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WALL PILOTS TWO WINNERS ■ —♦ Close Finishes Result in Majority of Races at Thorncliffe. - 4 W. J. Salmons Fair Play Colt Mere Play liepeats in Empire Purse— Patricia J. Best in Fourth Race. TORONTO, Ont, May 29.— The Don Valley and Empire Purse races, run as the fourth and fifth, respectively, at Thorncliffe Park today, occupied the positions of twin features here. The afternoons sport gave the spectators many thrills in the way of close finishes, while the riding of jockey N. Walls was one of the outstanding incidents of the day. Patrons of Thorncliffe are surely getting many a thrill in close and exciting finishes. Another came with the running of the fifth race, when Mere Play got up in the final strides to beat Mollie Elizabeth by a-head. There were six starters and Amen Ra had the call, going to the post a well-played favorite. Wall rated Mere Play along in the middle of the bunch to the stretch turn before making his effort, but when called on Mere Play responded gamely. In the last sixteenth he squeezed through a narrow opening next to the rail. Signola had rather a rough race of it. Mere Play was the second winning mount of Jockey Wall. He won the previous race with Patricia J. The colors of the Hastings Stable were seen in front for the first time when the two-year-old Canadian-bred Cuddle Doon carried them to victory in the running of the first race, a claiming dash for two-year-olds foaled in Canada. Cuddle Doon was ridden by I. Schaefer and had an advantage of four lengths at the finish over Assail, which in turn beat Storm Queen by two and a half lengths for second place. An even dozen maiden two-year-olds went to the post in the second race, a dash of five-eighths, for which Gilded Youth was a well backed favorite. There was plenty of contention and the result furnished a stirring finish in which Gilded Youth, Judge McGarry and Len Sweep battled it out and the trio finished as named heads apart. Another close finish came with the running of the third race, when Guest managed to stagger home a nose in front of The Maple. Rockthorn was right on top of them, another head away and then followed Patsy McDonald, another half length away. It was a spectacular finish in which the winner was not decided until the very last stride. The starts in two of the races were made from the stationary stalls device used in starting races from the three-quarters chute. In both instances perfect starts were obtained and the races were noticeable for the lack of interference in the early stages. One of these was the Don Valley Purse, which was offered as an attraction of the seven-race program. There were seven starters and P. F. Joyces Patricia J. was the winner. Ridden by N. Wall, Patricia J. came through next to the rail and, finishing in resolute fashion, won going away at the end by a couple of lengths from Remedy, which in turn beat Peter Fiz four lengths for the place. Hoi Polloi won a lucky race when she scored from Pandora in the sixth race. When the start came Hoi Polloi was off in front, while Pandora began last and very slowly. This told the story of the race. Hoi Polloi ran her opponents to the first turn, but on the back stretch Burns took back and permitted Cedar Crest to go to the front and make the pace. Pandora, in the meantime, was working her way up on the extreme outside, and by the time they reached the half mile post was up with the leaders and in a contending position. McGinnis came through next to the inside rail at the top of the stretch, and at the eighth post passed Hoi Polloi. With any sort of racing luck Pandora would have been a mighty hard horse to beat. *
