Night Sprite Scores Again: Giant Sprinter Repeats Recent Good Performance at Havre, Daily Racing Form, 1936-04-23

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I 1 , NIGHT SPRITE SCORES AGAIN . Giant Sprinter Repeats Recent Good Performance at Havre. Jockey C. Hanford and C. Stafford Riding Stars of Day, the Latter With Three Winners Ideal Conditions. HAVRE DE GRACE, Md., April 22. Night Sprite, giant five-year-old sprinter that races for Harry Neusteter, came back with another sparkling performance after his recent victory here and chalked up his second triumph in as many starts this season when ho took honors in the Hampton Roads Purse, an allowance race that served as the main attraction at Havre de Grace today. Opposed by five other seasoned sprinters, the swift son of Nocturnal and Dark Phantom showed his best speed at the beginning of the race, which was fourth on the program, and at no stage of the journey was ho in danger of being defeated. Ridden by C. Stafford, one of the leading apprentice riders, Night Sprite ran the six furlongs distance in 1:12 to reach the end in advance of Bomar Stables Billy Bee, with Mrs. R. H. Heighes Brown Twig leading home Legume, Brokers Tip and Trumpery, the only other starters. Strongly backed on the strength of hi3 recent handy performance that marked hi3 debut, Night Sprite displayed a fine turn of speed to carry him into the lead and to a popular victory. He sprinted into a lead of three lengths in the first quarter mile of the race and, upon reaching the turn, had increased his advantage to five lengths, after which he cantered to the end of the contest to win by a length and a half. Billy Bee, in chase of the winner from the beginning of the race, had no easy time in proving the runner-up. The Bomar colt waged a thrilling stretch duel with Brown Twig to earn his honors by a head. The others, led by Legume, were badly strung out, with Trumpery, one of the better fancied starters, in last place. The Whitney sprinter left the starting point very slowly and all during the running failed to show any of the speed that characterized his first effort of the local meeting in which he finished second to Billy Bee. Conditions were ideal for the entertainment that was served for the ninth day of the local meeting and a crowd of average size watched the sport. Jockey C. Hanford, with two winners, and C. Stafford with three, were the riding stars of the day. Eight home-bred two-year-olds measured strides in the opening number, a test of four and a half furlongs, and the result was popular with the talent when Gay Balko, in the silks of A. G. Vanderbilt, made a show of the opposition over the abbreviated distance. Racing coupled with Bergere and held at prohibitive odds, Gay Balko swept to the finish leading Indiana from the J. E. Davis stable by four lengths, with Mattapony from the H. Bruce stable capturing third over the winners running companion and the four others. Mrs. A. Meyers furnished the winner of the second race, in which eleven mediocre sprinters were engaged at six furlongs when Sock Dologer proved best in the running to capture honors in a drive. Ridden by C. Hanford and making his first start of the year, the Meyers gelding achieved his success by his own length over H. H. Temple, Jr.s Peter Pumpkin, with third earned by Mrs. C. Laverys Curling when she took a nose verdict over Cantersine. Jockey C. Hanford scored his second victory of the afternoon when he drove Miss Ethel Hills Deliberate to a front running triumph over seven other good three-year-olds that met in the third race, also over six furlongs. At the end the western-owned sprinter, led C. J. Bilds Vitascope to the finish, with third taken by Son of Troy. Several minutes were lost at the starting point but the start was a good one, with Undulate first to show. Deliberate, away in second position, had the most speed, and Hanford sent him along to open up a lead of four lengths early in the race, then took hold of his mount. Back of the flying leader Son of Troy held second position, while R. Merritt had Aroused in third place, heading Undulate and the others. Until reaching the stretch none of these positions was altered, and it was apparent on the turn for home that Deliberate would prove successful. He was going along smoothly and, upon reaching the finish, was nicely in hand as he raced over the line winner by two lengths. There was an upset to mark the decision of the co-feature, which was a Class C handicap at a mile and seventy yards, when Conquer, from the Mrs. L. Viau stable, turned back E. R. Bradleys Bird Flower, A. C. Comptons Braving Danger and six others that met in the fifth event. Regarded solely as a sprinter in all his races as a two-year-old last season, the Viau colt found little difficulty in defeating his formidable opponents at the increased distance, and his triumph came in a mild drive. Ridden by C. Stafford, the three-year-old son of Victorian was in a good position in the early stages of the contest when he moved along with the early pace provided by Microbe and Bird Flower. Racing on the inside until leaving the back stretch, Conquer swung around his rivals to go into a lead of two lengths midway in the home stretch, then was nursed to the end to win by little more than a length over the Bradley filly. Braving Danger was at the heels of Bird Flower as he took third, while the others, led by Don Guzman, were more or less strung-out. C. Stafford was-seen aboard his third winner when he drove K. N. Gilpins Buck Lang-horne to victory at the close of the mile and one-sixteenth sixth race in which a field of seven contested. Overlooked in the wagering, the score of the Gilpin four-year-old took place in a thrilling drive when he came from behind to reach the end of the distance leading the way to W. Elliotts Xandra, with third accounted for by Miss Purray.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1936042301/drf1936042301_22_3
Local Identifier: drf1936042301_22_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800