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VICTORY FOR MR. SPONGE Defeats Gallant Sir and Indian Runner Among Others. Crack Band Outrun by King Star at Hawthorne Track Conditions Change During Day. CICERO, 111., Aug. 2 Mr. Sponge, the fleet Luke McLuke Black Brocade gelding, added a notable accomplishment to his long list of turf conquests when he carried C. Leroy Kings colors to victory over Gallant Sir, Big Brand, Indian Runner, Poly-dorus, Cathop and Rehoboth in the Sky Harbor Handicap, which headed the program of the Chicago Business Mens Racing Association at Hawthorne this afternoon. Displaying fine speed on a track that for the previous five races was dull, but by the time the Sky Harbor field reached the post was good, Mr. Sponge led his rivals throughout and at the end of the six and one-half furlongs, which he ran in 1:19, was moving along easily a length and one-half in front of Gallant Sir. The winners time was just a second slower than the track record held by Minton. Gallant Sir, which carried top weight of 126 pounds, or three more than Indian Runner and ten more than the victor, held a margin of a length and one-half over Big Brand and Indian Runner, which a scant nose separated at the line of finish, where Polydorus was fifth, Cathop sixth and Rehoboth last. PROVIDES CHIEF CONTENTION. Except for a brief distance on the stretch turn, where Polydorus reached the runner-up position, Gallant Sir provided the chief contention and while the N. W. Church star could not give the winner any serious argument, he came through brilliantly under his weight. Under a long drive he bore up gamely while Indian Runner and Polydorus tired, and the lightly weighted Big .Brand raced past the Wood and Bartelstein xolor-bearers as the finish neared. With the two exceptions, the winner and Cathop, the entire Sky Harbor field will be included in the starters for the renewal of the nine furlongs Hawthorne Handicap Sat-"urday, and the largest crowd of the meeting saw them sharpen their speed in todays headliner. Sunny weather and a brisk wind .was of great assistance to the track crew in rapidly improving the course, which was severely drenched during the morning. Low clouds, however, returned before the program was completed, and the final two races were staged under threatening skies. A high wind also retarded the horses in the seventh and eighth races as they raced down the back stretch and around the lower turn. Lady Higloss, the splendid daughter of -Ladkin and Higloss, raced to her fourth triumph in successive starts when she easily turned back Penncote, one of the outstanding juvenile filly stars of the recent Latonia -meeting, Greyglade, and five other youngsters at five and one-half furlongs in the Brockwood Purse. The winner, ridden by J. Westrope, lost little time placing the Para-" mount Stable colors in front and after drawing out into a lead of three lengths on the turn, galloped along for the remainder of the dash. As she was the choice, her ability to race to victory in this fashion had her supporters in a happy frame of mind during almost the entire race. After swinging to the outside on the stretch turn, Penncote quickly moved past American Red, which came out of the race sore, and Greyglade, but was never threatening the winner. MARRED BY CROWDING. The first race, much marred by crowding for which the winner and runner-up were almost entirely to blame, resulted in a victory for the French Lick Springs Stables Wind Song and she was just a head in the van of Gay Follies at the finish of the five and one-half furlongs. Para Four, the favorite, and along with Beech Tree, Carvel Hall and Minnequa sharply crowded back when the winner and Gay Follies came over as the field went into the turn, succeeded in saving third place when her stretch rush brought her to the end, a nose in front of Continued on twenty-second page. VICTORY FOR MR. SPONGE Continued from first page. Peggy Gal. Carvel Hall and Beech Tree never recovered from the interference which narrowly missed throwing the two. The race was for maiden two-year-olds and ten comprised the field. Threat and Shoot, which absorbed a big majority of the play, raced to their backing over the six and one-half furlongs distance in the second race when the former captured the winners laurels by five lengths as Shoot was landing the place award by three lengths over Grey Kitty. The three leaders gained their final positions at the stretch turn, where the winner headed Shoot and Grey Kitty moved around Judan into third place. Approaching the final furlong, Threat drew into decisive command and the safe margin permitted J. Leyland to take it easy as the three-year-old bore Mrs. A. M. Creechs colors over the closing eighth where Shoot had second secure. Eight older maidens, meeting under claiming conditions, raced one mile and one-sixteenth in the third race, and Flat Rock, a three-year-old gelding by Chilhowee, was the winner. Under the guidance of A. Tipton, he won in little more than a canter and by six lengths as Battling Girl, which was at odds-on, outstayed Glove for second. The winner raced into command with a rush on the stretch turn, where he moved away from My Movie, the early pacemaker, and, continuing gamely, he was showing the way by six lengths at the eighth post, following which he was steadied along for the remainder of the route. Two horses Don Tasker and Printemps fell shortly after the field of eleven reached the turn in the six and one-half furlongs fourth race, and from the manner in which they tangled as Don Tasker fell over Printemps, which was first to go down, jockeys A. Tipton and E. Arcaro were lucky to escape almost without a scratch. The horses also emerged practically unscarred. The race resulted in a surprise when Sun Thorn, racing for T. C. Worden and ridden by L. Humphries, was the winner. He ran home three lengths before Merry Chatter and Gallop Along, which fought it out to a small difference for the place position. The victor set his own pace, andMerry Chatter was in closest pursuit of the Worden gelding in the closing three-eighths. Don Tasker was the public choice.
