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HISTRIONIC SHORT ODDS Wins Main Event at Tropical Park Course at 2 to 5. Wins Like Odds-On Choice Should Threatens Track Record - - for Odd Distance. x CORAL GABLES, Fla., Dec. 24. Histrionic, shortest-priced favorite of the Tropical Park season, scored in the Christinas Eve Purse like a proper 2. to 5 chance, breezing home six lengths in advance of his jiearest rival in the three-year-old condition event, which was the principal attraction on the week-end program. Before the second largest crowd of the meeting the Larch Hill gelding completed the mile and sixty yards in the swift time of 1:41, figures which were only two-fifths of a second off the worlds record for this odd distance, made hy Brush Hook over the Gables oval last March. i Had Arcaro driven the son of Masked Marvel II. and Billie Burke through the stretch he could have lowered those figures, as his charge was only romping through the last furlong. Short Distance was closest to the leader at the finish, being just clear of Harp Weaver, who nosed Hunting Home out of the show prize. It was the third victory of the Florida season for the Larch Hill establishment, which is handled by Freddy Hopkins, with Histrionic becoming the first horse to score a double. His triumph gave the half-holiday crowd a slight breather, as he was the first favorite to register in four events which preceded the main event going to outsiders. It also was the fifth straight for the bay three-year-old, though he was confirmed as winner by the stewards in -one of those races. POST DELAY. There was a considerably delay at the post , , in the Christmas Eve Purse for which His- I trionic was one of the principal causes. When the start came he did not break quickly as in his opening day effort but Arcaro drove him into a contending position going to the first turn and snugged him along behind Short Distance while making that turn. Once in the back stretch he sent his I charge around the leader and the son of Masked Marvel II. drew away from the pack steadily. He increased his advantage to three lengths by the time the home stretch was reached and came down that, short lane tinder wraps and still drawing away. Short Distance left the post swiftly and showed more early speed than in Mondays outing, being the only one to offer the winner any sort of an argument. He had no serious opposition for the place. Harp Weaver, very fractious at the post, was off badly and elosed a good gap to nose Hunting Home out of third money. The latter is improving. PAUSE IN FRONT. Pause, a speedy daughter of Wise Counsellor and Directly, which now races for J. Hazza, had the speed of the youngsters in the six furlongs of Pompano Purse, the days secondary attraction, scoring in clean-cut fashion in the brisk time of 1:11. At .the final pole, she was a length and a half in front of the public choice, Johns Heir, which just lasted long enough to nose Boston Lad out of the secondary award. There was scant support for the bay miss, and she was the fourth consecutive outsider to score, Continued on fifteenth page. . HISTRIONIC SHORT ODDS Continued from first page. paying 1.75 to . Simmons had Pause away swiftly and she raced Col. Scott into defeat in the first quarter. She drew away only slightly on the turn but through the home stretch increased her advantage. Johns Heir was a public choice for the second straight time, and once more he had no apparent excuse. Robertson was hard at him all the way to keep within striking distance of the winner, and in the. stretch , he was unable to cut down her lead when . urged with the whip. I Boston Lad came up a good thing in this I and was smartly backed. The son of Bos-. tonian was shy on early speed but finished stoutly on the inside, much in the same I fashion as in his previous outing. Love-ay moved up rapidly on the turn and fin-1 ished gamely along the inner rail to miss third money by a nose margin. Vain Bo was lapped on the Petee-Wrack filly at the end. Flying Victory, a New England campaigner which races under the banner of the Shortbrook Farm, came from behind the pace of Irenes Bob, in the initial six furlongs, to win going away by her own length, with R. Pinchot closing with a mighty rush on the outside to take second place. The last-named Canadian was a head in advance j of Never Cease, which captured third money from Irenes Bob by a like margin. The successful daughter of Flying Ebony and Miss Madelyn, showing a trifle better than 10 to 1 in the "tote," completed the distance in 1:12, good time for a ,250 plater. FINISHES FAST. Donoso had Flying Victory in closest attendance to the pace for the first five furlongs and in the stretch was doing her best to run over the early leader. R. Pinchot was far out of contention until the last eighth and finished going swiftest of all. Never Cease raced along evenly to gain third honors, while Irenes Bob tired badly after enjoying a head lead to the top of the stretch. Airlap, tightened by a race over the track and, with Rosen in the saddle instead of the less experienced Musser, made every post a winning one in the three-quarter? dash, which was second on the program, covering the distance in the busy time of 1:11. At the end the gelded son of Ariel and Golata was driven out to register by a length over the steadily closing Cruising,, with Headin Home, tha public choice,, jn third place another length away., tvt. . . . -,-"". Rosen put Airlap, in front, directly after the start to open up a three lengths lead inj the first quarter. This his charge main- tained until straightened away for home. Then he had. to be driven smartly to gain the award. Cruising, rated nicely to the" turn for home, came around the leaders in " the last eighth to finish in determinedfashiis.fs ion. Headin Home, always well up.hadno apparent excuse. Princess Bull-was hustled into contention at the far turn, but hunsr in the last furlong. .
