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MISS CAREFUL BIG SURPRISE Mare Begins Fifth Year in Competition With a Victory. Displays Fondness for Muddy Track on Wintry Day at Bowie Ugin Runs Disappointingly. BOWIE, Md., April 3. Miss Careful, daughter of Chance Play and Meddlesome II., started her fifth year of campaigning by driving to victory in the Crisfield Handicap, feature of a wintry afternoons sport at this course today. The six-year-old mare, which races for W. Elliott, showed both fitness and gameness in the stretch drive to win going away by half a length over a track which was sticky and holding. Mor-pluck came from behind the pace to run past Home Loan in the last fifty yards, taking the place from that gelding by a length and a half. The winner was regarded lightly, showing 9.25 to .00 in the mutuel pay-off. The surprise of the race was Ugin, an excellent mudder and a strongly supported favorite. He trailed the field home, twelve lengths behind the winner, in an effort so poor that it merits official investigation. It was far below any previous mud race in his career. Carl Hanford had Miss Careful in third place during the early stages as Home Loan and Apprehend fought for command. He took the six-year-old mare to the outside swinging for home and then put forth a vigorous finish to catch the tiring leaders, gaining command twenty yards out and increasing her advantage slightly thereafter. Morpluck, another which was making his first start of the season, lacked the speed which characterized his best races in the past. He finished with a belated rush through the final furlong. Home Loan was much used in the pace and tired in the last 100 yards. Apprehend took command turning for home and held it until caught by the winner, then he tired abruptly. Ugin began slowly and was under vigorous pressure throughout. At no stage of the journey did he display a vestige of speed. He was the second beaten favorite of the afternoon saddled by Royal Roberts. Story Time, at odds-on, was the other. One Chance, a beaten-off favorite through the mud at Hialeah Park, raced better through the same sort of footing at this track to gain a nose decision over Royal Gold in the mile and a sixteenth race which was the days secondary attraction. The finish was another extremely close one, many on a direct line disagreeing with the placing judges. The other three contestants were beaten off with Manager Bill staggering home in third place. Carl Hanford, who had taken the preceding dash with Miss Careful put forth another excellent ride astride One Chance. He had the Chance Play gelding close to the early pace, bringing him through on the inside on the final quarter to take a short lead 100 yards from the finish. His mount just managed to stick it out. Royal Gold had the speed of the field and set the pace until the winner took command. He. came on again in the last twenty yards and it appeared that he got up in time. Fusco .did not appear to favor the footing. Vitascope, a gelded son of Vito and Joan Marie, was the easiest sort of a" winner in the initial six furlongs for plater non-winners of the cheaper order. Merritt shot Mrs. F. Ambrose Clarks three-year-old. to the front directly after the start, and he steadily drew away from his company to register by seven lengths. The .weight of "come back" orders sent him. to the post favorite. Closest to the winner at the end was Calumets El Contento, which finished well to take second place by his own length from the tiring Engles Boy. The latter wearied fast in the final sixteenth after chasing the winner. Fez, a. half brother to Display, was well regarded by the general public, but he turned in a disappointing effort to finish fourth. Whiscenda, Whiskalong Polycenda gelding, which was well beaten in his only bad track appearance in New Orleans, displayed a marked liking for the Bowie mud in the half-mile juvenile race at the end, Ray Brysons representative was a length in front of the fast finishing Quincy, with Traitress a similar margin away. A length and a half back came the odds-on favorite, Story Time. Harry Richards sent Whiscenda to the front before a hundred yards had been completed, and his mount opened up on the other half a dozen contestants making the turn. He continued steadily under hard pressure through the stretch to win in clean cut fashion. Quincy left the post slowly but responded gamely to the whip to overhaul all but the leader. The six furlongs dash, which was third on the card, brought the most thrilling finish of the afternoon, Little Argo just lasting long enough to gain an eyelash award over M. J. Brennan, with Dalmatia a head farther away. C. Hazeltons plater was out in all the pace and stood a hard drive through the stretch. The son of Happy Argo and Flower Girl was one of the afternoons surprises, showing a trifle better than 16 to 1. M. J. Brennan was shy on early speed and had to take the outside all the way. He made an extremely wide turn into the front stretch, finishing with good courage, only to fall a stride short of victory. Dalmatia, well up early, dropped back on the turn and then came on again in the stretch. Proteus quit as if short, while Currants, after forcing the early pace and gaining command a furlong out, tired in the last fifty yards. Lt. Greenock, a good mudlark among cheap ones, proved much the best of the seven which started in the fourth. At the end the Greenock Christophine gelding, which races for T. F. Swords, was three lengths in front of Genie Palatine, which had no difficulty saving second place from Peter Pumpkin by a pair of lengths. The i winner was a well-backed second choice to Cherry Stone at 3 to 1.
