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BLUE TORCH HANDILY Scores Third Straight Victory for Owner L Gallo. Takes Scott Field Claiming Handicap at One Mile and a Quarter Rundark in Best Form. COLLINSVTLT.E, 111., June 24. The Scott Field Claiming Purse, fifth race on the program, featured Fairmount Parks racing program this afternoon, and resulted in another win for L. Gallos four-year-old Blue Torch, recently acquired from P. Beuter via the claiming route. Blue Torch has annexed three straight victories for his latest owner. He trounced a field of five other good ones in his race today over the one mile and a quarter distance. Jockey F. Armstrong had the leg up on the winner, and had his mount safely in advance of his opponents at every stage of the gruelling journey, and came to the finish a good winner, his victory proving quite popular with the fans, a large number of whom accorded him confident support. Wl L. Brodies Clique, which finished badly beaten and unplaced, was the real favorite. It was the diminutive jockey Armstrongs second winning mount of the day, the lad having previously ridden Dream Life, the winner of the inaugural race. Blue Torch, well ridden, was called upon to withstand repeated challenges from Clique and then Marengo during the race before reaching the stretch, but was equal to the task of holding the lead always. Then in the stretch, as they were straightened out for home, Grass Maid, having been saved to that point, challenged strongly with a reserved final bid and made game attempts to reach the leader, but swerved under the whip, bumping Marengo and throwing both off their stride. Grass Maid and Marengo were still unable to get to the flank of Blue Torch and he held sway, to win by a safe margin. Grass Maid disposed of Marengo in the last eighth, outgaming him for second portion of the purse. Marengo landed safely in third position, in advance of Vennie Day, Clique and the distant trailer, Sea Court. GOOD GRADE OF SPORT. Todays claiming race program offered by the Fairmount Jockey Club produced a good grade of sport and was witnessed by another large attendance. Fair weather again made ideal conditions for the sport. Maiden three-year-olds and over furnished a strenuous contest and a close and exciting finish in the opener, at three-quarters. In a hard fight, as they reached the finish, Dream Life, ridden by jockey F. Armstrong, proved best and, under punishment, succeeded J in outstaying and beating Trevis narrowly for the purse. Trevis set the pace, closely pressed by the ultimate winner, the latter racing on the outside of the leader all the way and closely lapped on him. Dream Life then, got up in the stretch, into a brief lead Continued on twentieth page. BLUE TORCH HANDILY Continued from first page and gamely held It to the end. War Boy, another forward factor finished third. The Captain was the offending choice. C. C. Wrights Rundark gave another ex- hibition of his best form and, ridden by-jockey C. Yates, accounted for the second race, also at three-quarters. J. Dales Wood Cricket was a bang-up second, finishing fast in the center of the track, three lengths bo-fore Queen Clara, the latter installed the favorite. Rundark raced into command after reaching the far turn, taking the lead from Deadfall and continued to hold sway to tne end, but was hard pressed in the final stages to hold Wood Cricket safe. Queen Clara proved slightly better than the remainder and outstayed Captain Fox for third place. GRETA WARM FAVORITE. The first favorite to score during the afternoon was Greta, and she accounted for the two-year-old race which came third on the card, a dash of five and a half furlongs. Lady Welcome raced into second place, while Shasta Pope wound up third. There were but six starters and Greta was confidently supported, ruling an odds-on choice. Greta easily led her opponents from the start, displaying much the most speed at all stages and, drawing out decisively in the last quarter of a mile, to win in a canter. Sister Maggie, one of the starters, acted badly at the post, unseating her rider, jockey R. Whittaker. Before she could be seized by one of the assistant starters, Sister Maggie broke through the barrier and circled the track, running away a mile at fair speed, then returning to the starting point for the race. She was much used by her escapade and raced poorly in the contest which followed. Another bulky band of irdinary platers were brought to the post in the fourth race, at three-quarters, and it resulted in a decisive victory for the Winleo Stables Nanl-Hawaii, one of the strongly-backed ones. Nani-Hawaii raced back in the closely-bunched field to the stretch turn, then came with a great rush, passing the leaders, and she came away with ease in the final eighth, winning in a canter by a six-length margin. The others all took part in a general closing up near the end and arrived at the finish in the proverbial blanker manner, the finish for second and third places being extremely close. Trapdale, after taking the lead briefly before Nani-Hawaii challenged in the stretch, held on well and succeeded in landing the place verdict over Loyal H. in the last stride. In turn, Loyal H. just lasted to defeat Harry B. and Pearl Madeline for third place, the three of them finishing almost like a team. Harry B. was the most confidently backed one here, but was a slow beginner and made his rush much too late.
