES SHILLELAH STEEPLECHASE TO MINATA INAUGURAL DAY A HUGE SUCCESS SARATOGA SPRINGS. N. Y., August 1. Grey Lag adequately avenged his defeat by Exterminator when he won the Saratoga Handicap today, while Exterminator finished last of the five that raced. It was Bon Homme, from the Zvalapa Farm that was well lapped on the son of Star Shoot Miss Minnie at the end, while H. P. Whitneys good filly Prudery, after making or forcing most of the pace, hung on to be an easy third. The race was worth ,750 to the Rancocas Stable. GREY LAG There has been larger crowds attending openings of the Saratoga meeting in point of numbers, but it was a goodly crowd that was on hand to welcome the thoroughbreds and a thoroughly good program was offered for the occasion. The track was fast and tho weather cloudy, tempering what would have otherwise been an uncomfortably hot day. The Kentuckians began the meeting well when J. C. Milams good filly Dust Flower won the Flash Stakes from a truly good band of two-year-olds that included the first starter of the year for Major Belmont. No time was lost in sending the small field in the Saratoga Handicap away. Prudery cut out the early running. Grey Lag began from outside and Fator permitted him to race wide on the first turn and had a good hold of his head, riding him with confidence a length back of Exterminator. On the backstretch Schuttinger moved up with Bon Homme on the outside and joined Prudery before the half-mile ground was reached. The Whitney filly was on the inside and she was still racing resolutely. There Fator made his move with Grey Lag and he gradually worked his way up and was galloping freely. Johnson made an effort to follow him with Exterminator, but the old son of McGee was plainly not all himself and failed utterly to make up any ground. It cost Fator considerable ground going around on the outside, but Grey Lag was equal to that handicap in addition to his 130 pounds. He wore them down one after another until he was hailed as the winner on the stretch turn. By that time Bon Homme had headed the others and he was the only one in front of the Rancocas Stable star. An eighth from the finish Grey Lag had Bon Homme, but Schuttinger was hard at work on the four-year-old and he was hanging on with wonderful gameness. Prudish was also coming again after her early good racing, but Devastation was all through and Exterminator was last. Though Bon Homme fought it out to the last stride. Grey Lag came with speed that would not be denied and he was drawing away with a half length Continued on twelfth page. , . . i : ; L GREY LAG- WINS THE ; SARATOGA HANDICAP i Continued from first page. to spare at the end, while Bon Homme had beaten Prudery a length and a quarter for second place. She was six lengths before .ne thoroughly used up Devastation. The race was not remarkable from a time : standpoint, although the pace was good throughout. The fractions were 23 for the first quarter, 48 for the half, 1 :12 for the three-quarters, 1:33 for the mile and 2:03H; for the mile and a quarter. It might be said on behalf of Exterminator that ho only appeared- a shadow of the Exterminator that took the measure of Grey Lag in the Brooklyn Handicap and the rua-ning demonstrated that he was far away from that form. Tim Donahue sent his first cross-counry winner to the post when he saddled Mrs. F. Ambrose Clarks Minata in the Shillelah Steeplechase. It was a repetition of its running last year, when under the same weight and in the same time Minata was the winner. There were seven sent to the post and it was worth ,500 to the winner. There was an element of luck in the victory, for had it not been that J. S. Cosdena Faunus stumbled badly at the last obstacle, he would probably have beaten the son of Mirador. Of those that raced Grenadier was the only one that did not complete the course. He made a bad landing at the Liverpool when racing in a contending position and unseated Barrett. INTEREST IK MESSENGER. The cynosure of all eyes in the Flash Stakes was Messenger, by Fair Play Mission, by Rock Sand, in the colors of August Belmont. As big as a three-year-old, he showed no grossness and he is unquestionably a colt of high quality and probably one that will redeem his defeat of today before the current meeting ends. Spot Cash and the Wilson colt Wilderness were also much admired. Cartoonist was another big colt that made friends and he, too, can probably do better than he did, good as that was. There were thirteen in the field. Dust Flower was away in the first flight and Garner, who incidentally rode Miss Joy to victory in the samo race last year, took her to the rail and saved ground all through the running. Banter, another from the West, that bore the silks of H. II. Hewitt, was first to show the way and Dust Flower was second, with Messenger on the outside and in third place. All of them were in fairly close order, but leaving the backstretch Carroll rushed to tho front with Sun Mist and she quickly raced into a good lead. At the same time Bud Fishers Cartoonist moved up in gallant fashion and Dust Flower was holding her place. It was not until well inside the final eighth that Sun Mist gave way and when she did she made a good job of it. Dust Flower, in the meantime, had found her way through, but she was being closely pressed by Cartoonist. Cartoonist and Messenger were still racing well. The others were in fairly close order, but it had narrowed down to the fiist three. Dust Flower was doing her best at tho end to win by a good head and Cartoonist was a length before Major Belmonts colt, while Hell Gate beat Montfort Jones Shamrock for fourth place. Better Luck raced in this for Benjamin Block for the first time and was sent to the post by Albert Simons, who developed him for the Orleans Stable. OPENER TO "BUD FISHER. To Bud Fisher fell the honor of winning the opening race of the long August meeting when Muskallonge began fast . and showed speed enough to lead from end to end and beat Gladiator home, while Valor saved third money from the fast coming Kirklevingtcn. The closing race was a five-eighths dash for maiden two-year-olds and the winner turned up in E. F. McLeans Comixa, Twenty wont to the post and Comixa was lucky in escaping early crowding. In such a crowd of horses it was inevitable that some of them would have scant chance ! and this running may be discounted before the meeting is old. There came another Kentucky victory In the fifth race when II. II. Hewitts Advocate scored from Trovelyan and Wellfinder. Advocate appeared lame when going to the post, but he forgot all about his soreness in the running and hung on like a hgh-class selling plater. Before the turn out of the Lack- stretch was reached Advocate had raced by Crank and. once in front, he held commano to the finish, where he was winner by a length and doing his best. Trevelyan had saved ground on the stretch turn and came with a great rush, but right at the end he was in close quarters and his scant racing room did not afford him a full chance, Dust Flower, w nner of the Flash Stakes. was bred by J. C. Milam, her owner, and she was one of the two horses saved from the fire which destroyed the Milam and Camden stables at the Lexington track early last May, Anna M. Humphrey being the other. Milam has contended all along that this was the better of the two fillies, despite the fact that Anna M. Humphrey won the Clipsetta Stakes at Latonia, while in Dust Flowers i racing there was nothing to boast of. Roi Craig, which bore the silks of tho 1 Greentree Stable in the Shillelah Steeple ; i : ! chase, came out of the race with a bovved tendon, according to Vincent Powers, his trainer and riaer. John J. Troxler was an arrival from Kentucky. He left all of his horses in th? Blue Grass State to rest during the warm mo.U":-. Charles F. Buschemeyer, formerly oivn t of Hawthorne and several other life ul racers, was an arrival from Louisville, Ky. John S. Ward has dispensed with t: c services of jockey H. J. Burke and at pre exit iias no stable rider. Frank Keogh wLl be pressed into service when possible. Will Perkins, evidently acting for one or the big Kentucky stables, is negotiating for the purchase of the contract on the apprentice rider E. Martz from George Peterson. Martz has ridden sixteen winners and has created a decided impression among the horsemen. TRAINER HEALEYS BROTHER HURT. Joe Healy, brother to J. Simon Healy, was badly hurt in an automobile accident, while motoring to Saratoga - Springs from New York. The accident was at Hudson, " where he was taken to the hospital. It is interesting to note that Louis Feustel wilL devote his time exclusive to the August Belmont two-year-olds, now that Gwyn Tompkin3 has taken over the horses of Samuel D. Riddles Glen Riddle Farm. It will be remembered that Feustel trained Mahubah, the dam of Man o War, and ho recommended the purchase of the wonder horse that brought the Glen Riddle Farm silks into such tremendous prominence. Feustel also trained the good horse rriscillian, as well as Watervale and Rock View, for tho chairman of the jockey club. It was in the Belmont stable that Feustel was trained himself, for he learned his lessons that made him such a successful trainer from the ground up in the service of Major Belmont. It is like going back home for Feustel to be in charge of the Belmont horses. Under his intelligent training they are sure to take their proper place in racing. William Garth has had J. S. Cosdens Kentucky Derby winner Paul Jones nerved. He has Blazes back in training and the son of AVrack will be brought to the post before long. This horse was sent to the stud last spring and there were sixteen mares sent to his court. During the Yonkers meeting there was 5,314.93 paid in by reason of claims and runups. This will mean that there will be ,063.93 added to each of the overnight races on the opening day of the fall meeting. There were twenty claims and four runups during the nineteen days of racing. Thirteen jockeys were disciplined during the meeting. Clarence Turner, who fractured his collarbone by a fall with Lazy Lou at Windsor, was a visitor. He will return to Canada Saturday and join the J. IC L. Ross stable at Hamilton. TRAINER FOR BETTER LUCK. While Better Luck will race under the silks of Benjamin Block he will not be trained by Fred Buiiew, who trains and developed Morvich and the others of the Block string. Albert Simons will continue to train th" colt. The first Man o War foal will be offered for sale at Saratoga by James K. Maddin:. This weanling lias been named Friendship Too, by virtue of the fact that the service was donated by Samuel D. Riddle, owner of the wonder horse, while the mare was loaned by Temple Gwathmey. This wealing will go into the sales ring the night of August 21. Sea Name is the dam of this weanling. She is a daughter of Sea Ilorse II. Captain Maddux was in a measure responsible for the purchase of Man o War by Mr. Riddle, for he picked the colt aa a yearling. Sea Name is also catalogued to be sold. Edward Arlington has changed the name of his filly Bernice K. to Amanda Hocy, which is his mothers maiden name. The Arlington silks have not had the importance of other years, by reason of the fact that Mr. Arlington has been too busily engaged in his various hotel enterprises to give the turf the time he would like to devote to the sport Groat Man. the unbeaten two-year-old of the Riviera Stable, was withdrawn from tho Flash Stakes because that after his final exercise gallop for the race ho pulled up lame and trainer Taral did not think it well to send him to the post.
