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EVENING ADDS TO FAME Widener Filly Easy Winner of Deland Handicap at Miami. Florida Derby Eligibles First, Second and Third Jockey Robertson Scores Double Victory. MIAMI, Fla., Feb. 16 George D. Wide-ners good filly Evening took another step nearer the Florida Derby at Hialeah Park this afternoon, when she was a comparatively easy winner of the Deland Handicap, a race of one mile in which she was giving away lumps of weight to the other starters. Back of her, finished Richard Howes San-sarica and the Wheatley Stables Slambang, also eligibles for the Derby and the two .older horses of the company, Arras and XJuillan, were both well beaten. With Scotch Gold definitely out of the Florida Derby, it is probable that Sansarica will bear the Howe silks, but in this race, Evening gave him twenty-four and one-half pounds on the scale and a sound beating, so it must be agreed he does not loom up as particularly formidable. It was an excellent day of sport that was headed by the mile handicap and, with ideal weather conditions, the crowd was a surprisingly large one. Some thrillingly close finishes kept the crowd well entertained all through the afternoon. Robertson, the C. ,V. Whitney jockey, hung up a riding double with H. Teller Archibalds Miss Broom in the dash for juvenile fillies and the victory on Evening. The result of the Deland Handicap was never in doubt. Robertson at once went out with Evening and the filly simply romped along well clear of the others at every stage of the race, in the stretch and after he had eased her up slightly he lanced back and seeing Sansarica racing f o strongly shook up the daughter of St. James. She responded promptly to be past the line the winner by a length and a half. PLENTY JN RESERVE. The four-year-old Arras was the one to race after Evening in the early stages, while Hebert had Sansarica under restraint back of him and Slambang was. well before Quil-lan, the only other starter, which plainly did not belong in the field. It was not until near the stretch that Arras tired and there it was that Hebert permitted Sansarica to run. The son of Sansovino raced along gallantly as he easily raced past Arras, but to catch Evening was another thing and the filly had plenty left at the end. In the meantime Mills had waited for a stretch run with Slambang and the Wheatley colt finished gamely to also beat the four-year-old. Thus it -was that the Florida Derby candidates were first, second and third. W. F. Yergasens Rubridge, which fell in the first race Monday, evidently suffered no ill effects from that accident, for he came back to be an easy winner of todays opening seven furlongs dash, which engaged some cheap ones. John P. Whites Norwalk raced to the place, with H. C. Phipps Af ridi saving third from R. A. Smiths Phantom Rock. First it was Regal Knight that made the pace, but he was soon displaced by Norwalk, and Phantom .Rock moved into second place. Rubridge had left the post slowly, but in the run through the back stretch he improved his position until on the turn for home he had run down Phantom Rock and was close after Norwalk. At the furlong pole Allen hit the winner once with the whip and he came by Norwalk to come on and score an easy victory by a length and a half. Afridi, outrun early, lost some ground in the stretch, but outfinished the tiring Phantom Rock to be third by a length and at the heels of Norwalk. REGAL KNIGHT QUITS. After his early exhibition of speed, Regal Knight quit badly, while Anthony Wayne, the only other starter, was never a contender. The juvenile race of the day was at three furlongs, for maiden juveniles, and it went to one grouped in the "field," when H. T. Archibalds Miss -Broom scored over N. J. McClures Jean Brown, with H. C. Hatchs Continued on eleventh page. EVENING ADDS TO FAME Continued from first page. Nuns Way just beating R. M. Eastmans Dusky Lass for third. On the way to the post Aeraway unseated Chiavetta, but no harm was done and she made no attempt to run away. Then when the start came she was so green that she was virtually left and raced far back of the big field all the way. Nuns Way was first to show out of the big field, but she swerved badly in the running and when Robertson kept Miss Broom racing straight, though she bore out from her outside position, she was home the winner by half a length. Jean Brown had suffered some interference and her race was a good one when she took second place, beating Nuns Way a length for that part of the purse. Dusky Lass, another that had a rough passage, was going well to be beaten only a head for third. There was a close finish in the third race when J. C. Ellis Ellice squeezed through a narrow opening next to the rail to take the measure of Mrs. V. M. Duncans Kensington in the final stride. Third fell to E. McCuans Brooksie when she saved that part of the purse from Fred Krafts Memories Dear. From a good start Memories Dear and Ellice went out to show the way and Kensington soon raced up to them. Ellice was next to the inner rail and as Kensington moved outside of her, she was caught in a close pocket back of Memories Dear. This continued until well around the turn and, heading for the stretch, there Carroll found room to go through as Memories Dear tired. At the same time Kensington took com-, mand and as she turned into the stretch Malley brought her over, with the result that Ellice was still in close quarters. In the final furlong Malley rode Carroll on Ellice dangerously close, but the Ellis mare fought her way through in the final strides to drop her nose down in front, Kensington was two lengths before Brooksie, which had come with a belated rush to catch the tiring Memories Dear and beat her by a head for third. Another close finish came In the running of the fourth, a six furlongs race for three-year-olds that was christened the Lakeland Purse. In this Edgar Iglehearts Bay An-gon, G. D. Wideners James River, and S. T. Burchs Thursday all swept past the line closely lapped and well before Even Up and Heroville, which were also well lapped. Bay Angon was the one to force all the pace. In the early stages Heroville raced closely " after him and Thursday was third. James River had left the post from the outside stall and that cost him considerable ground when the turn was reached. There Heroville tired slightly and Thursday moved into second place, but Bay Angon was hanging to the lead in resolute fashion. On the stretch turn Smith was forced to go outside three horses with James River, while Bay Angon saved ground on the inside. He stuck it out resolutely under a drive to be winner by a scant half length, while in the final strides James River out-gamed Thursday to drop his nose down in front to be second by a nose. Gay Bird lost a race that he should have won when Jack Campbell beat him by a nose in the running of the sixth race. Gay Bird was off in front and in the run down the back stretch, where General A. moved up, Mills took back. Rounding the far turn when released from restraint, Gay Bird went to the outside of General A., but making the turn for home went wide. This left a big opening and Kelsay, who had been rating Jack Campbell off the pace, sent his mount through with a rush. He was half a length in front at the furlong pole. Mills then went to a drive and in the final stages Gay Bird responded, but kept bearing over to the inside. He was gaining on Jack Campbell at the end, but just failed to get up. Negopoli finished third, beaten four lengths for second place and then came the tiring General A., four lengths farther back. Gay Bird covered a lot more ground than any other in the race and, "with better handling, there is no question that he would have won.