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. 5 FIGHTING FOX WINNER Second Choice in Kentucky Derby Makes Auspicious Debut. Easily Triumphs in First Start of Year Nedayr a Victim of the Speed of Merry Lassie. NEW YORK, N. Y., April 23. "Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, leading trainer of the Jamaica meeting, showed a first class prospect for the Kentucky Derby when he sent out Fighting Fox. brother of Gallant Fox to win his seasonal debut today and shortly thereafter saddled Merry Lassie to administer a sound lacing to Nedayr in the featured Stuyvesant Handicap. Fighting Fox won like a true Derby horse while it is probable that Merry Lassie caught Nedayr only partially fit for a fast three-quarters in the Stuyvesant, which she turned under the Wheatley banner in 1:11. That was a corking effort and it found her half a dozen lengths before Steel Knight, the runner-up, with Nedayr a distant third. Merry Lassie was an 11 to 5 favorite with Fighting Fox ruling odds on, so that the followers of the Fitzsimmons fortunes had no regrets during the afternoon. NEARLY 15,000 PRESENT. Bright skies and a fast track plus the prospect of seeing Fighting Fox and Nedayr in action brought out a large Saturday attendance to the home of the Metropolitan Jockey Club. The crowd was estimated at 14,936. That was the largest gathering since the 20,000 on opening day. The racing was a triumph for Fighting Fox, which beat nothing but very easily in his seasonable debut. He earned a large Wood-Deby following by his score. In the Stuyvesant, which netted the winner ,700, Merry Lassie had the most speed and dominated the running under Jimmy Stout all the way. She outran the small field from the break with Steel Knight and Nedayr right after her. They could never Continued on twenty-sixth vnge. FIGHTING M WINNER Continued from first page. get to the daughter of Stimulus, whose best distance is three-quarters. In the stretch she enjoyed a lead of a half a dozen lengths and that was all to that. Nedayr made a couple of moves but is more fit to run a mile or more than three-quarters. That turned the tables against him and he should do better in the Wood. VICTORIOUS DEBUT. Fighting Fox, second choice to Stagehand in future book wagering on the Kentucky Derby, made his seasonal bow a victorious one when he won the Forest, a three-quarters dash for three-year-olds, which was third on the program and served as the secondary feature. The Woodward home-bred, a brother of Gallant Fox, never looked better arid at the end was four lengths ahead of Play Gold in 1:12 for the distance. The winner, which has developed vastly during the winter, showed that he knew what rapid training was for he outran his company all the way at 1 to. 4. Third, a head off the runner-up, was John Whitneys Gentle Savage, with Routine fourth. Fighting Fox ran like a strong threat for three-year-old honors when he dashed into an early lead over his less highly regarded but, in some instances, better fitted rivals, and led from flag fall to finish of the dash. It was an easy race for him and the colt, which attracted such a large throng in the paddock, never left the result in doubt. Three-year-olds of class "C" met in the opening six furlongs dash and J. S. Rileys Soigne, a filly that had a thorough seasoning in California, proved best when she led all the way to score over J. P. Smiths Join Us, with M. Van Beurens Be Quaint taking third from Flying Wild, while Spillway, the favorite, was soundly beaten. FORTY EIGHT GRADUATES. William H. Gallaghers Forty Eight, a son of American Flag and Daunt, had rip trouble whipping a field of maiden juveniles in the five furlongs dash that was the second offering. He led home William Ziegler Jr.s Substantial by a comfortable margin and the Greentree Stables Cross Question beat Jock Whitneys Heather Broom by a wide margin for third. It was generally expected that after Fighting Fox had won over the sprinters in the third, there would be a double for the chairman of The Jockey Club when Fitzsimmons sent out Johnstown, a son of Jamestown and La France, in the Amberjack, a five furlongs dash for juveniles, but he failed. This went to William Ziegler Jr.s Our Mat, one that was seasoned in Florida, and the place was taken by Rosemain, a George D. Widener filly that had won earlier in the meeting, and Kate Smith, another of the Florida campaigners, also led home the Woodward hope. The only other starter in this was Roll and Toss, an unseasoned son of Questionnaire and Tossabout, that raced for the Greentree Stable. This fellow had no chance when an assistant starter stood in front of him at the break in an effort to keep him in line.
