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CLOSE FINISH THRILLS i Queens County Handicap Results in Spectacular Contest. » Halcyon Outstays St. Bride aux by a Head, With Mr. Sponge Third — Aqueduct Inaugural. ♦___ i NEW YORK, N. Y., June 15.— In one of the best finishes of the year C. V. Whitneys Halcyon was winner of the Queens County Handicap at Aqueduct today. It was the opening feature of the Queens County Jockey Club meeting, and closely lapped on him at the finish came St. Brideaux, from the Greentree Stable, Joseph E. Wideners Mr. Sponge, Surf Board, stablemate of St. Brideaux, and W. R. Coes Caruso. The prize had a net value of ,500 to the winner. This made it a double for the C. V. Whitney silks, for Beacon Hill had won the first steeplechase race of the Aqueduct meeting. The old course had been brightened up for the occasion, and while the track is apparently a bit slower than it has been in other seasons, the going was fast, and a big crowd was out to welcome the thoroughbreds to the new scene of Long Island racing. EXCELLENT START. The start in the Queens County Handicap was an excellent one, and Curate, Halcyon and Caruso were the ones to force the early pace, while Garner rated Mr. Sponge along close after these, with Sandy Ford following the Widener sprinter. It was turning out of the back stretch that Rose, drew away with Halycon and at the same time Garner moved into second place with Mr. Sponge. Curate was racing at the heels of his stablemate and Caruso, forced to race on the outside, was a close fourth. St. Brideaux was leading the others and was galloping along gamely. Turning into the stretch Mr. Sponge moved up to Halcyon and the pair went along stride for stride, but the Whitney colt was racing along gamely and would not surrender the lead. Then Garner went to the whip on Mr. Sponge, but it was of no avail and Halcyon clung to his lead doggedly. In the meantime St. Brideaux was moving up on the outside and Caruso and Surf Board were still much in the race. St. Brideaux was going better than any of them at the end, but Halcyon had lasted to save the day by a head, while St. Brideaux was a scant half length before Mr. Sponge and Surf Board and Caruso were also close up. OSMAND IN FRONT. Joseph E. Wideners Osmand showed his best form when he was winner of the Kingston Handicap. At the end he outgamed Chestnut Oak, while Black Majesty saved third from the Rancocas Stables Arab. Seven started, but Follow Thru was eliminated at the start when he bolted sharply to the outside as he left his stall, and in consequence was left at the post. Chestnut Oak was the one to set the pace, and Black Majesty raced closely after the son of Apprehension, with Osmand, which began from an outside stall, in third place. Protractor followed the Widener sprinter, with Magnifico and Arab in the rear. This order was maintained to the head of the stretch, where Black Majesty showed a disposition to bear in to the rail, while Osmand was steadily gaining on the leaders. McAtee kept Chestnut Oak at his task, and it was not until the last sixteenth that Osmand drew alongside, and in a driving finish proved the gamer, to win going away by half a length. Black Majesty tired and was another two lengths back and only half a length before Arab, which was gaining fast when too late. Protractor was never a serious contender, while Magnifico ran a dull race. The first race of the day and meeting was a five furlongs dash for juvenile platers of the better grade, and it resulted in an excellent contest when Robertson wa3 winner, with the Audley Farms High De-vine in a driving finish, with the Rancocas Stables Contribute, ridden by C. Kurtsinger. Dr. Irving Jacobs Trombone was a distant third, beating J. H. Louchheims Uncanny. From a good start High Devine began fast, and Robertson hustled him along with such success from an outside position that he was able to find his way to the rail and set the pace all the way. Contribute was the only one to give serious contention, and in the final furlong he was lapped on the winner and fought it out all the way, but Continued on twentu-third vaaeJ 1 I ; I • I- I I • - I [ r : : 1 . r " 1 j j ; t - r J f 1 1 1 g CLOSE FINISH THRILLS Continued from first page. the son of High Cloud proved the gamest to be winner by half a length. Trombone raced well all the way, but he was four lengths back at the finish to save that part of the purse by a big margin from Uncanny. Beacon Hill showed wonderful improvement in his jumping and carried C. V. Whitneys colors to an easy victory in the short course steeplechase. Edward R. Bradleys Banner Day was the only one to offer serious contention and he raced into second place, with Harry S. Jobes Crenalan third before Comstockery, from the Greentree Stable. Crenalan was third because Spellbound, from the Greentree Stable, unseated McGovern at the last jump. In previous races Beacon Hill swerved out badly at his jumps, but in this race he jumped straight and true and lost no ground at the jumps. He dominated the race and Banner Day, attempting to race with him, proved no match for the son of Broomstick, though he was always better than the others. Spellbound, after racing along in third place from the start, was stumbling badly at the jumps before a turn of the course had been completed and finally at the last jump she bobbled so badly that McGovern was unseated. Crenalan had no excuse, while Comstockery, after leaving the post bo slowly as to be almost left, jumped badly and was far out of it all through the race. The fifth race was a four and a half furlongs dash, for maiden two-year-old fillies, and it saw Ral Parrs Bright Luna the winner when she led home the Wheatley Stables Exhilarate, with the Audley Farm Stables Brown Queen beating Gift o Gab for third. The start was a good one, but at the elbow all but Exhilarate went wide. This gave the Wheatley filly a decided advantage, but she could not hold it, and right at the end Bright Luna wore her down to win going away. Sweepingly, the W. R. Coe starter, was decidedly green and swerved badly. This victory completed a training double for Elmer Trueman, for he had saddled High Devine, which was winner of the opening race. At the end of the program seventeen of the cheapest raced over the one mile and a sixteenth distance, and John P. Whites Deedie was an easy winner over Dr. Irving Jacobs Buddy Basil, and Mrs. Olive Curtis Reigh Olga saved third from Yarrow. Pomfret was the one to set the early pace, but the winner caught him before the stretch was reached, and he was never seriously threatened. Buddy Basil was easily best of the others, and Reigh Olga finished well. Austin H. Niblock, a Chicago sportsman, will arrive here today with the horse Sea Soldier, which he will ship to England to train for next years renewal of the Grand National at Aintree. John Crane, a veteran San Francisco sportsman, was among the visitors of the day.
