Pagliacci And Merritt: Prove Winning Combination in Newport Handicap at Narragansett.; Jockey Merritt Completes Triple on Wise Hildred and Toddle On--Huge Crowd Witnesses Final Program., Daily Racing Form, 1939-05-15

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I j | : j J " | | I PAGLIACCI AND MERR1TT Prove Winning Combination in Newport Handicap at Narragansett. Jockey Merritt Completes Triple on Wise Hildred and Toddle On — Huge Crowd Witnesses Final Program. PAWTUCKET, R. I., May 13— Jockey "Bobby" Merritt rode his third winner of the final afternoon of racing at .Narragansett Parks spring season as he piloted Mrs. E. Graham Lewis Pagliacci to victory in the mile and a sixteenth, ,000 added Newport Handicap before a crowd of 6,000 shivering race fans. It was Merritt, rather than Pagliacci, who was responsible for the score, for R. A. Moores Clodion, the favorite, which was beaten a head, was much the best. Merritt rode a faultless race on the winner, saving ground at all stages and riding like a Cossack in the final yards when it appeared certain he would be beaten. J. G. Wilson, who rode Clodion, put up a miserable exhibition of horsemanship. He was caught napping at the barrier, ran into pocket after pocket and finished very weakly once he was free. WAR MINSTREL THIRD. Mrs. Emil Denemarks War Minstrel finished third in the stake, two lengths off the leaders and a nose in advance of Be Jabbers. Pagliacci won a purse of ,410 net for his owner. He finished out the journey in 1:45%. After a few days of spring weather, wintry winds again blew as Narragansett ended a highly successful meeting. This did not keep the crowds away nor did it keep them from tossing it through the pari-mutuel windows in heavy bundles. As the feature was run, it appeared certain the days handle would goto 00,000. Betting on the stake alone was 3,677, Pagliacci broke on top but was outrun by Sun Inplay as they went around the clubhouse turn. Be Jabbers took second place and Pagliacci dropped back third. Clodion was off last and ran into a tangle when attempting to improve his position on the turn. Down the back stretch Sun Inplay was a neck in front, Pagliacci moving to second as they went to the far turn and Be Jabbers dropping back third again. Clodion was guided from the inside to the outside, found running room on the turn for home and swept by horses to take third place, but once again was taken in behind horses. As they came into the stretch, Pagliacci was in front by less than a length, for Clodion, fighting on his own courage and still apparently not under the control of his rider, was setting sail for the leader. At the eighth pole, a half length separated Pagliacci and Clodion. MERRITT IN DRIVE. Wilson was of no help to his mount and, as Clodion drew closer and closer, Merritt went to a furious drive. He got all there was to get out of Pagliacci and Pagliacci lasted to win by a head. War Minstrel was far back early, but was flying in the final yards to beat the faltering Be Jabbers by a nose for the third award. Wise Prince and Our Ketcham were never serious factors in the race. Merritts exhibitions astride Wise Hildred, Toddle On and Pagliacci today were the outstanding feat of the season for a jockey at Narragansett. He rode all of the horses perfectly. Trainer Elmer Trueman saddled his first winner in New England and "Bobby" Merritt completed a double as Toddle On carried Mrs. Truemans silks to victory in the six-furlongs Attleboro Handicap, supporting feature on the program. Merritt put up a million dollar finish, driving his mount through a narrow opening at the sixteenth pole and lashing the Bud Lerner filly home a neck in advance of Mrs. E. Denemarks Uneasy. Lake View, coupled with Wage Earner, was fourth in the field of seven. The winner ran the six furlongs in 1:12 flat. Lake View made the early pace with Stage Beauty laying second, to the stretch, where Toddle On moved through on the rail to take second place. Merritt bore down hard on his mount in the final sixteenth and won narrowly. H. E. Engers* Wise Hildred, under a beautiful front-rating ride from "Bobby" Merritt, turned in an easy score in the opening event at six furlongs. The Wise Counsellor filly made all of her own pace and finished out three lengths in advance of Grandpas Boy. Mr. Deeds, which chased the pace most closely for most of the distance, tired in the stretch and wound up third, a neck off the runner-up. The time was 1:13%. Epitaph, the favorite, ridden out smartly by Tommy May, won the three-quarters second event by a length over Goster after making all of his own pace. Eva R. took the third award, half a length off the runner-up. Ghost Train finished fourth. In one of the closest finishes of the Narragansett meeting, Euclid LeBlanc lashed Savitar to victory by a nose over M. J, Whites Peter Argo in the three-quarters third event. There were three noses on the post in the event, with Peter Argo that margin in front of Paul Kelleys Float Away and J. B. Partridges Major B. the same distance back of the third horse.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1930s/drf1939051501/drf1939051501_42_3
Local Identifier: drf1939051501_42_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800