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NORRIS COLORS FIRST Chicago Owners Sandy Boot Defeats Favored Mucho Gusto. Biggest Crowd in History of Tropical Park Watches Yarberry Pilot Home Pour Winners. MIAMI, Fla., Dec. 26. The largest crowd in the history of a winter meeting at Tropical Park saw a hero of four stake victories over the Gables oval go down to defeat in the Christmas Handicap, the mile and one-sixteenth event which featured a sunny afternoons sport. Mucho Gusto was unable to finish better than fourth to Sandy Boot, triumphant Chicagoan from the stable of J. D. Norris. The five-year-old son of Boot to Boot Sanda came from last place in this event to drive past the judges a length and one-half in advance of Court Scandal, with Bobs Boys three-quarters of a length farther away as he took third money from Mucho Gusto, an odds-on choice, by five lengths. The successful five-year-old was supported by his connections, showing a shade less than 5 to 1. Packing the favorable weight of 109 pounds, he finished the mile and one-sixteenth in 1:44 to be one and one-fifth seconds off the track record. The downfall of "Big Gus" was a crusher to a majority of the patrons, as he had been something of a Tropical Park champion last winter and ruled the shortest-priced favorite of the day, being the third straight to take a licking. DROPS BACK. Sandy Boots chances did not look bright "in the early stages, when he dropped back to last place, to trail the field for the first five-eighths of a mile. Then Hanford went to a drive on the Windy City representative and met a ready response, .the five-year-old closing swiftly on the leaders making the final turn and racing past them swinging for home. Finishing with undimmed courage under extreme pressure, he headed Court Scandal and Bobs Boys in the middle of the stretch and disposed ot both after a short struggle, to be going away at the end. Court Scandal, winner of the 1937 Flamingo Stakes, had the speed to snatch the lead from Mucho Gusto after slightly more than half a mile had been completed. He continued in determined fashion to the stretch to take the place from Bobs Boys Continued on sixteenth page. NORRIS COLORS FIRST Continued from first page. after relinquishing the leadership to Sandy Boot. Bobs Boys, runner-up in the Inaugural, was the keenest sort of a factor for a mile and then tired badly. Mucho Gusto must have been a short horse. Thats the only alibi one can offer for his performance. McCombs had him away fast and he made the running for half a mile. When challenged by Court Scandal and Bobs Boys, he offered only weak resistance and was beaten at the far turn. Her Reigh, the only other starter, was favored by featherweight, but raced poorly, far below his best form in the North. The floral presentation, after the Christmas Handicap running, was made by Fred Snite, Jr., "iron lung" boy, who is wintering with his parents at Miami Beach. Joe Schenck, nicely conditioned in a five and a half furlongs sprint where he was a bang-up third to Shoulder Arms, took an eyelash decision from Our Ketcham in the six furlongs Kris Kringle Purse. There he proved the third choice of the day to register. The home-bred son of Insco and Stitches turned in the swiftest race of the meeting at the distance when he finished out in 1:10. Warren Yarberry equalled Eddie Arcaros riding record for the meeting atop Joe Schenck, that being his third winner for the afternoon. Earlier he had scored with Merry Gesture and Velvet Mask. Merry Gesture, making her first ance of the winter, scampered six furlongs in 1:12, to win in decisive fashion over five I juvenile rivals in the Plum Pudding Handi- cap. At the end the daughter of Zaca-! weista and Epitine, which races for J. J. Watts, was a length in advance of Doubt Not, the latter saving the place from Speedy Booger by a similar margin. A nose away was the disappointing public choice, Paddy. His effort was extremely sad for form fol-j lowers to contemplate, as it was not within i pounds of the good one that preceded it.
