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* Assault Gains Neck Score in Grey Lag Gets Up in Powerful Drive To Nip Lets Dance; Stymie Fourth in Jamaica Fixture JAMAICA, L. I., N. Y., May 3.— King Ranchs Assault survived everything but assault and battery and then drove on to win the 0,000 Grey Lag Handicap to the resounding cheers of a throng of 36,718 who peered through the Jamaica haze to see him charge through the stretch to beat Sunshine Stables Lets Dance by a neck. Green-tree Stables Coincidence finished only a neck farther back and two lengths before Mrs. Ethel D. Jacobs Stymie, who just couldnt run with the son of Bold Venture in the stretch. A solid choice, Assault paid .50 and added 2,325 to previous earnings of 41,445 and leaving him only about 8,000 behind Calumet Farms Whirlaway in the worlds money winning standings. While the official time was a respectable 1:49%, four veteran dockers caught Assault in l:49ys, just two-fifths faster than the track record. The Jamaica strip was officially fast, but undeniably dead, making this a very "big" race for all three of the first horses under the wire. Several other outside dockers agreed with the official timing, but the fractions of :23, :47, 1:11% and 1:36% make it clear that this was at least one of the fastest races ever run at Jamaica. Incidentally, Assault was carrying a pound more than Stymie had up when he tied the mark last year, 13 more than Mad Play carried in setting the record in 1924 and nine pounds more than First Fiddle had to pack. Does It Hard Way Wnile Warren Mehrtens got the job done, he certainly went about it the hard way. Also it should be said in Mehrtens behalf that Assault is not the easiest horse in the world to ride when the orders call for rating him, as it is understood they did today. As generally expected, Windfields went to the front at the start of the Grey Lag, cutting out a first quarter in :23, while Assault dropped back along the inside rail. As the field of eighth rounded the clubhouse turn, Windfields was leading Lets Dance by three lengths, with Brown Mogul, Coincidence, Calvados, Assault, Stymie and Bright Sword following. Assault soon Continued on Page Three Assault Outgames Lets Dance By Neck Margin in Grey Lag Continued from Page One dropped back of Stymie and at one stage on the backstretch was actually last. Mehrtens and Basil James, who was on Stymie, began to move at the same time, nearing the far turn, with Assault saving ground along the rail and quickly coming into contention. About the same time, Calvados, according to Basil James, reached over and tried to savage Stymie as he went past, endeavoring to bite his neck, which recently suffered a boil. As Windfields began to shorten stride nearing the stretch curve, Coincidence and Lets Dance went to the front, with the Greentree gelding saving ground along the rail. Mehrtens took Assault away from the rail, and as he started to go past Lets Dance, that gelding came out, carrying him wide and knocking him off stride. Lets Dance went on to put Coincidence away and appeared a sure winner at the eighth pole, but Assault came on again valiantly, catching Lets Dance inside the sixteenth pole and quickly putting him away. Coincidence, who had saved several lengths, held on well. Stymie had his entire run on the outside and was undoubtedly hampered by Calvados tactics, but gained no ground in the final run. This edition of the Grey Lag, which was won by Stymie last year, was not officially the fastest, as Stymie was clocked in 1:49% last year and First Fiddle equaled the Jamaica mile and a furlong mark in this race in 1944. Of the others, Windfields stopped badly, finishing fifth, before Calvados, Brown Mogul and Bright Sword. None had any apparent excuse and only Windfields had any speed. W. L. Branns Gallorette was scratched in the morning.
