view raw text
THRILLING FINISHES Feature Saturdays Racing at Jefferson Park Son-o-Unc, Gorget, Bench Manager and Cloister Stage Thrilling Finish. NEW ORLEANS, La., Nov. 29 Jefferson Park tracks patrons were treated to some interesting sport this afternoon, even if the program as a whole was devoid of any outstanding features. What it lacked in quality was made up by the evenly matched contestants and the racing was close throughout and the finishes hard fought and spirited. In some instances the best horse did not win. This was in a measure due to the poor riding of some of the jockeys. For some reason owners elect to entrust horses with winning chances to incompetent riders at an expense of a purse to themselves. Probably the luckiest victor was the Green-tree Stables Son-o-Unc in the closest finish of the afternoon. It came in the sixth race, a mile and a sixteenth dash with nine starting. They were so well matched that they raced in close order from the start with Son-o-Unc, Gorget. Bench Manager and Cloister drawing out from the others in the last sixteenth and fighting it out in terrific style. Son-o-Unc seemed beaten several times during the stretch struggle but the diminutive Harvey would not give up and he continued in a style that was worthy of a veteran and he managed to land his mount in advance by inches ahead of Gorget with the latter only a margin of an inch or so before Bench Manager and Cloister in fourth place, gaining with every stride. Bench Manager and Cloister raced as if best and with better riding would have been the leading pair. Suppliant, the favorite, had small chance with the bad ride he got and same might be said for Clock Stocking. LUGS IX LAST STRIDES. The eight starters in the final race were so well matched that most in the field alternated in the leading during the first three quarters. They continued closely grouped when straightened out in the stretch, with Stone Age then in the lead before David llanmi, and the finish seemed likely to be in that order, but just when the backers of both had settled down to witness the pair engage in a hard battle, Lugs came with a rush and shot past both to win by a short margin. Stone Age landed in second place, with David Harum third. The attendance was fully up to the Saturdays standard, and it included many representative persons. The defeats of favorites in most of the races resulted in some of the layers getting back a portion of their former losses. Maiden two-year-old fillies began proceedings and the dozen that answered the bugle raced compactly for the entire way, the battle between five of the contenders during the stretch being spirited and hard fought. Sparkle Star, carrying R. A. Fairbairns colors, came with a spurt in the last seventy yards to get up to beat Cup o Tea, with Roi-ville in third place. Boiville at one stage of the stretch looked like the winner, but his collapse was sudden right at the end and he just lasted to outstay Southland Girl. Sparkle Star was one of the better backed ones in the race. The second race introduced a bad band of racers. It was only fitting that jockey Fronk, who stood out in superiority head and shoulders above the other riders having mounts in the race, that he should win. He rode Mrs. M. F. Shapoff s Piedmont and he hustled him into the lead soon after the start and kept him there throughout to win from Quanah and First Call. St. Allan and Eventide were the favored ones in the race. St. Allan was a distant follower from the start, though he saved some ground rounding into the stretch, but Eventide never had a chance with the incompetent ride that he received. ELSASS A FAILURE. The third race in which some of the better grade two-year-olds met, resulted in an upset by the failure of Elsass, supported to the exclusion of the others. He was taken into camp in easy fashion by Electora, owned by S. X. Ilolman. Elsass began promisingly but Elector kept him close company after the first quarter and when straightened for the stretch sprint, Elector gradually moved away to ultimately win handily. Elsass was best of the others and had no difficulty beating home Buttress. The latter closed considerable ground during the last eighth. The mile and sixteenth race, which held the center of the card, found Gem slightly favored over the ordinary band that raced fontiM"fi ot lf th DiLandc-i THRILLING FINISHES Continued from first page. here but she showed a decidedly dull performance, far below her best capabilities and she finished far back, just managing to beat home May Girl. Mayor Carrel, named for Cincinnatis chief executive, was the victor tinder good guidance by J. A. Mooney, a local boy. Mayor Carrel followed Gen. Ca-dorna, which has raced on successive days during the meeting and when he began tiring Mooney rushed his mount into the lead and won easily. Gen. Cadorna held on determinedly to sceond place and had no difficulty retaining the middle portion of the purse. Molinero, battling hard, outstayed Sands of Pleasure. Some well matched horses met in the fifth at three-quarters and it developed into a spirited battle between El Astro, locally owned, and Naughty Nisba, with the former the victor by half a length. El Astro dominated the running nearly all the way, and was closely followed by Naughty Nisba. Had the latter been successful in making a close turn, the ground she would have saved as the result would have given here the victory. Johnny Jewell finished in third place, having been in that position practically from the start. Canyon was the favorite in the race, but ho was always far out of it, though he came fast in the stretch to land in fourth place. John Q. Kelly, another that had some favor raced poorly.
