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FRIDAYS HAVANA CARD Track Improves, but Public Meets With Disappointment in Selecting Probable Winners. HAVANA, Cuba, Feb. 29. A three-year-old race at one mile and fifty yards, run as .the fourth, was expected to furnish the best contest of Fridays program at Oriental Park. There was nothing thrilling about it, however, and Lee Adrin, from the Florida Stable, scored rather easily. Damage, at long edds, threatened to win when he took the lead in the last eighth after Wee Dear dropped, tired out from setting the pace from the start. He had nothing left, though Leo Adrin challenged and proved an easy victim, barely outlasting Mrs. Gardner, which finished fast from a slow beginning. Ideal weather prevailed here and the track improved as the afternoon progressed. There was much disappointment to followers of favorites, as several heavily backed first choices failed dismally. The third race furnished both a big upset and a decided surprise in the defeat of the odds-on favorite, Sportiboy, from the stable of W. R. Coe and the victory of Miriam Cooper. The latters success was narrowly achieved the Sweep mare getting up in the last stride to beat Rog by a head. It was an extremely close finish, a matter of inches separating the first three. Rog had a nose margin over Sportiboy. The Coe representative would have won had he not gone wide in the last eighth. Two first-time starters finished first and second in the opener, a maiden two-year-old race at a half mile. The winner was Cream Puff, which beat the highly regarded Irish Lace. The latter might have shown to better advantage had she not raced extremely wide in the stretch, for after swerving over to the inside she finished fast and gaining. Approval was a warm favorite in the second race, but Cisqua turned up the winner, drawing away to score by three lengths. Approval finished fast, but could not overtake the flying leader.
