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PITTSBURGHERS CLARK HANDICAP . » Defeats Spanish Play by Nose in Churchill Downs Inaugural Feature — Burning Blaze Accounts for Seel- bach Hotel Purse, But Is Badly Injured ♦ LOUISVILLE. Ky., April 30. — Under sunny skies and over a heavy track, Pitts-burgher, the good r.on of In Memoriam and Wisteria, raced to victory by a nose over Knebelkamp and Morris Spanish Play, favorite, in the fifty-eighth running of the Clark Handicap, stake feature on the opening day program of the Churchill Downs spring meeting here today. Canfli, carrying the colors of the Three Ds Stock Farm, finished the mile and one-sixteenth in third place and was followed by Cousin Jo, Lady Broad- 1 cast, Stock Market and Joey Bibb. Sharing interest with the Clark Handicap was the seasonal bow of the Shandon Farms crack three-year-old Burning Blaze, one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby, but, while Burning Blaze easily accounted for his initial engagement in the six and one-half furlongs Seelbach Hotel Purse, he was cut down during the running and by the injury almost certainly eliminated from Derby consideration. This unfortunate disabling of the chief western ope was more of a tragedy for racing enthusiasts than the defeat of Top Flight, Derby favorite, in the Wood Memorial Stakes at Jamaica. Burning Blaze appeared to suffer the severe injury at the stretch turn, where W. Garner, in suddenly directing him to a course away from the rail, brought him into the path of Sazerac. If the injury was sustained at that time, Burning Blaze refused to let it interfere with his winning of this first three-year-old effort and, after driving past the finish well in the van of Sazerac and Bay Angon, he was worked out a full mile and one-eighth in 1:57%. The triumphant performance of Pitts-burgher in his initial start of the year was witnessed by a crowd of 8,000. and while Spanish Play was honored with the most support, the result was popular with those on hand for the opening of the historic course, famous as the home of the Kentucky Derby, to be run next Saturday. After a half-mile, the winner and Spanish Play had the race to themselves, and the spirited fashion in which they fought for the lead and laurels all during the last three-sixteenths, furnished a spectacle rivalling any in the recent record of the old fixture. On the stretch turn Cousin Jo, which appeared to be running easily at the time, ran out badly and, taking with her the veteran mare. Lady Broadcast, both were eliminated, and Canfli was assured of third honors. At the finish the Three Ds filly was eight lengths back of the leaders. Continued on twenty-ninth page. M~* A * A M S M. M%,A and V HANDICAP TO PITTSBURGHER Continued from first page. The winner carried his impost of 112 pounds over the distance in 1:50*5, an excellent performance over the holding track. He was ridden by Charles Corbett, and the victory was worth ,310. Two Slipper, a home-bred daughter of Phalaros and Polly Keys, carried the colors of the Three D*s Stock Farm Stable to victory in the first race. She opposed nine other maiden juvenile fillies and, proving much the best, won easily and by three lengths from Dusky Lass, with Elegy third. E. Ambrose had the winner in front a short distance after the start and, much at home in the going, she ran along with a commanding lead the last five-sixteenths. Standing the drive gamely, Dusky Lass wore down Elegy in the last fifty yards and Go Easy was a fast-closing fourth. The winner was the favorite". The substitute second race brought out ten of the cheaper sprinters, but they performed in a good fashion when Jane Packard proved the winner and Deemster accounted for second place. The winner was the popular choice and Deemster next in the betting. Princess Crusader was third to reach the end of the three-quarters. Displaying good judgment in selecting footing for the successful E. Haughton filly, H. R. Riley had her in the firmer going throughout, while Deemster, ridden by C. Edwards, was in the worst part of the track in following a course next to the rail. After he had led to the last sixteenth he tired badly, and Jane Packard passed him rapidly in the short run to the wire. Coming from far back in the last quarter. Princess Crusader closed an immense gap to account for the smaller part of the purse. J. T. Weaver uncovered a promising juvenile among the horses of William E. Smith, when Otherwise, unsexed son of Wise Counsellor and Kitty Yanzen, made a show of Levaal, Old Judge and others in the Prospect Purse, over four and one-half furlongs in his first engagement. The rather unexpected victor dominated the race after taking command with a rush in the first three-sixteenths and Gilbert Elston brought him to the finish running easily and with three lengths over Levaal, which was the runner-up from the stretch turn, where he supplanted Flashing Thru in second place. The latter, second choice to Levaal, quit badly in the stretch, while Old Judge decisively outstayed Daudet for third. Changed track conditions, resulting from hard rains during the night, was responsible for so many withdrawals from the original second and fourth races, that they were declared off. Racing secretary W. H. Shelley substituted two races for the cheaper sprinters and in the second of the two, or fourth race, the colors of F. A. Carreaud were carried to their first victory of the meeting when his Lady Ebony nosed out Grand Prince, the Shandon Farm starter. Tombereau was third and Bonnet, favorite, fourth. Seven started. Tombereau set out as if to make a runaway of it, only to tire badly after going five of the six furlongs and the winner and Grand Prince passed him before the last sixteenth was reached. From that point to the finish there was little to choose between the two, the finish being one of the closest of the meeting. C. W. Hay, who arrived here Friday from Chicago where, for some time, he has been directing preparations for the coming Washington Park meeting, remained over for the formal opening of the Churchill Downs meeting.
