Mesmer Victor in Gloucester Under Fernandez Smooth Ride: Turns Back First Nighter By Four Lengths as Jockey Eases Gelding Near Finish, Daily Racing Form, 1949-05-03

article


view raw text

"I JOCKEY F. FERNANDEZ— Had three winning mounts yesterday at Suffolk Downs, including Mesmer in the feature. Mesmer Victor in Gloucester-Under Fernandez Smooth Ride Turns Back First Nighter ♦ By Four Lengths as Jockey Eases Gelding Near Finish SUFFOLK DOWNS, East Boston, Mass., May 2. — The combination of Honeywell Farms Mesmer and the veteran reinsman, Fernando Fernandez, worked smoothly in the mile and one-sixteenth Gloucester Purse, that served as the feature at Suffolk Downs, this afternoon. They tow-roped their five rivals which included the odds-on First Nighter from the locally-owned Cherry Oca Stable. Mesmers advantage at the end of the test was four lengths while being eased by his pilot. First Nighter closed gamely along the inside to take the runner-up position from the early pacemaker, W. A. Waters Sassys King. Mild weather, that followed a series of morning showers, lured a crowd of 13,332 to the East Boston plant for the afternoons sport. The rains of the morning left the racing strip dull and the 1:46% needed by Mesmer to cover the mile and one-sixteenth was considered acceptable over a track termed "good." Mesmer paid .20. Todays triumph in the Gloucester elevated the stock of the Honeywell gelding for Saturdays ,500 added Governors Handicap. First Nighter, who conceded three pounds to the winner today, also is an eligible for the week-end fixture and was by no means disgraced by todays defeat. Swerves Into Joe Olson The start of the Gloucester was accomplished very quickly once the thoroughbreds moved into line into the stalls but C. F. Herrmanns Joe Olsan swerved into First Pebble as they left the barrier. The Herrmann gelding was quickly straightened and set out after Sassys King, who was sent into the van by jockey Zehr. Skirting the inner rail around the initial turn, Sassys King increased his advantage to two lengths, with Joe Olsan and Mesmer running in second and third spots, respectively. Fernandez, astride Mesmer, was biding his time, as Joe Olsan took repeated bids at the leader, then nearing the half-mile marker, Mesmer moved to the inside of the runner-up. Saving much ground along the inside, Mesmer was taken to the outside of the pacemaker nearing the quarter pole and, without too much effort, streaked to the front to widen his margin as the rider pleased. When satisfied that victory was certain, Fernandez began easing the strawberry roan and was never in danger. First Nighter, who is a noted slow starter, was well ridden by W. M. Cook and kept under steady urging while skirting the inner rail during the final half mile. The only satisfaction his backers received, though, was the fact that he was much the best of the others in the Gloucester. Fernando Fernandez scored the first triple of the current meeting when he drove Anthony J. Ryans Ted Wes to a hard-earned victory over C. C. Boshamers Flare Durbar in the seventh race. Fernandez also accounted for the first race with Mrs. W. Thomassons Stan Tracy.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1940s/drf1949050301/drf1949050301_5_5
Local Identifier: drf1949050301_5_5
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800