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WITHOUT A FEATURE « Athelstan Beats Thunderclap in First Appearance of Year. ♦ Little Celt Takes Measure of Prince of Umbria in Close Finish — Old David Harum Wins. ♦ ■ NEW YORK, N. Y., May 23.— In the absence of a stake feature at Belmont Park, the Friday program had a couple of races that attracted the mest attention. The field in each was small and mest of the interest came in the first one, run as the third race, for it marked the first appearance of Thunderclap from the Rancocas Stable. The handsome black son of Yulcain and Bandanna was beaten, but he was giving away considerable weight and it seemed that he just about needed the race to fit him thoroughly. In this contest Ed Heffner saddled the winner when he sent E. F. Cooneys Athelstan to the post. Thunderclap was the one to race to second place and Nose Dive beat High Prince, the only other starter. The weather was delightful for the sport and there was a goodly crowd out, despite the lack of stake attractions. The track was fast and the sport excellent, beginning with a four and a half-furlongs dash for the juveniles in which the finish was so close between Hidalgo and Wilbur C. Whitehead that some thought the placing judges had made a mistake when they were placed in that order, though it was an eminently proper placing. For the Salvatore, which was the first mile race, it was Nose Dive that went out in the pace at the start, but Thunderclap was not far away and High Prince wsrs showing the way to Athelstan, though all four were in close order. Callahan made no move on Athelstan until nearing the stretch turn. By that time High Prince was through and was dropping back beaten, while Thunderclap had Nose Dive doing his best. ONE MOVE SUFFICIENT. Callahan only made one move with Athelstan, and it was sufficient. He dashed through when called on and through the last eighth readily disposed of his company. Thunderclap outgamed Nose Dive and High Prince was a distant last. It was the first appearance of the year for Athelstan and he was in well under 100 pounds. His race was one to indicate that he will make his way under the able direction of Ed Heffner this year. The second mile was a handicap run as the fourth race and it brought about a good contest when Sandy McNaughtons Little Celt, the top weight, just got up to score from P. H. Sims Prince of Umbria. giving the Sims silks two close finishes for the day. J. S. Cosdens Nautical, both a Preakness and a Kentucky Derby hope earlier in the year, was a distant third, beating John E. Mad-dens Check, the only other starter in the race. From a good start Burke rushed Prince of Umbria into the lead and he kept him sprinting along there all the way. Running a particularly fast first half mile, Little Celt was in second place, with Nautical third. Then, leaving the backstretch. Check circled around on the outside to take third from Nautical, but Prince of Umbria was still well clear and Little Celt hung to second place. It was not until well inside the last eighth that Prince of Umbria began to tire of his pacemaking and Little Celt closed on him to win in the final strides. Twelve lengths further back Nautical readily outstayed Check to be third. The race suggested that Prince of Umbria is back to form and he ought to improve over this showing. It was an excellent race when 1 :37% was hung out for the contest. Old David Harum beat an ordinary band of platers in the mile of the fifth race and at the end he had plenty to spare from Mitau, while Belcross, meeting with considerable in- .tontinued on sixteenth pane. I , • : i : i 1 ■ • WITHOUT A FEATURE Continued from first page. terference, was the one to be third. It was Orcus that cut out the running. David Harum began well, but he was slow to be under way and was outrun through the early stages, lie worked his way up on the outside and circling the leaders at the head of the stretch, came away easily in the run home. Belcrcss was racing prominently when he was crowded on the inner rail at the three-quarters post and Callahan was forced to take up. He swung to the outside and closed a big gap to reach third. Mitau hung on well, while Orcus quit badly in the run through the stretch. Edward Arlingtons Predericktown ac-. counted for the second race when he was first home in a seven-eighths dash for platers. It was B. McGinniss Buck Pond that took the place and third was the portion of Mrs. F. Byers Escoba dOro. The start was a good one and Cano was first to show out of the bunch with Buck Pond .close after him and the others not far away and closely bunched. Cano held to his lead until rounding into the stretch and Buck Pond was outfooting the others, though he appeared to be beaten. It was shortly after making the turn into the stretch that Predericktown found his way through on the rail under a drive and he drew out, but Beach rode him out to have him winner by two lengths. Cano was tiring at the end but in the last sixteenth he was pinched off when Escoba dOro made her run. Buck Pond, after being apparently beaten, came again to save second place. The others cut small figure in the running. There was a clcse finish came out of the opening four and a half furlongs dash for two-year-olds when Richard T. Wilsons Hidalgo under a good ride by Laverne Fator was just up to nose out P. H. Sims* Wilbur C. Whitehead in the last stride. Third place fell to G. C. Winfreys Bill Winfrey. There was some swerving, as is usually the case in races through the straight, but Hidalgo was kept straight and in the middle of the course, while Wilbur C. Whitehead, beginning from the outside, swung over to the inside rail and ran there all the way. Going by the stand, Burke drew his whip on Whitehead, and in the last seventy yards his mount was tirinpr badly, while Hidalgo finished out straight and true, but was only up in the last stride. In fact, the finish was so clese that many in the stand disagreed with the placing judges, but they were right, without any queston. The Oneck Stables Polycarp, ridac hv J. Brunner, was winner of the final race of tiu. afternoon in a drive from Starbeck, which races for John Lowe, while the Glen Riddle Farm Stables Long Point was third. The winner drew away into an easy lead, but tired badly at the finish.
