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ACTUARY BY INCHES * ■ Defeats Boys Believe Me and Flagstaff in Thrilling Finish. ♦ Oil Man Triumphs Over Buster in Fastest Mile of Present Churchill Downs Meeting. » LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 21.— After Saturdays glorious day of excitement Churchill Downs this afternoon presented a contrasting calm, though an- attendance far in excess of any former off-day crowd viewed the sport. In the throng were many Derb visitors who were bent on enjoying the racing under more normal aspects, minus the frenzy of a Derby occasion. Weather and track condtions were again of the superb order and contributed vastly toward the enjoyment of the sport. An excellent card was provided and it brought into contention some of the better grade horses here to furnish the entertainment. Right well did they do so, too, for most 01 the finishes were of the thrilling varieiy and kept the placing judges on the alert throughout the afternoon. It was a bit disastrous for those who pinned their faith to favorites, for the choices were elusive in many instances. Several of the failures were in a measure due to poor judgment on the part of their jockeys. While the mile dash was supposedly the headliner on the program, still the race preceding it at three-quarters was productive of the better contest. The finish was the closest that has been witnessed here this year, with Actuary getting the verdict from Boys Believe Me by a nose. The same margin separated the latter from Flagstaff, while Right on Time was closely pressing the Whitney color bearer. It was disconcerting for Harry Payne Whitneys representative to lose the race, for he was clearly best, but McAtee seemed to lack vigilance at the barrier and he rode Flagstaff into innumerable pockets. With better racing luck and sounder judgment on the part of his rider he would have been the victor. In the mile dash Buster was installed the favorite, but after flattering for seven-eighths he gave way to Oil Man. BUSTER A BIT SHORT. Busters performance was a good one, but he tired in the stretch as if he was a bit short. Oil Man was in close pursuit of him from the start and when the Livingston racer began tiring Oil Man quickly shot by him and his victory was easily achieved. Following the pair in third place, but six lengths away, came By Gosh. The time of the race — 1:.17% — was the fastest of the meeting. In the mile and a sixteenth race Tip Toe Inn, which in a preceding start startled by finishing a close second to Blossom Time, Was overlooked this afternoon and Rocky Mountain made an outstanding favorite. The latter showed the way until straightened for the stretch run, where Tip Toe Inn moved by him with express train speed and won with ease. Rocky Mountain, whipped out, landed in second place and Billy Star outstayed the others. John Lowes Jou Jou furnished a surprise in the opener in which she romped away from ten others to win with utmost ease. Cock o the Roost being in second place, with Mahony just managing to nose out May Bo-dine. The latter was poorly ridden, but for i which she might have been a keen contender. Another purse thrown away as a result of a faulty ride w»s that in the second race, with Paloma the victim. Kennedy was in front on the Brownell Combs filly approaching the home turn, when he suddenly eased back to go wide into the stretch and it enabled Queen Bess, a suddenly improved running one, to win out by a scant head. Sarah Day had a close call for third place, but just did manage to last it out to beat Attractive. Quotation was the sixth successive favorite to go down to defeat. She led for the first half mile and appeared at one stage to be a certain winner, but she tired badly in the last sixteenth and Altawood and Cherokee Lee beat her to the finish. Brotherly Love completed the day of disaster for the talent when he failed in the final race. Pequot, carrying Williams Brothers colors, beat out a former stablemate. Opulent, by a scant half length, Brotherly Love finishing third. After the finish Opulent went back to his former stable, Williams Brothers securing him via the claiming route at a cost of ,100. _ *
