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OPENING DAY AT HAMILTON ♦ Ideal Weather Prevails for Inaugural Days Program. ♦ Foundation Stone First in mountain View Purse — Townrow Scores with Four of His Mounts. » HAMILTON, Ont., June 24. — Racing came back into its own after several lean years at the Hamilton Jockey Club course, when a well-arranged program was offered an excellent gathering of race fans. Ideal summer weather prevailed for the inaugural day and the sport that was furnished resulted in several close and exciting finishes. Favorites did not far so well, however, as choices were bowled over steadily during the course of the afternoon. The biggest upset was the first defeat in nineteen starts at this track for the aged gelding Care Free, which races for Mrs. A. E. Alexandra. Care Free met defeat in the second race, for which he was made an odds-on choice. He finished third behind Pledge and Heartache. Foundation Stone, carrying the black and white blocked silks of the Maryland turfman Richard Pending, making his first appearance under colors since an early campaign at Pimlico this spring, administered a stinging defeat to the best class of racers that could be mustered for the Mountain View Plate, the race of most importance on the opening days program at the Hamilton Jockey Club course. Carrying top weight in the field of seven, he led for the entire distance and at the end of the journey showed the way to C. Li. Whitings Channing I. by a length, while Clear Sky was in third place, leading Red Pate and the others. Townrow, who was returned winner with both Aversion and Princely Attention in the preceding race, brought his record for the afternoon to a triple by riding the winner of the feature. Of the six that started over five-eighths in the opening race for two-year-olds exclusively and called the Juvenile Purse, the winner of the race came from the barn of the Eastland Farm Stable when Leadgold was returned the winner in easy fashion by a two-length margin over E. C. Grogans Kentucky Lad, while the favorite. The Top, landed third for H. R. Dulaney, Jr. Leadgold went into second place soon after the beginning, followed close at the heels of the pacemaker, Kentucky Lad. to the stretch, then went into command when straightened Continued on twenty-second page. j 1 ; 1 I ; 1 OPENING DAY AT HAMILTON Continued from first page. out and came away at his leisure in the final stages to finish with speed in reserve. Kentucky Lad had no difficulty in saving second place from The Top, being six lengths clear. Margaret Helen was two lengths in back of the latter to take the measure of the others. Pledge, racing for H. C. Geenen, furnished an upset when he defeated a shifty band of sprinters in the second race, for which he was a despised outsider. He reached the end of the three-quarters showing the way to Heartache, from the stable of Mrs. II. D. Cox, while the heavily backed odds-on choice Care Free could do no better than finish third for •Mrs. A. E. Alexander. Kentucky Colonel landed in fourth place, with the three other starters strung out. Pledge was never far from the pace set jointly by Ironmaster and Care Free, went to the outside of the latter, which mooeed*d in doing away with Ironmaster, and in the final starts drew away until a margin of two lengths separated him from Heartache, which in turn was a length clear. Aversion made partial amends for the de-: feat of his stablemate Care Free, which met defeat in the second race, when he led s:x others throughout the three-quarters in h? third to score in a mild drive by a length and one-quarter from C. L. Whitings Helen Handsel. Aversion was quick to leave the barrier and, moving into the lead directly after the start, stalled off early contention from Final and in the drive through the last three-eighths the Alexandra colorbearer easily withstood the final challenge of Helen Handsel, which just managed to beat Final in the last strides for second place. Princely Attention, an English importation and a first-time starter in this country, carrying the silks of the locally-owned Queen City Stable, earned brackets in his first attempt for his new owners when he scored over a rather good band of route performers over one mile and seventy yards in the fourth race, which found Troll the favorite. Blazing Cinch offered the winner the most contention at the end of the trip, being beaten a half length. The winner, away last from a moving start, was taken through a narrow opening on the inner rail when straightened away on the back stretch to reach a forward position, doggedly continued his way through until he was in advance and Townrows riding near the finish helped him to resist the final ru:;h of Blazing Cinch, which came from last place.
