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BE BLUE TRIUMPHANT Filly Is Surprise Winner of Spring Handicap at Narragansett. Crowd of 2 0, 0 0 0 Present for Opening of New England Racing Season Goldman Scores in the Opener. PAWTUCKET, R. I., April 22. Be Blue, flaunting the orange jacket of Tommy Heard, Jr., scored a surprise victory in the ,000 added Spring Handicap, a six-furlong event that featured the inaugural of the 1939 New England racing season at Narragansett Park this afternoon. At the end of the journey, jockey J. G. Wilson had the four-year-old daughter of Blue Larkspur and Be Still a neck clear of Felix Spatolas fast closing Wise Prince. Mrs. W. Plunket Stewarts Early Delivery, a heavy favorite off his effort to Johnstown in the Paumonok. made the pace but was unable to stand up in the final drive, finishing third, a length and a half off the runner-up. Clodion was a distant fourth in the field of eleven. The winner ran the distance over a fast track in 1:11 and paid 9.70 straight. A crowd of 20,000 was on hand for the sport this afternoon, which was decided on a beautiful spring day. The betting was heavy throughout the day with 8,736 being wagered on the feature. GETS AWAY FAST. Early Delivery showed his usual early speed, streaking away from the gate and taking a clear lead after a few yards from the barrier. Be Blue also broke fast and forced the pace, showing a length and a half back as they ran down the back stretch, with Wobdsaw a close third. At the far turn, Be Blue began to shorten the distance that separated her from the leader. Around the elbow, Woodsaw dropped back and Wise Prince charged up on the outside to assume third place. At the stretch it was obvious that Early Delivery was tiring badly. Be Blue was within a neck of the pacemaker at this juncture and she was gaining ground with every stride. As they went to the sixteenth pole, Be Blue drove to the van, and once headed Early Delivery dropped back. Wise Prince moved to the faltering choice at the sixteenth marker and set sail for the leader, but was unable to get up in time under a hard drive. Mrs. A. R. Smiths Goldman was the first Continued on twenty-seventh page. BE BLUE TRIUMPHANT Continued from first page. horse entered for the races at Narragansett Park yesterday, and Goldman was the first horse to win a race at the 1939 Narragansett meeting. Harry KrovitTk-had to drive the Breadman gelding hardTn the final strides to stave off Mrs. C. P. Lindners Spitten-image by a nose. Letang and McKays Epitaph, the favorite, which fought a head-and-head pace battle with the winner from the start to the head of the stretch, wound up third, a length and one-half off the runner-up. To the Rescue, which moved up with good speed on the outside as they made the turn for home, finished fourth, hanging in the final drive. The winner completed the six furlongs in 1:12. Mrs. Floyd Wests Jack Sting, ridden by Earl Maloney, took the lead on the far turn and never relinquished it, to win the three-quarters second event by a length and one-half over Mrs. M. H. Charles Maebeau. Tobey Trotters Glenbroom was third, two lengths farther back, and Steel King finished fourth. The winner finished out in 1:13. Ball-o-Fire set the pace for a quarter mile, with Blue Grotto in closest attendance. Just as the latter appeared to be ready to take the lead on the far turn she tired, and Jack Sting went into command. The son of Sting showed in front by two and one-half lengths in the stretch, but Maloney had to ride out his mount, as Maebeau made a belated challenge in the final sixteenth. CYRUS P. GAINS. Cyrus P. closed extremely fast in the final eighth to win the six furlongs third event by a neck over B. M. Smiths Float Away. The latter got to the front just past the eighth post but dogged it under a hard drive in the final yards. He saved second place by two lengths over Mrs. Floyd Wests Nicholas S., however. My Day, which set the pace until they were making the turn for home, finished fourth. Snider lashed the victor home in 1:12. Mrs. V. Wyses Trickwick charged up fast from the middle of the turn to the end, to win the three-quarters fourth event by three lengths over G. H. Coyles well-meant Goster. F. Beloins Cruising took the third award, a neck off the runner-up and half a length in advance of Minimum. W. L. Taylor, who rode well in New Orleans this winter, put up an energetic finish to land the winner home in front.
