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WIDENER COLORS IN FRONT Veteran Mr. Sponge Scores in Lau- . rels Feature Offering. . Only Three Start in St. Leonards Handicap When Track Conditions Change Weather Is Good. . : LAUREL, Md., Oct. 27. Mr. Sponge, the useful old sprinter which races for Joseph E. Widener, was winner of the best offering here this afternoon when, under an excellent rjde by Mack Garner, he scored over G.. H. Bostwick.s Pompeius, ridden by his owner, and the Sage Stables Microphone. There were only three starters. It was the changed track conditions that resulted in several scratches and reduced the St. Leonards Handicap to these three starters. A heavy rain last night made the going muddy and the four that declined the feature event of the day were Masked Knight, a stablemate to Pompeius, Flagstone, Finite and Pairbypair. Weather conditions were delightful for the sport, but there was some falling off in attendance. There was no lack of enthusiasm and the sport that was furnished was first-class. In the sprint feature a severe task was set Pompeius when, for "Pete" Bostwick to ride the colt, he took up five pounds overweight. This forced him tq give away two years and a pound in actual weight to Mr. Sponge. Microphone was in receipt of nine pounds from the Bostwick sprinter. The start was a good one and Gilbert at once went out to show the way with Microphone. Mr. Sponge and Pompeius were lapped back of him, but the son of Flying Ebony is always greatly favored in muddy going and soon drew away into a lead of two lengths. Mr. Sponge moved away from the Bostwick,. colt slightly, but Microphone was going so easily that he appeared a sure winner going to the head of the stretch. Garner had gone to the whip on Mr. Sponge and Pompeius was well back of the Widener gelding: Microphone was first in the stretch, but before the eighth post was reached he suddenly tired badly and Mr. Sponge was alongside. The rousing with the whip had turned the trick and once the old fellow was along- Continued on twenty-first page. WIDENER COLORS IN FRONT Continued from first page. side, he readily disposed of the Sage colt. 1 Then a new threat loomed when Pompeius, coming with a belated rush, was catching Mr. Sponge at every stride and he was doing his best at the end. Microphone quit badly when the final test came. Mr. Sponge came out of the running slightly lame. A good band of juveniles raced in the Cambridge Purse, and it brought victory to ; W. R. Coes Pompet, when Jones, who had the mount, caught Gilbert napping on Sam- uel D. Riddles War Glory to beat him in the final strides. Third fell to Mrs. George ! D. Wideners Sky Haven, which easily saved i that part of the purse from Silk Flag. It was a good start, and War Glory, Kum- J mel and Sky Haven went out to show the 3 way. Red Run followed closely and then came Pompet, which had left his stall a bit 1 sluggishly, but at once moved into conten- 3 tion. 1 The three leaders went through the back stretch closely lapped and Red Run came into contention, while Pompet dropped back i slightly. The others were unable to keep ; step and soon faded out of the picture. Kum-mel was first of the leaders to tire and then Sky Haven and War Glory went along to fight it out for ,the lead, and Red Run was well back of them as they swung into the stretch. It was well inside the final furlong that War Glory finally put Sky Haven away and as his mount went into the lead Gilbert became careless and eased him up slightly. Then it was that Jones brought Pompet along with a great rush on the outside and the Coe colt was past the line -winner by a head. War Glory had beaten Sky Haven by a length for second place and Silk Flag, which had never been able to come seriously into contention, was another four lengths back. The opening race was a six furlongs dash for cheap maiden two-year-old fillies. It brought a fighting finish, in which Scotch Nell just won over The End. Lower Ten carried the silks of the Brandywine Stable into third place when she outfinished Corry-meela. It really amounted to a two-horse race, for early in the action Scotch Nell and The End drew out into a considerable lead over the others and they went along close together all the way. High Mist and Corrymeela, the pair sent to the post by Elmer Trueman, led the others to the head of the stretch, where both tired and Lower Ten, under a powerful ride by Hanford, was up to take third by a half length. Negopoli was winner of the third race, with Skirt second, while Burnside had no trouble saving third from Lucky Racket. Burnside and Skirt rushed out to a lead of a couple of lengths and Lucky Carter was chasing after them, with Light Breeze racing fourth, while in the first half Negopoli was far back of that pace. It was after passing the half-mile mark that the old son of Negofol began to make up ground, but at the time both Skirt and Burnside were five lengths before the field and galloping along strongly through the mud. Leaving the back stretch, Negopoli began to make up ground in earnest and there Skirt drew away from Burnside. In the stretch Skirt made a game effort to beat the old Winfrey plater, but it could not be done and he was over the line the winner by four lengths. Skirt had saved second place by two lengths from Burnside arid the others of the company had really cut no figure in the running. G. D. Goodacres Grand Acre, favored In the going, was much the best of the platers that came together in the second race, at one mile and a sixteenth, and he was a handy winner over J. C. Fletchers Fair Bill, with G. Bernard Fenwicks Sir Kendal finishing a distant third and beating Fair Judge for that part of the purse. Calvert rushed the winner away from the outside stall and when the back stretch was reached he had a long lead over his rivals. Once out there Calvert took hold of his head and rated him along under a stiff restraint, to never hare his lead seriously threatened. Fair Judge, second in the early stages, soon gave way to Fair Bill, and the son of Fair Gain was the only one that was ever close to the winner. Hanford timed his move nicely, but the Fletcher gelding evidently needed the race, for he hung under punishment, while Grand Acre, when Calvert permitted him to run, drew away with little effort. At the end Grand Acre had plenty left, to be the winner by two lengths. Fair Bill ! i I had beaten Sir Kendal six lengths for second place. The last named was a tired horse at the end, but was easily better than the others when he was third by five lengths over Fair Judge. Gully Jumper got up to. win the sixth race over Jimmy D., and Don Tasker saved third from Austerlitz H. The latter- was first to show the way, with Sam Pass, Don Tasker and Jimmy D. following, but Gully Jumper was closer to the pace than usual. Don Tasker finally raced away from Jimmy D. and Austerlitz II. to take a brief lead, but it was not for long, for Jimmy. D. was. hanging on wel. and then Gully Jumper found an opening and came through to reach third place. In the stretch Don Tasker tired and Jimmy D. went back to the command, but by this time Gully Jumper had clear sailing and he came on to win going away-by half a length. Jimmy D. had beaten the -tired Don Tasker four lengths for second place.
