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* i | J ., » j -1 1 ; I i ] I • I i I HA HA STAKE RACE VICTOR « Start in Belmont Park Feature Ragged and Poor. ♦ Interesting Program Furnished for Good Crowd — Winners Come From Unexpected Quarters in Early Races. • NEW YORK, N. Y., May 24.— Ha Ha again proved himself a good buy for the Latin Stable when he was winner of the Harlem Claiming Stakes at Belmont Park today. This prize had a net value of ,825 to the winner and the son of Polymelian led virtually all the way to score over Morton L. Schwartz Barcelona Pete, with John J. Robinsons Glidelia just saving third from Dark Secret. It was an interesting day of sport that was offered for a crowd of good proportions and, while some of the winners came from unexpected quarters, it was good entertainment. The start in the Harlem Stakes was a poor one and it had some bearing on the result. Phantom Legion was virtually left at the post and Commuter got away so badly as to have no chance. Ha Ha began fast and had speed enough to take an early lead, with Dark Secret racing in second place and Microphone running third. Barcelona Pete was off well, but Glidelia was a bit slow and in rather close quarters in the early stages. Steffen rated Ha Ha along in command after drawing away into a lead of two lengths, and Masked Knight chased after him showing the way to Dark Secret, while Microphone had dropped back slightly, with Barcelona Pete following him closely near the stretch. Turning for home, Ha Ha was still two lengths clear and racing strongly. There Masked Knight had enough, and as he tired and dropped back, Barcelona Pete moved up to second place and Glidelia was making up ground resolutely. In the final stages Steffen had to shake up Ha Ha smartly to have him winner by a length. Barcelona Pete had beaten Glidelia by a length for second place, and the Robinson filly was only a head before Dark Secret, which bore out in the stretch run to lose some ground. The Sun Briar Handicap, over the mile route, was really of more racing interest than the Harlem, when it brought out a better field with Joseph E. Wideners Mr. Sponge the top weight, and generally considered as best before the running. This Continued on twenty-second page. HA HA STAKE RACE VICTOR i Continued from first page. brought a surprise winner when Ormesby, from the Belair Stud Stable of William Woodward, showed a startling improvement in form to be an easy winner over the Widener gelding, which in turn was nosed out of second place by Morton L. Schwartz Black Forest. In a previous meeting Mr. Sponge had won over the Belair colt easily, and today , Ormesby was the winner by five lengths. He had a pull in the weights, but the difference in the two races was to say the • least, remarkable. In the running Ormesby was able to go with all the pace, put as fast a colt as Pairbypair away, and then galloped home to a ridiculously easy victory. Black Forest was unlucky when just as I he made a move on the inner rail, he was ! blocked by the tiring Pairbypair. He was 1 coming again at the end to take the place from Mr. Sponge in the last stride. At the end of the card there was a four I and a half fuflongs dash for juvenile maidens, with twenty going to the post. The . winner turned up in D. K. Keers Bohemian i Grove, with Mrs. W. T. Andersons Careful Kitty saving second place from the Anall I Stables Bannach Lath. A surprise marked the opening race when i Portden, bearing the silks of the Linton i Farms Stable, by a rush in the final sixteenth, scored over William N. Adrians On l Tap and George D. Wideners Finite, while i Paramour was the one to finish fourth and I Reveille Boy fifth. As was expected, On 1 Tap was the one to cut out the running. McAtee sent Finite along after the mare ; and he kept her exceedingly busy as the pair drew out three lengths before the others. This had much to do with the defeat of the daughter of On Watch, but it also brought the undoing of Finite. Han-ford was rating Portden back of the pair and in the final furlong when both tired I from carrying the pace, he called on the son of The Porter. Racing by Finite, he [ also ran down the mare to win going away ■ by a length. On Tap had beaten Finite a . length and a half for the place and Paramour was only another neck away. Reveille Boy was making his first appearance under silks since his return from Agua Caliente and six furlongs is not exactly • his distance. Outrun in the early stages he was closing at the finish and was • a fast going fifth at the end. F. Ambrose Clarks old Irish gelding Golden • Star II. proved easily best of the plater juveniles that met in the Jimmy Lane ; Steeplechase. Making all the pace, he won i with plenty to spare over J. F. Byers Heather, and Thomas W. Durants Watsonia • was the one to finish third. Three mishaps occurred in the running when Shipmaster unseated Slate at the • first fence, Wonderful unseated Pinckney at ~* the front field liverpool, and Leonard B. • went down with Collins three fences from i the finish. Of the riders, Slate was the only one to be seriously injured, and he was removed ■ from the field in the starters wagon. • From the drop of the flag Rea went out - with Golden Star II., and there was no time I in the running that he did not have the old fellow well clear of the company. He jumped I boldly throughout, and was still eight t lengths to the good as he crossed the line. • Heather was always in the front division, i though headed by Black Sport and Point t Breeze for a goodly part of the running, and Watsonia also raced forwardly. Then, when the front field was reached, Burgess 5 made his bid with the Byers jumper and, , while he did not threaten Golden Star II., • he disposed of the others to take second I place by two lengths, and Watsonia out-finished - Farm Hand to take third by four lengths. Point Breeze and Black Sport t dropped back badly, while Red Russia ran » a dull race and finished last of the lot. An examination revealed that Slate had 1 suffered a possible concussion of the brain, , and he was removed to the Mary Immaculate - Hospital at Jamaica. The other riders were uninjured. • 1 L
