view raw text
But Why Not Accounts For Firenze Home Two Lengths Before Allies Pal Conniver Finishes Third as King Ranch Mare Registers First Score in Two Years JAMAICA, L. I.. N. Y., May 5.— Jamaicas highly successful 30-day meeting came to a close this afternoon before a crowd of 23,348, with both wagering and attendance figures running ahead of last year. The grand finale was the second running of the 5,000 Firenze Handicap, in which King Ranchs But Why Not, the filly champion of 1947, came back to score her first victory in two seasons. The Blue Larkspur mare, racing without blinkers for the first time within memory, drove to the wire two lengths before S. D. Sidells Allies Pal, who led Harry LaMontagnes favored Conniver another half length. C. V. Whitneys Mother was a well-beaten fourth in the field of nine fillies and mares disputing the mile and a sixteenth. Dave Gorman rode But Why. Not, who was coupled with Scattered, and the entry returned 7.60. The time*for the Firenze was a respectable 1:44%, the third fastest of the meeting at the distance. Spats, Scattered, Paddleduck, Miss Disco and -Miss Request followed the placed horses in the Firenze, spaced out over a sixteenth of a mile. Trainer Max Hirsch said recently that But Why Not appeared to be afraid to extend herself since an injury suffered in the fall of 1947, as though anticipating trouble. It would seem that the absence of blinkers today enabled her to see that she was not in danger of bumping, for when Allies Pal, who was setting the pace, appeared to come over slightly nearing the far turn, But Why Not only hesitated for a stride or two, instead of pinning her ears back and stopping as she had in similar situations in the Correction and Gallant Fox Handicaps. Appears to Have Lost Weight Conniver, though apparently less nervous in the paddock than before last Wednesdays Correction, looked "tucked up," giving the impressfbn that she has lost considerable weight in recent weeks. Miss Request was first out of the gate as the start of the Firenze was effected directly in front of the grandstand, but Allies Pal quickly swept up on the outside, while But Why Not gave chase along the rail. Rounding the curve into the back-stretch Allies Pal was slightly before But Why Not, with Miss Disco a couple of lengths farther back, followed by Spats, Miss Request, Paddleduck, Scattered, Conniver and Mother, and none of them were out of contention. As Allies Pal added to her lead in the run to the far turn she appeared to intimidate But Why Not slightly as she eased over to the rail and the King Ranch mare switched her tail a time or two and hesitated in her stride. Miss Disco was almost two lengths behind, followed by Spats, while Conniver was moving up strongly on the outside, with Mother making her move at the same time. Allies Pal came into the stretch a length in the van and running strongly, but But Why Not was also in a running mood, though she again switched her tail, and charged up on the outside to put the leader away at the eighth pole and draw away steadily in the final furlong. Conniver finished strongly with her usual long stride and probably would have been second in another few yards. Mother attempted to match Connivers bid, but hung badly in the stretch. Spats and Miss Disco tired after showing early speed while Scattered, who was making her 1949 debut, undoubtedly benefited from the exercise. Miss Request, who was voted the three-year-old filly of the year after her 1948 campaign, again failed to show a trace of that form, while Paddleduck, who came from two good races, turned in a dull performance.
