Dead Heat Thrills Big Suffolk Crowd: Hysterical and Sir Jeffrey Forced to Share Top Honors in Governors Handicap, Daily Racing Form, 1942-05-18

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Dead Heat Thrills Big Suffolk Crowd Hysterical and Sir Jeffrey Forced to Share Top Honors In Governors Handicap BOSTON, Mass., May 16. For the first time in the history of racing in New England, neither the camera nor the judges were able to place a winner at the finish of a handicap event. The print with which the judges made the placings revealed that the Circle S Stables Hysterical and Louis B. Mayers Sir Jeffrey were deadlocked at the end of the sixth running of the Governors Handicap, one mile event for a purse of ,000 added, which featured the first Saturday of racing at Suffolk Downs. A half a length back of the first two the Coldstream Stables Tragic Ending was along to collect show money, a length and a half before John R. Macombers Side Arm.. The latter had only a head before the Valdina Farms Viscounty as the field jammed together at the wire. Second choice to the Sullivan entry of Air Master and Transfigure, Sir Jeffrey paid .60 in the mutuels, while Hysterical, an outsider, returned 5.40 to his scattered supporters. The two horses were timed in 1:39 over a dull track. Both Encounter Trouble The finish was as thrilling as that of any event ever raced over the course. Sir Jeffrey, after encountering trouble when Fairmond forced him to pull up going into the first turn, was in front down through the back stretch by the narrowest of margins in advance of Side Arm, but Hysterical, who likewise was in difficulty doing down the back stretch, nailed him on the wire while moving down the outside under Ted Atkinsons robust handling. Leaving the gate, Itabo was quickest to begin, but Westrope had Sir Jeffrey in stride quickly. Fairmond, however, was on the inside of the Mayer representative and, going into the clubhouse turn, forced Westrope to pull up as the horses jammed together. This jam allowed E. C. Eastwoods Chal-lamore to steal the lead and, going down the back stretch, he opened up on his rivals by two lengths. Itabo attempted to go with him, but dropped back out of it quickly and Transfigure made a run at the pace setter. Going into the half-mile pole, however, the Eastwood representative and Transfigure began to back up. Tragic Ending Third Moving into the three-sixteenths pole, Westrope took Sir Jeffrey to the outside and sent him to the front just as he straightened away for the drive down the home lane. It was here that Atkinson, who had Hysterical in reserve, finally found racing room with the Trace Call gelding. Side Arm was also well placed for the drive and for a time loomed as the real challenger in front of the stand. Atkinson was asking Hysterical for his best, however, and he was racing fastest of all at the end. The finish was close, but the print had the two locked together on the wire. Also charging down the outside was Tragic Ending. He moved up from seventh place at the head of the stretch to earn the show award before Side Arm as the latter tired. Eighteen horses were originally named to the race, but scratches in the morning and before the feature went to the post reduced the field to 12 starters. The Sullivan entry received considerable support because of Air Masters Maryland form, but Transfigure did the running for the Texas stable. While the net purse was ,930, the dead heat added the ,000 second money to the net, and each stable received ,965. The victory was the first of the year for Sir Jeffrey, who finished second to Marriage in the Grey Lag Handicap at Jamaica in his last start. Hysterical was making his first appearance under colors since the Hollywood Park meeting last July.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1940s/drf1942051801/drf1942051801_36_2
Local Identifier: drf1942051801_36_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800