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I ! I . I I 1 i 1 1 ; • J J. E. GRIFFITH STABLE — ♦ Scores Double With Canter and St. Valentine at Havre. — . » First Steeplechase of the Year—-* Top Sergeant Proves Best in Edgewood Purse. HAVRE DE GRACE. Md., April 16.— While there was no feature of real importance on the card offered by the Harford Association at Havre de Grace this afternoon, first-clasa sport resulted and the racing had an importance in the introduction of the jumpers of the the year. The cross-country race was an excellent one and fell to Ruine. Sterling new juveniles were also shown, with Canter, a half-brother of Single Foot, the winner. The nearest approach to a feature was the Edgewood Purse of a mile and a sixteenth and G. C. Winfreys Top Sergeant, a Bowie performer, proved best over Thimble, Nose Dive, Martingale and William Tell II. While there was a chill in the a"ir, it was a bright sunshiny day and conditions were excellent for the sport. The crowd was large and showed enthusiasm from the opening race to the last one. The J. E. Griffith stable scored a double with Canter and St. Valentine and both victories were particularly popular. In the Edgewood McAtee went out to set the pace with Nose Dive. Top Sergeant for a time raced after him with Martingale in third place. Then Top Sergeant was eased back slightly by Harvey, while Martingale charged up on the back stretch as though he would pass the Howard gelding. In the meantime Thimble was galloping strongly and not far back from the leader. Nearing the stretch turn Nose Dive showed signs of tiring and Martingale was quitting badly. Top Sergeant had saved ground on the turn and he was coming along with a mighty rush. Thimble made her move on the outside and she also loomed up as being particularly dangerous. McAtee was hard at work on Nose Dive, but it was of no avail as he quit and Top Sergeant drew away and then Thimble also headed the pacemaker to take second place rather easily. The first steeplechase of the year was for the platers but it brought about a good contest and when there were fourteen went to the post there was evidence of the number of cross-country horses that are ready to run in Maryland. The winner turned up in Mrs. Alexander Browns Ruine, with Lady Zeus second, while Double Tip was third, ahead of Trapstick. TWO FALLS IN STEEPLECHASE. There were two falls in the running when Richard Pendings Lollipop went down in the I front field the second turn of the course and James Arthurs Buddugie jumped on him and also went down. Fortunately both B. Harris, who rode Lollipop and EL Willams, who had the mount on Buddugie, escaped injury, though Lollipop broke his neck in the fall. James Milton had the big field away like a charge of calvary and going to the first jump there seemed to be a danger of crowding so close was the alignment, but all were over safely. W. Howard went out with Toppy Nix to set the pace and it was And- lone that went after him while the others followed in fairly close order with Buddugie bringing up the rear. Charlie Mergler had Peccant under double restraint and had no little trouble restraining him back of the leaders while Lollipop raced forwardly and Ruine was also galloping strongly. Andlone did not last long in the lead and Toppy Nix again showed in second place but Peccant was still under a restraint that suggested an ability to take command at the first asking. This was the order named as the front was reached in the turn of the course and there Iollipop went down at the first fence and Buddugie lengths back of him jumped into the fallen horse and both narrowly missed rolling on the prostrate riders. OLD PECCANT TIRES. In the meantime, Ruine had worked his way up at the lower end of the field and he drew away until he had a good lead when the backfield was reached and the race was as good as over. Mergler eased his hold of Peccant and asked the old fellow to run but it was not in him and as he flattened out Lady Zeus and Double Tip both moved up strongly. Toppy Nix was quitting and the others were dying off one by one. At the end Ruine had something left and Lady Zeus outfinished Double Tip. The race was an excellent one and it was , one to hold out great promise for the cross-1 country sport this year. I Devonshire, an English three-year-old that I cost Walter J. Salmon 5,000 as a yearling, was winner of the three-quarters of the second race. While this was for three-year- old maidens it engaged a particularly good hand and the performance of the son of Gainsborough — Fortuna was a decidedly im- pressive one. It was Mrs. Walter M. Jef- . Continued on sixteenth pace J. E. GRIFFITH STABLE Continued from first page. fords colt Golden Spire that raced to second place while the Xalapa Farm Stables Prince of Bourbon saved third. From a good start Maiben quickly went into command with Devonshire and it was evident early that he had the speed of his company. Golden Spire raced forwardly while Prince of Bourbon, beginning from the outside, was forced to go a bit further than the others. Devonshire had his field well beaten, making the turn for home and there Schuttinger saved ground with Prince of Bourbon and he stole up on the rail until for an instant he threatened when Maiben eased the Salmon colt slightly, knowing nothing of the danger on the inner rail. But Prince of Bourbon hung at the end and Devonshire was safely home while Golden Spire lasted to take second place. Canter, the half-brother to Single Foot, by Wildair— Virginia L., proved himself a smart juvenile when he was winner of the half-mile dash for maiden colts and geldings. He ran the four furlongs in :47% to beat home Fiddlesticks, while Harvey Stedman, a Bowie performer, just saved third from Wel-shot. There was some delay at the post and Harvey Stedman was placed on the outside because of his bad actions. Immediately after the start he came in toward the inner rail and some of the horses on the inside were crowded. This gave the offender an advantage and he was rushed into a good lead, with Canter next to the inside rail and Fiddlesticks on the outside. Near the stretch turn Fiddlesticks gained on Harvey Stedman, but in the meantime Canter had worked his way up on the inside and, coming through with a great rush, he was going away at the end. Fiddlesticks outstayed the tiring Harvey Stedman and "Welshot was coming with a rush that would have landed him third in a few more strides. In this race Red Cap, E. B. McLeans representative, was shuffled back at the start and had scant chance while Acrostic left the barrier greenly and will surely do better. When St Valentine was home winner of the five and a half furlongs fourth race, it completed a double for J. E. Griffith and also a riding double for Johnny Maiben. Canter was the first Griffith winner, while Maiben, earlier in the day, had brought home W. J. Salmons Devonshire in front In this dash Maiben had St. Valentine away quickly and he was soon joined by Heeltaps. They quickly drew away from the others and raced close together to the stretch, where St. Valentine proved to be the best and drew away right at the end under a vigorous hand ride. Lord Baltimore II. was going well at the finish and took third, while Leatherwood was fourth. It was a great finish in the mile and seventy yards of the sixth race when the Xalapa Farm Stables Sweeping Away, under a vigorous ride by Andy Shuttinger, was winner over Mill wick, with Balboa beating Overall for third. Maiben rush, d Millwick into an early lead while Shuttinger was in rather close quarters on the first turn, but he was able t get clear and race into second place in the ba k stretch. Overall and Balboa were not far back. Before the run through the back stretch was completed Sweeping Away had raced past Millwick and Shuttinger kept him at his task after he had taken the lead. McAtee was moving up with Overall while Balboa was racing strongly back of them. In the stretch Swe« -ping Away began to tire alarmingly while Millwick was holding his place with case and seemed to have the nec-• r.ssary speed to catch the son of Sweep, but Shuttinger with hands and hi. Is kept the brown colt going to have him home winner by a narrow margin. Overall quit as though short when the pinch came and Hal-boa readily outfinished him to take third.
