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DISTRACTION QUALIFIES FOR KENTUCKY DERBY — » ♦ TAKES WOOD STAKES ♦ Easily Wins in the Mud when Victorian Carries Nassak Out. «, Unavoidable Interference Costly to Latter Pair — Colorado Stakes to Cyrano. NEW YORK. X. Y., April 28.— Distraction, one of the candidates of Mrs. H. C. Phipps and Ogden Mills for the Kentucky Derby, qualified handsomely for that race when he was an easy winner of the Wood Memorial Stakes at Jamaica this afternoon. This was a mile and seventy yards race, worth 1,300 to the winner and it was decided over a track that was deep in mud and in almost wintry weather. The Wood Memorial Stakes was not a truly run race. Xear the three-eighths post and. when leading Distraction by three lengths, Victorian bolted to the outside fence, carrying the Rancocas Stables Xassak with him. At that stage of the race Xassak looked all over a winner and he would probafbly have been first home, but for the unavoidable interference. It was another disagreeable day for racing, though the card offered by the Metropolitan Jockey Club was the best of the meeting. This brought out a large crowd, but it was far from being comfortable during the running off of a program that was riddled by scratches by reason of the muddy track. A companion feature of the Wood Memorial Stakes was the Colorado Stakes for juveniles. This saw* William Ziegler, Jr.s, Cyrano winner by a narrow margin from Simba, from the Rancocas Stable. Of course the bolting of Victorian and his carrying out of Xassak altered the whole running of the Wood Memorial Stakes, for the pair of them would surely have been first and second. It afford Distraction his winning chance, but his race was a sterling one when it is remembered that he was under 120 pounds and giving eight pounds to Victorian. IX AVOIDABLE INTERFERENCE. This unavoidable interference made Distraction winner by ten lengths, while Gif-ford A. Cochrans Genie was second a like distance before Doctor Wilson, winner of the Tijuana Derby and the top weight of the party. Frank LJastones Leonard B. was next and the others were rather strung out. There was long delay at the barrier, but the start was an excellent one, with Victorian and Xassak the ones to go to the front, Victorian was showing the way on the first turn under slight restraint, but Fator had a good hold of Xassak and was close after him. Distraction raced at the heels of Xassak and then came Genie and Leonard B. in close order. This order was maintained in the run through the back stretch and Distraction was making up no ground, but rather losing ground in his chase of Victorian and Xassak. Xassak was outside the Whitney colt and going to the far turn Fator made a move to try and get away from Victorian, but he failed in this and it proved fatal. Shortly tiiereafter Victorian bolted sharply to the outside and Xassak was carried with him. the pair being lapped at the time. This move put both of -them out of the running and left Distraction a couple lengths before the ethers. In the run home he increased that to ten lengths and Genie outfinished the others as has been told. After the finish both Fator, who rode Xassak. and Workman, who had the mount on Victorian, were called into the stand, but it appeared that no blame could attach to either and that it was just a crazy move of Victorian. WON COLORADO STAKES. William Ziegler, Jr.s, Cyrano, a son of Jim Gaffnty — Cyrene, in a gamely fought-out finish, was winner of the five-eighths mile Colorado Stakes, which had a net value of ,900 to the winner. His margin over the Rancocas Stables Simba at the end was only a neck, while eight lengths farther away Mrs. Vanderbilts Tibet, after closing a big gap, was just a nose before Mei Foo, another Rancocas Stable starter, for third place. The race was run in 1 :00%, remarkably good time considering track conditions. From a good start Simba was first to show the way, but Cyrano was not far back and Mei Foo was going well in third place. The three of them quickly drew away into a lead of three lengths in front of Lew Black, the H. P. Whitney starter, while Pebbles Last and Tibet followed, the Mrs. Vanderbllt colt being last. Before the stretch was reached Mei Foo found the pace of Simba and Cyrano too fast, and as he tired the leading pair drew away until they were six lengths clear. At the Continued on seventeenth pace. : | ! | TAKES WOOD STAKES I Continued from first page. time Simba seemed to be going so easily that it appeared he could come away from Cyrano at the first asking. He was outside of Cyrano and, swinging for home, they were closely lapped on the inner rail. It was not until inside the final eighth that Fator went to the whip on Simba when Cyrano hung on with such resolute courage. Simba tired under the drive, but Cyrano stuck to his task with great courage, clearly oiHgaming the son of Purchase, to be winner by a neck. This final duel tool: the pair of them well out from the others, and Tibet, coming from last place and finishing with a great ru*h, just outstayed Mei Foo and Lew Black, which were racing closely lapped. The race at least demonstrated that Cyrano is a real Jim Gaffney by the good game race h ran in the muddy going. Only three of the eleven that were carded went to the post in the opening mile and a sixteenth and it resulted in something of a surprise when Negotiator, racing for the [ first time under the silks of Micheal Callahan and ridden by Laverne Fator, was last of the three. The start was a good one and Negotiator was beaten from the first stride when G. C. Winfreys Bright Steel and the Canyon | Stal iks Resourceful raced into a good lead. They had it between them all the way with Negotiator well out of it. Bright Steel was , winner by a length and a half while Resourceful . beat Negotiator a full seven lengths The race run by Negotiator was far below the form he has been showing. He had no excuse and was just utterly lacking in speed. The Ridgewood Handicap, at three-quarters, had only three starters under silks, and I . Gifford A. Cochrans Nusakan, leading fiom end to end, led home William Wicks Reputation, with Harry Payne Whitneys three-year-old The Tartar finishing rather a distant third. Nomina was rushed into a long early lead by Kelsay and hustled right along there. At the end he was plainly tiring, but the early r . advantage saw him home a safe winner by four lengths. Reputation and the Tartar raced closely lapped through the early stages, but before . the stretch was reached the three-year-old had enough of it and dropped back badly to be six lengths back of Reputation at the end. Harry F. Sinclair was on hand to see the Rancocas Stable horses perform, and he had • some recompense for the defeat of Nimba 1 in the Colorado Stakes by a narrow margin and the unfortunate elimination of Nassak [ in the Wood Memorial Stakes, when Leucite " was winner of the five-eighths of the fifth race. This good son of Lucullite was easily best of his company and, after racing Harry [ Payne Whitneys Letalone into defeat, came " on to score rather handily, while the Whitney colt was doing his best to save the place from Miss Paradise. Tom McCrcery saddled the last winner of the day, when he sent Soult, the imported 1 three-year-old. to the post for the Carlton l stable. This fellow forced all the pace and 1 outgamed Harry Payne Whitneys Skylight t in the run through the stretch. Snobbk-h I l 1 t I -. . . . . raced into third place, beating Westmount, which was off badly, closed a hit; trap and then lost several lengths in the Btretch.
