view raw text
HEAVY TRACK RACING • Mud Runners in Their Glory at Churchill Downs. — » Gibbons Wins Chief Offering for the Chicago Sportsman, 6. F. Croissant. i LOtMSVlLLH Ky., May 11.— The continuous rain of Sunday precluded a fast track prevailing at the Churchill Downs course for this afternoon. The result was an absence of the better grade of horses. One of of the intended features had to be declared off and a substitute at three-quarters completed the card of seven races. The weather was an improvement over the opening- day and a generous patronage i was again on hand and it included many newcomers, the aavance guard of the Derby visitors. The heavy going gave the more tried mud performers opportunity, but in most instances the contests were sharp, with the winners driving to the limit near the finish. The public fared well, as they managed to land repeatedly on the winners. The best offering was a sprinting race for a purse of ,500 and it brought to the post some fairly good ones, with Gibbons, recently acquired by G. F. Croissant, scoring the initial victory of the local meeting for his new owner. Gibbons was pounds the best and M. Garner had little difficulty bringing him home considerably in advance of Certain, j i with Happy Top in third place. | M. Garner restrained Gibbons in the early , ; stages, but when he got ready he sent his . mount with ease from the others and won ] with much in reserve. Certain held on determinedly, but was all out at the end to beat the steady finishing Happy Top. EASY FOB SUPPORTER. ■Williams Bros. Supporter was an easy winner of the sixth race. He was aided considerably when he escaped interference at the first turn when the jam came that af-fcted Kyrock and Margates chances. Supporter, during the last quarter, held sway to win with ease. Myra M., an outsider, showed good form to land in second place, with the fast-gaining Kyrock overhauling the weakly ridden Emancipation. The opening race found Little Jimmy the winner mainly due to the result of his ridtir being more skillful than the inexperienced J. Guy on Stump Jr., and W. Harveys blnndering riding of Geo. Groom. Little Jimmy began fast and showed a liking for the going, holding on just long enough to get home in advance of Stump Jr. Geo. Groom was ridden wide in the stretch and allowed to swerve in the last sixteenth, which cost him second place. There were fifteen maiden fillies in the second race, but they were never seriously equal to coping with the Greentree Stables Crazy Moon, which won in runaway style after the first eighth had been traversed. The battle for second place was a spirited one, with Helens Babe just managing to outstay Golden Mary. The usual interference that develops soon after the start in two-year-old races was again noted, with several of the starters being eliminated as a result WINS SPECTACULAR DUEL. W. E. Applegnte scored his first purse of the present meeting when his Eight Sixty was a winner in a spectacular duel with The Cheetah. The winners margin was only a head, with The Cheetah gaining steadily and In a fair way of winning in a few strides. Fusileor succeeded in getting up in the last strides to beat Fasnet for third place. The first claim of the meeting came here when Williams Bros, took Tall Grass at a cost of ,000. The substitute race furnished an upset when Quesada could only land in third place, being beaten handily by Blue Stone and Macbeth. Blue Stones victory was due to his saving much ground at the stretch turn and all during the last eighth. He got up to beat Macbeth in the last strides. Had Macbeth stnyed close to the inner rail he would have won. Quesada also lost much ground In the stretch and began tiring fast. Six Pence won the final race. He was benefitted by the sticky going and was also lucky throughout. Bosh finished in second place, with Breechloader third. Goldfield might have won had he been ridden with bettor judgment. He was also away poorly and lost much ground when he raced wider than all the others. Williams Bros, added him to their stable at a most of ,800.
