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AURORAS LADIES DAY . • Goodly Crowd of Fair Sex Guests of Exposition Park Management. • Interesting Racing Despite Changed Weather and Track Conditions — Blue Day Triumphant. » ■■■ AURORA, 111., May 3— The first Ladies Day of the season at Exposition Park brought out a fine crowd despite the threatening weather. Close to 5,000 racing enthusiasts, half of them ladies, braved the elements to make the trip to the Fox River Valley course and were rewarded by witnessing some interesting racing. Rain, which fell in this vicinity this morning, made the track rather deep and a trifle slippery, and performers partial to a soft track, had an advantage on their equine brothers, which prefer a pasteboard strip for their best effort. The feature race was a high priced claiming affair, named the Ladies Day Purse, and the winner turned up in Blue Day, a four-year-old son of Whiskaway, which defeated Gold Step, odds-on favorite, by a narrow margin. To jockey C. King, an up and coming apprentice from the West, fell the honor of riding the winner and he performed his task in a fashion that made him many friends. Jockey McCoy, who had ridden two winners previously, was astride Gold Step, but King was no respector of persons and when Gold Step bore out in the stretch the little westerner sent Blue Day to the inside to draw up head and head with Gold Step and rode a rousing finish to best his more experienced rival by a nose. It is likely that Gold Step was the best horse, but he lost many lengths by his inclination to bear out, despite McCoys efforts to keep him straight and by doing so, lost the contest. Third money went to the veteran sprinter Martie Flynn, while Out Bound was fourth. LUCKILY ACHIEVED SUCCESS. Backers of favorites got off to a good start when Outer Harbor, from the stable of L. C. Newsome, scored a lucky victory over Nell Kuhlman in the opening race. The son of Polymelian won by a neck, but the decision would undoubtedly have been reversed had jockey J. Hlad on the filly been able to keep her straight at the stretch turn. Nell Kuhlman went to the front early and was leading by a good margin on the final turn when she bore out beyond the center of the track permitting Outer Harbor and Essential to get through on the rail. Outer Harbor outran Essential in the long stretch run, but Nell Kuhlman came again, and the Newsome horse was all out to score a neck victory. The track was slow and slippery for the opener, and poor time was made. Outer Harbor paid .60, and was ridden by J. Hernandez. Another favorite scored in the second race when H. C. Ragans Dusky Dame was winner over a large band of two-year-olds. Ridden by the veteran jockey Leyland, the daughter of Single Foot raced to the front soon after the start and was never headed, although ridden out at the end to hold Toxey, a field horse safe. Upheaval, after saving ground in the stretch, was third. Twelve horses faced the barrier in the race, which was the first part of the "daily double." Single Foot, sire of the winner, is also the sire of Toxey, which finished second. The race was at four and a half furlongs and the winner paid .44. McCOY IN LIMELIGHT. Jockey J. McCoy, who performed so successfully on opening day, was in the limelight again in the third race when he rode Bag o Gold, an outsider, to victory. Content to allow some of the others to set the pace, McCoy sent his mount up in the stretch to catch Jargon near the finish and win drawing away. Jargon, which set most of the pace, was beaten by a neck by the winner, while Anne L., always prominent, was third. Beauty Bride, the favorite, was caught in a jam early in the race and practically eliminated. Bag o Gold paid 9.98 to win and 8.82 to complete the "Daily Double." Jockey J. McCoy made it a double for the day and five winners for the meeting when he put up a strong ride to land Eighty Twenty winner of the fourth race. Although impeded by Dollar Princess, the early pacemaker, which persisted in bearing out in the stretch, McCoy held to his task and in a driving finish drove Eighty Twenty home a head in front of his rival. Jockey Whit-acre, who had the mount on Dollar Princess, was questioned by the stewards after the Continued on twenty-eighth page. AURORAS LADIES DAY Continued from first page. race, but it seemed to the average onlooker as if he was unable to keep his mount straight in the final drive. Chiefs Challenger, making his first start in some time, finished third, a nose in advance of Cotton Time. Honeyman was favored, but was in close quarters early and never threatened seriously. Eighty Twenty paid 7.54.
