Steeplechase Feature Race: Jumpers Furnish Entertainment in Aiken Hunters Steeplechase, Daily Racing Form, 1931-05-23

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STEEPLECHASE FEATURE RACE 1 n I Junipers Furnish Entertainment in Aiken Hunters Steeplechase. 1 J. T. Skinner Rides Moholi to Victory Over Jloecake — Sir Jonathan and Moine Among Winners. ♦ NEW YORK, N. Y., May 22.— Amateurs and hunters were the stars of an excellent program at Belmont Park. The feature was the running of the Aiken Hunters Steeplechase, over the two and a half mile course, and when J. T. Skinner brought Sumner Pingrees Moholi home the winner he surely was wonderfully mounted. Not that Mr. Skinner made any mistakes in the race, but the old gelding was good enough to force the pace for the long, gruelling gallop under a burden of 168 pounds, the top weight. G. H. Pete Bostwick rode Mrs. Robert V. McKims Hoecake into second place, and Rigan McKinney was third with Robert C, Winmills Princess Clovelly. Back of these came R. G. Woolf e on Mrs. A. G. Mcllwaines Lunar and J. H. V. Davis, riding the Dor-wood Stables Le Digard. The only other starter was the Wayside Stables Isabell, but she unseated R. W. Pomeroy two jumps from the finish when in a contending position. The day was a perfect one for the sport, and besides the Hunters Steeplechase there was plenty to interest on the program. The track was at its best, and an exceedingly large crowd was out. At the drop of th3 flag in the steeplechase Mr. Skinner went out to show the way with Moholi, and with Princess Clovelly alongside they drew away into a goodly lead over the others. Lunar was running nicely, while Bostwick had Hoecake under steady restraint back of these. Isabell had left the post slowly, but she soon took a position before Le Digard, which was being galloped along back of the others. HOW RACE WAS RUN. There was little change in these positions until a turn of the course had been completed. Mr. Skinner had a strong hold on Moholi as he continued to show the way, and Princess Clovelly was still galloping ftrongly in second place, while Mr. Bostwick had moved up slightly with Hoecake. This mare made a careless jump in the front field, but she was cleverly picking up and made the water jump nicely. Isabell was improving her position, while Lunar was not racing so well. Le Dipnrd was still well out of the running, though he was going smoothly. It was in the back field that Pete Bostwick made his first move with Hoecake. She moved up rapidly to go into second place, but as she came into the contention Moholi drew away again, and it was evident right there he was too good. At the upper end of the field Mr. Pomeroy moved up with Isabell and she was rapidly coming to the leaders when she made the bad landing that unseated her rider. There Hoecake was under a hard drive in a vain effort to catch old Moholi, but it was of no avail and. taking the last jump boldly he was past the line winner by four lengths. Hoecake was holding Princess Clovelly perfectly safe when she was second by five lengths, and the Winmill mare had beaten Lunar three lengths for third. Le Digard, last all the way, was another twenty lengths back. SIR JONATHAN IN FRONT. The opening four and one-half furlong race for juveniles of the plater variety brought an excellent finish with the Dor-wood Stables Sir Jonathan the winner over Francis J. Buchanans Efjaybe and Mrs. W. E. Martins Craigco saved third from Mrs. J. H. Louchheims Mamus. Craigco was the one to cut the pace, but he could never draw away. It was well inside the final sixteenth that Coltiletti charged up with Efjaybe and as he did he drove the son of Donnacona through between Efjaybe and Sir Jonathan and in doing so Craigco was bumped and knocked off his stride. At the end Sir Jonathan was winner by a neck. While the victory of Moine was a surprise, there came an even greater one in the running of the Parole Handicap, for three-year-olds. Another field of four horses saw the least considered of the party, Daniel C. Sands My Broom the winner over Commuter, from the Flying Horse Farm Stable. Robert A. Fairbairns Glastonbury was a distant third and Blenheim, from the Wheatley Stable, a disgraceful last. The finish was exactly upside down of the market. There was an upset in calculations in the Raceland Handicap when Moine. from the West Side Stable, scored over William Woodwards Flaming, which had been considered as one of the surest winners of the day. Third in this went to Cuchulain. from the Tedlu Stable, with Howard S. Bowns Don Pedro the only other starter. As a matter of fact the running suggested that Flaming was best, but Pascuma delayed his run too long and then in the stretch the son of Wrack swerved over behind the leaders, losing valuable ground before he could be brought out again. Cuchulain forced the pace and Moine and Don Pedro, well lapped, chased after him, while Pascuma permitted Flaming to drop back rather badly in the early racing. This was the running order until into the stretch. It was there that Kurtsinger made his real move with Moine and there that Don Pedro found the pace a bit too stiff. Flaming finished gamely, but it was too late, and Moine was v/inner by a length. The tired Cuchulain was four lengths back, having beaten Don Fedro for third by a length.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1931052301/drf1931052301_21_8
Local Identifier: drf1931052301_21_8
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800