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CLOSE FINISH IN HANDICAP « Meridian Queen Outstays Bad News Bob by a Half Length. • Winner Runs Mile and Sixteenth In Fast Time — Kingsway Outruns Good Band in Fourth. ♦ ! TORONTO, Ont.. May 20.— A stirring fin-ish came in the running of the Thorncliffe Handicap when Meridian Queen beat Bad News Bob by half a length. A sixteenth from home it looked like Bad News Bob would win. He was on the outside at the time, but in the last fifty yards Madeley took him to the inside and came through between Meridian Queen and Blimp, which was on the inside. Blimp showed fine in the early stages, and went to the front with a rush. He led by a length and a half on the back stretch and held his opponents safe until straightened out in the stretch, where he began to tire. On the far turn Berber moved up on the outside, and for a time threatened to go to the front. When the final drive came he tired, however, and the best he could do was to finish third, beaten by three lengths for second place. Solace finished fifth. He was never able to get to the front at any stage. The winner ran the mile and a sixteenth in 1:45%, close to the track record for the distance. The pace was fast throughout, as the fractional time shows :23%, :47%, 1:12%, 1:38% and 1:45%. The running of the Thoroughbred Breeders Handicap at Thorncliffe this afternoon furnished a stirring contest in which six of the eleven starters fought it out and passed the judges in a compact bunch. R. W. R. Cowie furnished the winner in Kingsway, which beat the Thorncliffe Stables Shorelint by half a length, and another head back came the Seagram Stables Cir-culet. Circulet was the favorite. In the early stages he flattered his backers by going to the front and setting a fast pace. Circulet led until straightened out in the home stretch, where Kingsway caught and passed him, and for the remainder of the journey ihis pair raced like a team. The owner of the winner was presented •with a handsome cooler donated by the Thoroughbred Breeders Association, for which the race was named. Secretary Fer-gusson acted as spokesman and in a few well chosen words made the presentation on behalf of the Ganadian breeders. AN OPEN RACE. There was much contention in the running of the first race, and at some stages of the struggle several of the starters looked to have a winning chance. When the final drive came, Virado, from the C. Graffag-nini stable, proved best. Coming from behind and finishing fast on the outside, Virado got up in the last sixteenth to win going away from Cry Out. A margin of two lengths and a half separated the pair at the finish. Balai dOr was the one to set the early pace, and he led until making the turn into the stretch, where Cry Out caught and passed him. The latter had worked his way up on the outside, and at the furlong post looked to have a safe lead. He had a margin of a length and a half to spare at this stage, and was apparently going easy. In the last sixteenth, however, he tired, and was driving hard at the end to beat Bedford Boy for second place. Cannonade had to stand a long, hard stretch drive to beat Brave Knight by a length in the second race. In the early stages Barter set the pace, and led to the stretch, where Cannonade came through on the inside with a rush. At the furlong post the Riverdale racer had a lead of three lengths, but at the end she began to tire and Brave Knight, finishing in resolute fashion, forced Diliddo to put up a desperate finish to get Cannonade to last long enough. Ichitaro was third, another length and a half away, and then came Naughty Naughty. Carilina broke very slowly and was never a factor. Barter tired after going half a mile, and was eased up at the end. Score another for Jack Whyte, the clever Canadian trainer who is racing a number of two-year-olds up here that he obtained from Willies Sharpe Kilmer last fall. The Whyte colors finished in front when Dark Victory. a daughter of Traumer, came from behind in the stretch to beat Jaffa by a length. Jaffa set the early pace and led by a length and a half on the far turn. McGinnis was rating Dark Victory along under slight restraint and, when he called on the latter swinging for home, she moved up in resolute fashion. At the furlong post, Dark Victory was on almost even terms with Jaffa and, in the last sixteenth, she began drawing away. • ,
