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CLOSEST OF FINISHES , Boston Brook Earns Decision Over Sang Froid at Bowie. Spectators Disagree With Judges Over Placing More Unpleasant Weather, hut Good Crowd. BOWIE, Md., April 12. A. H. Dickens Boston Brook earned a decision over Sang Froid from the Howe Stable in a six furlong graded handicap, a class "C" perform-,. , ance that was best of the Southern Maryland Association offering this afternoon. The finish was so close that many on the lawns voiced their opinion in no uncertain terms that the placing judges had erred. Well back of the pair came Robert Stones Chief Mourner and the only other starter was Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilts maiden Wayward Son, a candidate for the Kentucky Derby. Another day of miserable weather and a track deep in mud reduced the size of some of the fields and this handicap was ,the first four-horse field to be run during the meeting. Still the patrons remained loyal and a big crowd was out though there were intermittent drizzles of rain all through the day. The start was a good one but Boston Brook, always a fast breaker, was under way before the other three and he was soon a length clear. Sang Froid and Chief Mourner raced at his heels and when Mer-ritt had Sang Froid in full stride, he took a slight hold of the son of Kai-Sang but Chief Mourner was soon doing his best to keep in the contention. Boston Brook, showing better ,form than he displayed racing in Miami during the winter, went right along in command and when Merritt moved with Sang Froid, Merritt shook him up to have him increase his lead to two lengths. rOLLARDS GREAT RIDE. Through the stretch Sang Froid was rapidly wearing the son of Bostonian down but Pollard was putting up one of his best rides on the Dickens colt and he fought it out stubbornly. As the pair swept over the line they were locked and it seemed to many that Sang Froid had won in the last nod. This final duel carried the pair out two lengths before the tired Chief Mourner. Wayward Son, a maiden son of Apprehension Family Frost, is the fourth and last of the Vanderbilt eligibles for the Kentucky Derby to be shown during the meeting. The other three, Bachelor Dinner, Cold Shoulder and Gum, all failed to show Derby quality and this fellow did not impress when he was a distant trailer all the way. Like Cold Shoulder and Gum, he is a maiden but was only raced once as a two-year-old and there is a chance he will improve. The second best race of the day was the Laurel Purse, a five and a half furlongs dash for three-year-old fillies. This proved easy for A. W. Abbots Dancing Doll with E. K. Brysons Our Mae easily second over the Greentree Stables Basquine. The only other starters were Zay and Dalmatia. Zay was the first to show from the stalls but Dancing Doll was close after her and she readily went into the lead to be nicely in hand for the rest of the journey where she was winner by four lengths. Our Mae Continued on twenty-second page. CLOSEST OF FINISHES Continued from first page. had raced second for most of the journey and she was as easily second best when she beat Basquine three lengths. The Green-tree filly was outrun to the stretch and she was only third because Coucci drove her through on the inside in the stretch to earn that part of the award. Zay, after a flash of early speed, quit badly, while Dal-matia was making her first appearance since last October at Narragansett Park and she was plainly far from racing condition. W. C. Winfreys Miss Firefly, making her first appearance since last November, was winner of the third at six furlongs. She scored rather easily over Dona Dulcin and Pretty Wise, the favorite was third. Clear Knight was the one to cut out the running from the stalls and he was closely attended by Romola with Dona Dulcin going along in third place. The leading pair were soon four lengths clear and Dona Dulcin was heading the others. Pretty Wise broke well enough but Lindberg was of little help I and he soon dropped back from the con- tention and Miss Firefly raced by him to go - after the leaders. Clear Knight and Romola I were all through when the stretch was f reached and it was there that Watson went to the front with Miss Firefly. She steadily drew out until her winning margin was two v lengths. Dona Dulcin hung on to take the t place by four lengths and under a weak J a ride Pretty Wise beat Foreign Lady three lengths for third. This completed the "Daily Double" with ii the combination paying 61.30 from a pool r that totalled 4,844. . The opening six-furlong dash was confined to cheap platers bred in Maryland, S and it brought a close finish and a surprise when Mrs. D. C. Christmas Pekin, one of b the outsiders, barely lasted to win over J. v E. Simmons Evening Chimes, the favorite I of the field. There was also a battle for E third, with Mrs. M. Nelson Bonds Arctic o liand just saving that part of the purse rom Beau Govans by a nod. With a short delay at the post the start vas a good one, and Flower Time was first o show from the stalls, but she was almost it once headed by Arctic Land, and Edyth moved into third place. Veritas joined n the contention, while Evening Chimes an into some early difficulty and dropped ack until she was last of the seven enraged. Veritas, after moving into second place ack of Arctic Land, tired as the stretch vas reached and there for a few strides Slower Time was back of the contention, livening Chimes was circling around on the outside, but Pekin was the one that showed in front in the final furlong. In the drive to the finish, Evening Chimes closed at every stride, but Pekin stuck it out to still have his nose in front at the line. These two were a length before Arctic Land and Beau Govans. In the mile and seventy yards race for maidens, A. Fields Advocate Junior, after stealing away to a lead of a dozen lengths, collapsed so badly in the final furlong that he was run down by W. Zakoors Lucky Turn to lose by half a length. Just another length away Volgadale saved third from Hard Chase. Porter squandered the speed of Advocate Junior when, after sending him along for a first quarter in :24, he permitted him to run the half mile in :50.
