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FENCING THE WINNER Sande-Trained Colt Triumphs Over Billionaire and Brooklyn. Bradley Pair Fails Again, Meeting Defeat in Running of Blue Grass Stakes. LEXINGTON, Ky., April 29. Fencing, which Maxwell Howard, Dayton, Ohio, sportsman, purchased from Joseph E Wide-ner, during the winter in Florida, defeated five other Kentucky Derby candidates in the revival of the Blue Grass Stakes, closing feature of Keenelands spring meeting of eleven days, here this afternoon. Withstanding a strenuous stretch drive over a slow track under a slashing ride from Jack West-rope, Fencing captured the ,000 added event, worth ,975 to the winner, by three-quarters of a length. Billionaire, owned by Col. E. R. Bradley, whose silks were often successful in the race when it was a feature of the old Kentucky Association course, was second and Brooklyn, the other Bradley representative, was inches away from his stablemate in third place. A return to sunshine and warmer weather resulted in one of the largest crowds of the meeting being present for the Blue Grass running, the attendance being estimated at more than 8,000. The track was in slow condition after it had been muddy for the first few races. CALUMET PAIR OUTRUN. Fencing carried 121 pounds and covered the mile and one furlong distance in 1:57. He was getting two pounds from each Bradley colt, while carrying equal weight with Hal Price Headleys Old Nassau, which finished fourth, and the Calumet Farm team of. Gosum and Galsun, which reached the end in that order, while soundly beaten. Many thrills were provided by the stake as Billionaire was sent out by Basil James to set a steady pace and Fencing was dropped into the runner-up position by West-rope. Brooklyn was last of the field entering the back stretch but thereafter advanced gradually on the outside. George Woolf was unable to prevent the son of Blue Larkspur from bearing out badly In the stretch and the loss of ground may have cost him the victory. James rated Billionaire smoothly in setting the pace, but Westrope had Fencing under good control just back of the Bradley colt. Old Nassau gave the leaders trou- Continued on twenty-second page. FENCING THE WINNER Continued from first nage. ble during the opening five furlongs but he tired thereafter, and Brooklyn passed him as the field straightened out for the run home. Half way around the second turn, West-rope called on Fencing, and the chestnut gelding by Chance Shot and Psyche responded in courageous fashion, but Billionaire had considerable speed left and fought off Fencing bitterly until the final sixteenth, where the Howard colorbearer slowly drew : away under the strongest sort of riding, finishing in the middle of the track as the Bradley colt was on the inside. PREEMINENT REPEATS. Preeminent, which carried the silks of Hal Price Headley to victory in the Phoenix Handicap, opening day feature, came back from that performance to score a handy triumph in the Coldstream Purse, the secondary feature. Running the six furlongs in the slow going in 1:13, the five-year-old son of Supremus and Star Class won by four lengths over Surveyor, owned by C. N. Finch, while E. N. Bissos Whipowill was two lengths farther back and a neck before Compensatory. Official completed the field. Under the guidance of Robert Dotter, Preeminent went into a clear lead soon after the start and, giving freely of his speed, was never in danger, being under restraint in the final furlong. Surveyor was always nearest the Headley veteran and, while he was unable to trouble Preeminent, he held Whipowill and the others safe. Compensatory moved up fast at the far turn but weakened, while Official was always outrun. Preeminent was held at odds-on. The meeting was successful from a financial standpoint, despite inclement weather last Saturday and most of this week, otherwise a greater profit would have been realized. Keeneland continued the policy adopted last fall of issuing badges only to horsemen, employes and members of the working press and the admissions were principally responsible for the profit realized. HEADLEY PLEASED. Hal Price Headley, president of the Keeneland Association, and his associates expressed their gratification for the fine support given the meeting by the public and horsemen alike and promised numerous improvements, among them construction of several new stables, addition of more sand to the track so that it will be able to dry out within a day after a rain and the placing of gravel on the parking lot as an aid in wet weather. The orange and black silks of John Oliver Keene, whose farm furnished the site for the new racing course here, were carried to victory by Eponine in the first race. The chestnut daughter of Jean Valjean and Inquiry, making her first start and an outsider in the wagering, broke very fast under the handling of P. Roberts, led all the way over the Headley Course to defeat J. E. Widener"s Cuckoo by two lengths, with O. D. Randolphs Sucre another length and a half away. Miss Mars was fourth of the six juvenile maidens composing the field. Sucre was installed the favorite, but his rider was unprepared at the start and the colt was last to start and, being on the outside, was compelled to lose ground while rushing to the leaders. After reaching the stretch in a contending position, he tired and Cuckoo beat him for the place, as the winner held her advantage in handy fashion. VAN METER SADDLES WINNER. C. C. Van Meter, local turfman, saddled his first winner in more than a year when he sent out his own Zingali to account for the third race a six furlongs dash, attracting nine older maidens. The three-year-old gelding by Infinite Zosara, ridden by Hilton Dabson, reached the finish three lengths before Manrico, which ruled a slight favorite over him. War Minstrel was another head away in third place and well before Thistle Red. Zingali overcame slight interference in the early stages to move up fast on the outside and get to the front stretch, where after a short brush with War Minstrel and Epinique, he drew away without much trouble. Manrico probably would have given the winner much more opposition but for being crowded back nearing the far turn. After recovering he was able to save ground and muscled his way through on the inside coming into the stretch to outgame War Minstrel after Epinique had tired.
