view raw text
CRUSADER DEFEATED « Last Years Champion Finishes Unplaced in 1927 Debut. • Single Foot and Canter First and Second in Philadelphia Handicap at Havre de Grace. ♦ ■ HAVRE DE GRACE. Md . April 23— The crimson and white silks of J. K. Griffith took both first and second honors in the feature Philadelphia Handicap at Havre de Grace today, when his home-bred horses Single Foot and Canter led the Sagamore Stables Montferrat. E. F. Whitneys Joy Smoke and five others of a field that included the Glen Riddle Farms mighty Crusader. topWeight and outstanding favorite for the mile and a sixteenth race that was run in the good time of 1:15% over a track that had been worked incessantly throughout the day in an effort to redeem it from the previous days drenching. The Griffith pair were alert at the barrier, and Car.fttr was partly responsible for a t»even-min%te post delay. When the good start came. Canter took the lead, followed by the lightly weighted Montferrat and Singlefoot, with Edisto and Crusader following in order. Laverne Fator. who had been brought from New York to ride, was having difficulty getting Crusader through along the rail, but by daring succeeded in slipping past all the others except Canter. Fator tried to pass Canter too. as they reached the middle of the last turn, and was forced to take up when Canter bore over slightly on him. The big chestnut was knocked off his stride, but quickly recovered. He was forced, however, to stay close to the inner rail, and in the deeper going. The leaders fought it out in the drier going that prevailed in mid-track and Single Foot overtook his stablemate to lead him by a half length to the end. Canter had only a head to spare over the determined Montferrat. while Joy Smoke, on the outside finished a length and a half back and leading Crusader. GREAT n DEFEAT. Crusader, though beaten, ran an impressive race — one good enough to establish his place at the top of the eastern handicap division. He would probably have won with clear sailing. It was a real Maryland victory. Owner Griffith was formerly a member of the Baltimore County Racing Commission. The race was worth ,650 to the winner, while Canters portion increased the Griffith earnings by .00tt more. It was a highly creditable race from a time stand-jK int. considering track conditions — the quarter was run in 08%, the half in :47%, the three-quarters in 1:13%, the mile in 1 ::.:*. Devonshire and Edisto acted badly at the post. In fact, the afternoon dragged under its leaden skies, due to the many long post delays. The attendance was up to Saturdays standards. An augmented train service proved hardly adequate to handle HM mammouth throng, while motor parking spare wa at a premium. It was one of the largest gatherings in the fifteen years of the associations history. Remedy, an aptly named four-year-old son of Apothecary, ridden by Johnny Callahan in the Sagamore Stables silks, took the opener in a hard drive from Eong Point with Mark Master third and leading nine others. Winsome had the early speed but gave way to the winner rounding the turn. Remedy wanted to quit at the final sixteenth after swerving to the middle of the track, but Callahan kept him at the task and he finished with a half-length to spare. Eong Point was away none too well but worked his way up gamely. Mark Master might have been closer had he not been carried out by the winner in the stretch. Wild Aster was in the deeper going along the rail, for the greater part of the way and tired badly in the final eighth.
