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Rock Cottage Gains NarrowTriumph Stars Shine Drops Decision by Nose Rider on Runner-Up Forced To Take Up Three Times in Monmouth Allowance Event By WILLIAM C. PHILLIPS Staff Correspondent MONMOUTH PARK, Oceanport, N. J., June 29. Thorncliff Farms Rock Cottage smoothly raced around horses in the stretch drive and tenaciously held on to gain the nod over A. Rothausers Stars Shine in the sixth race here this afternoon, which found Brookmeade Stables favored War Command weakening under a prohibitive 122-pound impost and finishing another two lengths behind. Treplow Stables Little Herman figured in the thrilling stretch duel into the late stages, and was only a head margin out of the money. Today was the fourteenth afternoon of racing during the current meeting, and for the first time the crowd fell below the attendance on the corresponding day last year. The tally was 12,550, almost 1,000 off, with customers being discouraged by a combination of threatening, overcast skies and a mediocre racing program from which they were able to select only one winning favorite through the feature. Stars Shine Probably Best Despite the compactness of the field, with only six sophomore colts competing, ill luck dogged Stars Shine, who probably was the best. While jockey Harrison Wilson found clear sailing with Rock Cottage racing around horses, apprentice Roger Le-Blanc had to take back three separate times during the running. J. S. Kroeses Devils Verse, the lone stakes winner of the group, War Command and Little Herman raced abreast shuffling about in quest of the pace honors. Entering the first turn LeBlanc was forced to ease back from this trio, but obtained a good position on the rail in front of Rock Cottage and Bernadotte Stables Movie. War Command skipped clear of his two rivals nearing the half-mile pole, and both Stars Shine and Rock Cottage began to move forwardly. The former was outrunning the ultimate winner when he ran into a pocket on the final turn, and had no place to go until LeBlanc steered him out from the rail and through a precariously narrow passage midway the stretch. It appeared that Stars Shine might then take the laurels, but Wilson had a reserve in Rock Cottage that was brought out when he swung his whip into play. Rock Cottage, standing up to a hard local campaign of four races in a span of 13 days, was winning his first event of the year, while he tallied four times last season. Light shovers last night and early this morning failed to dull the racing strip and he ran the mile and a sixteenth of the feature in a passable 1:48.
