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OSCULATOR BY INCHES ♦ Earns Close Decision Over Economic in Great American Stakes. % Brookdale Handicap Easy for Sidney Grant — Widener Silks First and Second in Wheatley Chase. » NEW YORK, N. Y., June 27.— In one of the most thrilling finishes of the year, W. R. Coes Osculator was winner of the Great American Stakes for juveniles, and the richest Saturday offering of the Queens County Jockey Club, when there was a net value of 2,250 to the winner. Osculators margin of victory was only inches over J. H. Louch-heims Economic, and a short nose farther back was Thomas M. Cassidys Universe. It was a rare thrill in an excellent program that had brought out one of the largest crowds seen at Aqueduct. The weather and track conditions were ideal for the holiday, and besides the Great American there was the Wheatley Steeplechase Handicap, which saw the J. E. Widener silks first and second with Prowler and Indigo. Then there was a renewal of the Brookdale Handicap, in which Sidney Grant was triumphant by four lengths. There was considerable delay at the post in the Great American, for which Espinaca was largely to blame, but the start was a good one, with Economic first to show out of the stalls. Osculator was second, with Fall Apple third and Universe fourth. Catrone made every use of the speed of Economic, but he was soon joined by Universe, and as the Cassidy colt came alongside, Catrone came out slightly with Economic until he had bothered the contender slightly. At this time Osculator was showing a disposition to bear out, and Walls was having some time keeping him straight. Closely lapped and battling along, Econo- Continued on twenty-third page. OSCULATOR BY INCHES Continued from first page. mic and Universe drew away from the others, but Catrone was paying no attention to anything but Universe, and his riding was anything but fair. Economic was holding Universe safe, but then Osculator swerved sharply from the outside course he had been taking to the inside rail, and under a powerful finish by Walls, he was just there to nod his nose down before the other two, which, as has been told, were also closely locked. Three lengths back of Universe Makalu beat the others, saving fourth from Espinaca by half a length. The old Brookdale Handicap, over the mile and a furlong distance, proved easy for A. Bartelsteins Sidney Grant when he galloped home before M. Sheas Sandy Ford, with William Woodwards Sir Ashley, recent winner of the Shevlin, saving third from his stablemate Frisius, with Mrs. Olive Curtis Grey Coat, an added starter, a distant last of the five that performed. The race had a net value to the winner of ,600. Sandy Ford left the stalls running, and Hebert permitted him to race along until he had opened up an early lead of three lengths. Frisius, under restraint, was in second place, and a like distance before his stablemate Sir Ashley, with Sidney Grant well back of him and Grey Coat a distant trailer. -tMJIB This was the order until the stretch was reached except that Sidney Grant had made up some ground and Grey Coat had dropped a bit farther back. But Sidney Grant was just beginning to run, and in the final furlong he went to Sandy Ford with no effort, and then on by to be over the line winner by four lengths. Sandy Ford had saved second place by two lengths from Sir Ashley, and Frisius, which was lamed in the running, was a dozen lengths back, but two lengths before Grey Coat.
