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woodlanderInfront ■ Proves Best in the Aurora Handicap Before Crowd of 8,000. Register Double for Owner B. Hernandez and Jockey L. Turner — Bad Weather. AURORA, 111., May 2.— B. Hernandez* five-year-old gelding Woodlander, ploughed through a track that was fetlock deep in mud to capture the main portion of the prize in the ,500 Aurora Handicap, mile and seventy yards contest featuring this afternoons sport at the Fox Valley Jockey Club track. C. E. Davisons Garden Message was second, a nose in front of F. Abbates Prince Torch, which held a like advantage over Understand. It was the second consecutive winner hailing from the stable of the New Orleans turfman. With approximately 8,000 shivering followers of the thoroughbreds looking on, Wood-lander came through with one of his best performances, coming from behind to assert his superiority over his rivals. Pat C. and Understand battled on almost equal terms for three-quarters of the distance with Fire Avance closest to them, while Woodlander, Garden Message, and Prince Torch brought up the rear. Jockey Leonard Turner, who like Hernandez made it a double, took no chances of being blocked when the chestnut gelding was ready to make his run. Losing ground he guided Woodlander to the outside as the field approached the stretch turn, and stride by stride gained on Fire Advance, which had taken a slight lead over Understand as the result of saving some ground into the home lane and a sixteenth of a mile from the finish Woodlander moved into the lead, swiftly drawing away to triumph in decisive fashion. Incessant rains throughout Friday night and early Saturday morning had a tendency to make the course difficult to negotiate, but the program of eight races was not greatly affected by this as many trainers had entered expecting the sort of track that prevailed for the presentation of the card. Continued on twenty-sixth page J woodlanderIn front Continued from first page. The card of four sprints and four distance contests was built around the Aurora Handicap, which brought out a field of seven contestants for a mile and seventy yards test, and included some of the best distance performers available now. The fourth race was the only event that was greatly reduced because of track conditions. Five of the ten originally carded to perform over the mile and a sixteenth route were withdrawn. Despite a chill breeze and a cloudy sky, the turnout of turf fans was gratifying and gave indication that capacity attendances are quite likely when a break in the weather | arrives. Macks Pal proved best qualified to amble through the heavy footing in the opening race, a five and a half furlongs dash, in which the brown mare defeated Gibbys Choice by a length, with Count Cotton com- j ing up from the rear to account for third j money. Following Tom Proctor and Go- j forth closely for the first quarter, Macks j Pal went into the lead with a rush there-after and swiftly assumed a safe advantage, j maintaining a length lead at the conclusion of the struggle over the deep track. Macks Pal was somewhat overlooked by the bet- I tors, and as a result returned 1.60 for straight tickets. For the first time at this meeting a mile race was staged as the second event, bring- j ing out eight starters for the trip once around the course, with Rex Regent demonstrating his mud running proclivities by scoring over Moving Clouds and Ogee to the tune of one length. Moving Clouds moved into the lead rounding the first turn and continued to show the way until well | into the stretch where Rex Regent came through on the rail and picked them up ! and forged to the front. Moving Clouds held on with a fine brand of courage, but j was much used as the result of having set the pace. Lonmeg made a runaway of the third race, at six furlongs, leading Butch home by five j lengths, with Peggys Peggy three lengths farther back in third place. The four-year-old chestnut filly was rated close to the j pace set by Butch until well straightened away in the stretch, where she easily overhauled the early leader when called on for her supreme effort. Once in front the daughter of Gonfalon drew away with ease though jockey R. Fischer had a snug hold of her in the last seventy yards. Lonmeg was favorite in the betting, and the first of the day to achieve success over the deep and holding track. A nose finish thrilled the spectators in the fourth when Shady Gate was up in the I final stride to nose out Baboo after the mile j and a sixteenth contest. A —
