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EL CHICO SUFFERS FIRST DEFEAT; JOHNSTOWN WINS f j Victorious in Paumonok Handicap JOHNSTOWN EL CHICO NOSE BEHIND Johnstowns Six-Length Paumonok Handicap Victory Brilliant Effort. Largest Opening-Day Crowd in the - History of New York Racing Derby Choice Stumbles at Start. NEW YORK, N. Y., April 15 The largest crowd that ever gathered for an opening of the Metropolitan turf season poured into Jamaica today to view the defeat of the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby, El Chico, and the rise of Johnstown, another hopeful for that race. The triumph of the latter in the Paumonok Handicap over six furlongs, the afternoons principal attraction, was decidedly the most interesting happening on the program, for the son of Jamestown and La France carried the famous white and red dotted silks of Belair to the easiest sort of a triumph when he scampered home six lengths in advance of his nearest rival. At the finish William Woodwards bay colt was being eased up as he completed his journey in 1:11. Driven into second place in the last sixteenth of a mile, Pagliacci was three lengths in advance of Early Delivery, as he earned that portion of the purse. Many thought that El Chico had turned in a mighty performance the preceding dash where he suffered his first defeat in eight starts, for he was not roused by the whip when challenged in the final furlong, giving way to Gilded Knight and losing a hairlino decision. SETS OWN PACE. The effort of the John P. Grier colt, however, was completely overshadowed by that of Johnstown in the following event. The latter, on the scale, was conceding weiglit to everything in the Paumonok when he carried 112 pounds. This was only four pounds less than El Chico had up in his race. The Jamestown colt set all his own pace and won as Jimmy Stout willed. The ,850 he picked up in this performance was the easiest gleanings of his career. The story of the 1939 renewal of the Paumonok can be quickly told. George Cas-sidy had the field of half a dozen away to a quick start, with Stout driving Johnstown into the clear before a furlong had been completed. The bay fellow was moving right along as he went the initial quarter in :22, three-eighths in :33, half in :4573, and five furlongs in :58. That had everything beaten behind him, and Stout just let the Belair colt gallop along in the last furlong. FITZSEVEVIONS REPEATS. The score marked the second straight In the race for trainer "Sunny Jim" Fitzsim-mons, who saddled the Wheatley Stables Snark in the 1938 renewal. Pagliacci, winner of his last two starts at Bowie, was in tight quarters during the opening furlong and shuffled back to last place. He was badly outrun for the first half mile but came up swiftly on the outside to run over tiring opposition in the last three-sixteenths of a mile. Early Delivery was the closest attendant to the winners pace for the first five-eighths of a mile and did not have a single excuse. He simply was not good enough to beat the other two. The Chief broke slowly but finished fairly Remainder on twenty-seventh page. E CHICO SUFFERS FIRST DEFEAT; JOHNSTOWN WINS Continued from first page. well. Bold Turk showed just a flash, while Great Union tired badly after five furlongs and probably was short. Nothing can be taken away from El Chico, even though he was beaten. He simply faced a better colt in Gilded Knight than most folks reckoned, with the latter being driven out to the last ounce with whip, hand and heel, whereas Wall never punished William Zieglers juvenile champion. The time of the race was also excellent, for few horses travel three-quarters in better than 1:11 the first crack out of the box. HAS EARLY SPEED. El Chico, as anticipated, had the speed to take the lead from his company but he was not sent into a long lead, Wall being content to have him slightly clear of Gilded Knight as he completed the first quarter in :22 and the half in :46. Turning for home, he came away from the rail slightly, and as Gilded Knight moved up on the outside Wall started with hand and heel. He kept waving the whip alongside El Chicos head for slightly more than a furlong but not once did he sting him with it. The son of John P. Grier responded well to urging and it was not until the last strides that he gave way to the Wheatley Stable colorbearer. In fact, from the stand it appeared to many that he had lasted long enough. The race provided numerous headaches for the bookmakers, for few could back El Chico, which was a l-to-7 chance, running coupled with Our Mat. Gilded Knight and Sea Captain, at 6-tc-l straight and even money place, drew the bulk of the general publics money. Gilded Knight was always closes to El Chicos pace, the bay son of Sir Gallahad HI. Gold Brick coming around the leader in the last three-sixteenths. He showed much courage in the duel through the stretch to be up in the concluding strides. This colt and El Chico went out seven-eighths in 1:25 before they were pulled up. To William Ziegler, Jr., went the honor of winning the first race of the season when his Pilot Biscuit, a well-named juvenile daughter of Hard Tack Herade, ably ridden by Nick Wall, readily took the measure of six other maidens in a dash of five furlongs. At the end she was well clear, scoring by four lengths over Pink Gal, which raced for the Tranquillity Farms stable, and two lengths back of this miss, William Woodwards Waves had no trouble beating Scurry for third. The disappointment of the running was George D. Wideners Limitation, a home-bred daughter of Hard Tack Finita, which, with her stablemate Spanked, was always held at odds-on in the betting. SANDY BILL WINS. Sandy Bill, unbeaten in his six starts last year, began his 1939 campaign with another victory in the second offering. Seamyth was just up to earn a camera decision for second place over Suncrax, and fourth went to Happily. There was some delay at the post, for which Suncrax was to blame. She was finally banished to the outside, from which position she broke last, but Meade handled her so energetically that she soon found her way into second place. But Sandy Bill was speeding along in front with a lead of four lengths, and Wright held him together nicely to have his winning margin three lengths at the end. Meade saved ground with Suncrax in the stretch and put up a strong finish on the mare, but in the last twenty yards she quit badly as Seamyth swept alongside to drop his nose down before her for the place decision. The third offering brought about the graduation of John Hay Whitneys Hasty Wedding when she outgamed Mrs. Andy Schut-tingers Silver Flame to win by a length. A length and a half farther away Ogden Phipps Despondent readily took third from Teddys Gal, which raced for the Millsdale Stable. It was something of a two-horse race all the way. Silver Flame, leaving from the inside stall, was first to show in front, but j she was followed by Hasty Wedding, and i these two always had the speed of the company. Silver Flame was still showing the way when the stretch was reached, but she was doing her level best, and Hasty Wedding drew up on her steadily under a confident ride by Basil James. A sixteenth out the Whitney miss had Silver Flame beaten and, while her winning margin was only a length, it could have readily been wider for she had plenty left. As Chicluna tired, Despondent moved up resolutely and, without threatening Silver Flame, she was easily best of the others, saving third by two lengths from Teddys Girl, which closed some ground after being badly outrun in the early stages. Basil James completed a riding double when he scored with Watersplash in the sixth number. This old mare, by a determined stretch run, ran down Play Gold to win by a length and a half, with Endymion taking third from Charming Herod. Earlier in the day James had scored with Hasty Wedding.
