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FAVORITE UNFORTUNATE Dpen Hearth Unprepared at Start of Feature Contest. Pergt. Donaldson Romps to Victory in Fair Grounds Headliner Increase in Attendance. NEW ORLEANS, La., March 14. Failure of S. W. Labrots Open Hearth, favorite, to leave the starting point with the others, marred the Chef Menteur Purse, a condition race for three-year-olds and older horses, .which had the place of honor on the program of eight races which ushered in the closing week of the Fair Grounds meeting today. With Open Hearth, as a result of being unprepared to start, away far back of the others, M. F. Dollard, Jr.s Sergt. Donaldson made every post a winning one, and won by three lengths from the Four Oaks Stock Farms Sister Zoe. Giving a. fine account of himself, Open Hearth got up for third place before Prince Pest. Four others started and the race and all supporting contests were decided under ideal conditions. With the choice almost hopelessly left the tace had little interest for the spectators and it was not surprising that, with Open Hearth almost eliminated, Sergt. Donaldson .was good enough to set the pace and win by ja good margin from Sister Zoe. In addition to the ill-luck sustained at the start, Open Hearth ran into a pocket less than three furlongs from the finish and this misfortune clinched his defeat. When clear in the last quarter he came through with surprising speed and outfinished Prince Pest in the last few strides to save third for his backers. ELSTONS SECOND VICTORY. Aside from the early speed displayed by On Sir and Bill Orange, the others showed jiothing worthy of note. The victory of Sergt. Donaldson marked Elstons second of the day. The return of spring-like and sunny weather resulted in a big increase in attendance over the cold, unpleasant off-days jpf the previous week. Uma and Anne L., which divided favoritism, ran to their backing when they finished first and second as named in the first race. Tufinuf finished the three-quarters in third place. The race was marked by a great amount of rough riding, and when caught in the worst of it at the five-sixteenths post, L. Cantrell was forced from the saddle on Harold Ormont. Falling in the path of several of the contestants, he had a narrow escape from injury. L. Pichon brought the winner from behind the leaders and, after displacing Tufinuf in the lead near the last eighth, was jiot seriously threatened by Anne L. Round Up, owned by J. A. Manale of this city and ridden by G. Elston, took the second race, also over three-quarters. He outstayed Royal Son in a driving finish and overcame much adverse luck in the early stages where Elston had little success in attempts to find room. After wresting the lead from Romany Baw, which saved third by a nose from Fred Auerbach, the winner was kept at his best to keep in the van of Royal Son, which finished fastest of all and, but for interference near the finish, might have more closely pressed the victor at the end. Graphite, favorite, was forced out of jt when H. Lauch got him trapped directly behind the tiring Romany Baw in the final jdrive. DISPLAYS GREAT SPEED. Miss Brilliant, a promising daughter of Brilliant and Gad, racing for R. C. Schwartz, and which exhibited much promise in her previous outing, ran the fastest three-eighths of the meeting when she covered the distance in :34 to win over Ballygran, Sunny Sideup and other juvenile maidens in the third race. Despite the keen speed displayed, she was a rather lucky winner as Ballygran lost much more than the length and one-quarter which the winner had over him at the finish in going wide on the turn. After straightening up in the last furlong, Ballygran gained much ground on the fast i running Schwartz filly and led Sunny Side- up by five lengths for second. Boston Common saved fourth money. Continued on twenty-second zige.. FAVORITE UNFORTUNATE Continued from first page. One of the several surprises that marked the sport came with the running of the fourth race when Array, ridden by R. G. Cooper was the winner in a driving finish with Squeaky, while Imelda was third. Approaching the finish the winner crowded Squeaky and Honeyman and the latter, in turn, blocked Fiddler, short priced favorite, with which J. McCoy failed in all of a half dozen attempts to drive through next to the rail after reaching the final half of the distance. Cooper brought the winner up gradually under a well-timed ride and she headed Honeyman and Squeaky in rapid fashion a sixteenth out. But for swerving thereafter, she might have won in more decisive fashion.
