Old Grey Lag Again: Wins Another Mile Race, but Pulls Up Quite Lame, Daily Racing Form, 1927-06-23

article


view raw text

OLD GREY LAG AGAIN Wins Another Mile Race, But Pulls Up Quite Lame. Lizard Takes Wheatley Steeplechase, Profiting by Incompetent - Bide of Breuning on Flyman. . - NEW YORK. N. Y., June 22. Old Grey Lag came back again at Aqueduct today to win over the mile route, but this time the nine-year-old daddy of a crop of two- year old3 came back to the sca!es decidedly lame. It may be that Hildreth will patch the old fellow up again, for when he was at his best he frequently came out of his races "nodding," but the fact remains that in his previous race this year, after an absence since 1923, he did not show the same lameness. This was not the feature race of the day, but it was of greatest interest by reason of the presence cf Grey Lag in the field. The stake race of the day was the Wheatley Steeplechase Handicap and it saw Joseph E. Wideners Lizard the winner because of the incompetent ride of G. Breuning on Flyman, the starter from the Brookmeade Stable. The mile race, which fell to Grey Lag, saw William Zicgler, Jr.s Our General second to the Rancocas Stables champion of other years and Bud Fishers John J. Williams third. This order was only possible for the reason that in the stretch run the saddle on John J. Williams slipped andhad turned with Horvath finishing bareback and the saddle on the horses flanks. After the finish Horvath was unable to pull his mount up and he wa caught ,by Murray on the lead pony. Our General also attempted to run off with Johnny Maiben and it was not "until the lower end of the back stretch that he was pulled up. GREY LAO UNDER RESTRAINT. No time was lost at the barrier and as it rose John J. Williams at once rushed to the front, with Golden Volt and Grey Lag chasing him. Fator had Grey Lag under a nice steadying restraint and he was making no effort to improve his position, keeping the old chestnut out of trouble. . It was not long before Golden Volt dropped back and then Fator moved into second place, but he still did not go after John J. Williams until well into the stretch. When he moved, it was not much of a trick for Grey Lag to go into command, and the race was over, i It was in the stretch run that the saddle on John J. Williams turned, and the accident cost him second place. At the time, Maiben had worked Our General into second place, but he was pocketed on the rail. He pulled the Ziegler horse around John J. Williams and, while Grey Lag was an easer winner by three lengths, he beat the unfortunate John J. Williams half that distance for second place, and Golden Volt was fourth, with the others ten lengths further back. The Wheatley Steeplechase was the stake feature of the day and it resulted in a victory for J. E. Wideners Lizard when he led home Flyman from the Brookmeade Stable and the Greentree Stables Brantome, the only dther starter. The race was worth ,325 to the winner. As the race was run it appeared that Flyman was best, but "Dolly" Byers, who had the mount on Lizard, clearly outrode G. Bruening, who piloted Flyman, and Ferguson, who had the mount on Brantome. The riding of Bruening, who has not had a great deal of steeplechase experience, was particularly ill-judged. . Byers went right into the command with Lizard at the drop of the flag and never surrendered that position, though Lizard was doing his best at the end to beat Flyman by three lengths, while the latter outgamed Brantome by a neck. BADLY MESSED ABOUT. Breuning kept Flyman far out of it until swinging into .the front field for the run home. In addition to that, he went wide most of the way. Then, after coming up on the inside of the other two, Breuning took his mount sharply over to the outside, again crossing behind both Brantome and Lizard. With all tnis messing, about Flyman finished with a rush that suggested that under a smooth and well-judged ride he would surely have been winner. An excuse for Breuning is his lack of experience. That is the only excuse that could be found for so many mistakes in one race. Agapanthus, from the stable of Marshall Field, was winner of the opening five-eighths dash for the juveniles. One Cent and Agapanthus were the ones to cut out all the running through the final sixteenth. One Cent faltered badly while Agapanthus responded gamely to the call of Thurber. Our Adele was never far back and she caught the tiring One Cent right at the end to put him away without a great deal of trouble. Mivida was a disappointment in the running while Tinita, a recent winner, also ran a dull race. Happy Argo which races for Bernard Baruchs Kershaw Stable, gave a sparkling exhibition in the six and a half furlongs highweight handicap when, under a burden of 140 pounds he was winner from Walter J. Salmons Devonshire, carrying only 115 pounds, with H. Teller Archibalds Crystal Domino, handicapped at 119 pounds, third. This rare English sprinter, under his crushing burden, forced all the pace and finished the distance in 1 iISts. The start was a good one, and Steve ODon-nell had Happy Argo off fast, but when Sandy came alongside he permitted the son of Sand Mole to take the lead, content to race at his heels. Crystal Domino was outside of them and right at hand, while the others were in fairly close order, though Devonshire was rather a bad last. Sandy held his lead until the stretch, but there he went out slightly, while ODonnell saved ground with Happy Argo and he soon had him headed, but thero was a general closing up and the son of Argosy was doing his best. Withstanding each challenge, he held his lead to the end, but Devonshire, after his slow beginning, came with a great rush that saw him well lapped on the winner, and three lengths before Crystal Domino, which tired at the end. Millwick, a lightweight of the party, was racing strongly at the finish to be fourth, while Sandy dropped back badly after his early exhibition of speed, for the first half was run in :46. j j Max Hirsch saddled his second winner of the day, and ODonnell rode his second winner, when A. H. Cosdens Vito, a two-year-old son of Negofol and Forever, was winner of a juvenile dash of five-eighths that was the fifth race. Flower Girl, the Samuel Ross starter, was second, and Corsican, from the Newtondale Stable, was third. Vito, beginning well, dominated the running and there was no time that he was seriously threatened, while Flower Girl was as consistently second all the way. The two first horses were seven lengths before the others, so that it really was a two-horse race all the way. At the end of the card there was a close finish. It was a mile and a sixteenth affair, and Wayfair, from the Sagamore Stable, just beat home F. J. Kearns Porto Bello Gold, with Andy Schuttingers Irish Marine a close third. Porto Bello Gold and Wayfair were the ones to set the pace, while Goodwin waited with Irish Marine, and he waited a bit too long. Through the stretch Irish Marine closed with a rush, but he was just a few strides late and he also lost ground by going out a bit. Wayfair outstayed Porto Bello Gold to win in Ule last strides.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1927062301/drf1927062301_24_1
Local Identifier: drf1927062301_24_1
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800