view raw text
Longfellow to Thasian Hero, Euclid - V Score in Divided Monmouth Stake Former .Leads Throughout in First Half in Which Closed * Door Is Awarded Place Spot By FRED GALIANI MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 24. — John L. McKnights Cinderella horse, Thasian Hero, who was claimed for 0,000 last month, entered the stakes winner class this afternoon in .the first division of the Longfellow Handicap and set a new track record in his effort. The gelded son of Attention, who scored decisively over the grass last week, triumphed by two lengths and covered the mile in 1:37%. It also marked the initial .stakes score for jockey Robert L. Stevenson. Second in the race name Craicrwnod Sta bles Palatian Appetite, who nosed out Jaclyn Stables Closed Door, but Joe Cul-mone on the latter, promptly lodged a claim of foul against Burr on Palatial Appetite. After examining films of the race, the stewards allowed the claim of interference in the stretch, reversing the original order of finish between the second and third horses. Mrs. E. H. Augustus Euclid upset the calculations in the second half of the turf stake, driving to the finish two lengths before Trio Stables Do Report, while Cain Hoy Stables odds-on Armageddon finished i third, a length farther back. Euclid was ! ridden by Nick Shuk and covered the mile in 1:38%, slower than Thasian Heros race in the first half. The winner, a gelded son of Fighting Rox— Margaret Reigh, paid 2.60 to his backers. Each Earns 2,800 Thasian Hero carried 112 pounds in his half and Euclid had one pound more to carry in his victory. The same number of horses competed in this end and the purse was likewise worth 2,800. Do Report set the early pace in this race until midway of-the backstretch, where Euclid took command, holding his lead to the finish. Mrs. Townsend B. Martin presented the trophy in this section of the Longfellow. Thasian Hero returned .80 and earned 2,800 net for McKnight, while trainer Bill Mitchell and winning jockey Stevenson accepted the Longfellow trophy from Mrs. Philip Iselin, wife of the treasurer of the Monmouth Park Jockey Club, on behalf of the owner. The crowd of .14,646 who turned out on a delightfully pleasant afternoon made Thasian Hero the choice and was well rewarded with a front-running victory. Since being claimed by McKnight, Thasian Hero won two allowance races and a claiming affair in five starts prior to today. Picador and Thasian Hero broke on top and the latter outran his rival to the turn and the pair of them drew out before their rivals. Kaster was third before Closed Door, while Palatial Appetite was far back. Thasian Hero and Picador continued to lead jdown the back side, while the rest of the field began to bunch up behind them, Palatial Appetite appearing -to be hemmed in repeatedly. As they swung around the turn, Thasian Hero drew away from Picador, while Kaster and Stella Aurata made a joint move together, coming into contention. Closed Door picked his way between horses and Good Shot made a menacing move on the rail. Coming into the stretch, Thasian Hero had drawn out to a wide lead and was home free, while Closed Door slipped between horses to be second and Palatial Appetite came flying on the outside. The latter came over when he was clear of the field and hit against Closed Door, whichij incident gave Culmone his grounds for foul. While the winner was home, Closed Door and Palatial Appetite fought it out to the wire, with the latter getting the nod in the camera, but not in the stewards room, being set back.
