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Phoenicia Takes Stagehand Purse McKnight Filly Is In Hand at Finish Hits Wire Three and Half Lengths Before Mirthmaker; Favored Curtain Time Last By FRED GALLANT Staff Correspondent GARDEN STATE PARK, Camden, N. J., May 28. All George Hettinger had to do in the final sixteenth was shake his whip alongside of J. L. McKnights Phoenicia, as the filly scored by three and a half lengths in handy fashion over F. A. Piarullis Mirthmaker. Phoenicia was on top from the start and only had to dispose of In-anabout before she rolled on to win. In third place, a length back of the runner-up, came Mrs. S. G. Stecklers Fighting Mad in the field of eight contesting the Stagehand Purse, one of the better events on the, card. Since this was Jimmy Stout day, all. of the races except the seventh which was named for the jockey, were entitled for one of the famous horses Stout rode to stake victory. Well regarded in the betting, Phoenicia returned .40 after covering the six furlongs in 1:12. This was the first victory of the year for the four-year-old filly by The Phoenix Sherwood Lass in four starts. She was beaten only a head in her previous outing here, but there was no catching her this afternoon. Crowd Numbers 18,093 Muggy weather was the order of the day for the throng of 18,093 patrons who turned out for the card and in the Stagehand they were disappointed no end when the favored Curtain Time ran out of the money. Phoenicia and Inanabcut were away in the first flight in the Stagehand, while Curtain Time, Fighting Mad and Remembrance "made up the next group, followed by Mr. Boots, Easter Morn and Mirthmaker. Easter -Morn was away slowly and a couple of lengths out of it, but was rushed up to pass the last couple of horses and then dropped out of it in the stretch. Phoenicia put Inanabout away without, too "much effort and was leading by a couple of lengths coming into the stretch. Mirthmaker, gradually working his way up from the ruck, charged down on the outside but there was no need for the backers of Phoenicia to, worry as she continued on under mild urging. Curtain Time was forced back when Fighting Mad came out and had to be taken up, eventually winding up last. Fighting Mad got up to be third over In-janabout, who tired from her efforts to catch the front-running Phoenicia. Young Bobby Stevensoh, a double-bug rider who has been riding in good form here this spring, received a genuine scare in the stretch while astride favored Big Keis in the fourth today and nearly suffered serious injury. The boy saw an opening on the rail as he made his move on the home highway and went for it, but Big Keis ran up on the heels of the stopping Moorea, stumbled and Stevenson, flying, was thrown over to the left side of the gelding and held on to his mount. Had he been thrown, he would have been in the path of three other horses coming up behind him. Big Keis dropped to seventh place after the mishap.
