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ra?/z w/as r#r preakness a CAPTURES I RICH RACE FOR W.J.SALMON General , Thatcher Finishes Second and Rialto Third— Sallys Alley and Zev Badly Beaten— Immense Crowd Sees Splendid Contest— Winners Share of Stakes 2,000 BALTIMORE, Md., May 12.— Walter J. Salmons Vigil, chestnut son of Jim Gaffney and Vignola, was the winner of the Preakness Stakes this afternoon from the best field of three-year-olds that could be mustered and in taking the rich race he added 2,000 to his winnings and at once raced his way into great prominence among the colts of the year. A length ; and a quarter back of Mr. Salmons colt came the Nevada Stock Farm Stables General Thatcher and third was the portion of the Greentree Stables Rialto. Never was there a better contested running of the big race and never was it viewed by such a crowd. Martingale, the J. S. Cosden hope, occasioned a considerable delay at the post and in one of his wild lunges almost ran off with Clarence Kummer. As it was, he galloped more than an eighth before he could be pulled up and led back by the stable pony. Starter Milton was patient until he obtained a first-class start. Goshawk at once dashed into a good lead at a sprinting pace. Tall Timber was in second place and going well under slight restraint and Zev was just showing the way to General Thatcher. Rialto had begun well from an outside position, but Coltiletti took him. over to the rail and he was destined to meet with interference in that position. General Thatcher was racing outside of Tall Timber and Butwell was making no effort to drive/ the Wilson colt after Goshawk, content to wait for him to quit. Hobgoblin, Barbary Bush and Better Luck were a bit slow about getting away and there 5 was no time at which they entered into the argument, although Hobgoblin and Better Luck closed up some ground. It was on the turn out of the backstretch that Goshawk was all through and as he dropped back thoroughly beaten for an instant Tall Timber showed the way, hut General Thatcher was right there and Vigil was making the move that was destined to make him the winner. Rialto had been in close quarters on the inside with scant racing chance, but he was racing gamely, while Chickvale was also making up ground farther out from the rail. Tall Timber was through after making the turn for home and there it seemed like General Thatcher for an instant, but Tall Timber had done his part in helping make the pace for Vigil and the latter closed up on the outside, with Marinelli riding in his best form. There was a battle as the son of Jim Gaffney came alongside General Thatcher, but he passed the latter into a clear lead and was being ridden out hard at the end to make the victory certain. Rialto was closing up next to the inner rail in gallant style and was at General Thatchers tail and a head before Chickvale. These beat the others a full length and their order was Tall Timber, Hobgoblin, Better Luck, Barbary Bush, Blanc Seing. Martingale, Sallys Alley. Zev and Goshawk. It was a race to demonstrate pretty conclusively that Goshawk, Tall Timber and Zev are sprinters pure and simple. It also demonstrated that General Thatcher is a colt that must be reckoned with and that Rialto and Chickvale are both high-class WONDERFUL TURF TRIBUTE. The day began cloudy with threat of rain, but as it wore on there came sunshine and those who had prepared themselves with wraps found them a burden. And it was a representative crowd, a well-dressed crowd, and the clubhouse inclosure was a vantage point for many notables of the turf and of official Washington. It was a wonderful tribute to the thoroughbred horse. Never in the history of the old Pimlico course was there such a crowd within its confines. The steeplechase was run as the first race of the day in order that the infield could take care of the overflow, but there were many thousands who were there before the men It kept a big corps of officers busy in holding the enthusiasts off the course, ropes having been stretched for that purpose. Early in the forenoon the crowd began its journey to the course and long before post time there was not an available inch of space to be found anywhere, though preparations had been made for the handling of a record attendance. The big day of racing opened with the two miles and a quarter Consolation Steeplechase and it resulted in tin easy victory for A. C. Bostwicks Overmatch, well ridden by Keating, while Courteous raced to second place and third was the portion of Earlocker. Gimme cut out the running for a turn of the field and he was till going well when he made a bad landing in the second time around. He never recovered from this mis-take and it was right there that Overmatch took command, to show the way for the rest of the race. J. E. Davis Eagerness graduated from the maiden ranks when she won the second race from Chief Clerk, while Fast Mack was a sood third. A field of eleven faced the starter and they all left in good alignment. r/Jagerness set the pace and was soon joined by Chief Clerk. The pair raced as a team Continued on twelfth page. VIGIL WINS THE PREAKNESS Continued from first page. for the first half-mile before Chief Clerk began to tire and Eagerness drew away. Fast Mack was close up all the way, but was ft reed to come to the outside on the stretch turn and would have been second in another stride. Businesslike finished with a ru=h on the inside. Jockey Marinelli completed a double when he guided W. H. Snyders Maryland Belle home first in the claiming handicap at a mile I and a sixteenth. Her victory was a good one over Crack o Dawn, while Bluffer finished third. It was a well-matched band that started and Two Feathers set the pace, with Burictta in close pursuit, while Crack o I | Pawn was racing third. The two leaders! . raced each other into exhaustion and Marinelli. who was riding a patient race astride Maryland Belle, made his move on the last turn and wore the leaders down to win going away. Never was there a Preakness Stakes showing a Kreatcr diversity of tpinion before the race and there was not a starter that did not have supporters. It was a bi surprising that Sallys Alley appeared in the list, for it was not expected Mr. Kilmer wouid send her to the post. Of the fourteen that i were carded Golden Rule was the only absentee, the J. S. Cosden colors being represented by his more fashionable stablemate I Martingale. I
