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Side Saddle Wins in Blanket Finish Has Neck Margin Over Handicapper Hoplite Trails Runner-up By Nose in Thrilling Test Over Turf Course at Laurel By HUGH J. McGUIRE LAUREL, Md., May 4.— In a tight finish between the first three horses, Henry H. Hechts Side Saddle gained a neck verdict over Handicapper, from the Llangollen Farm of Mrs. Richard Lunn while just a nose away Hoplite was third for Mrs. Pris-cella M. Fx-ierson at the end of the featured seventh race here at "about" a mile and a sixteenth over the grass course. The winner traversed the distance, which is 50 f eefc short of the standard route, in 1:42% to establish a new track mark as she clipped three-fifths of a second from the time set April 30 by Old Glendale. The race was witnessed by 10,769 patrons who saw the sport under clear and warm conditions. Nick Shuk rode the winner, a six-year-old daughter of Holdall— Pompe Bonne and who is at her best over turf although her activities are not confined to that footing. This was her fourth win this year in seven starts. She was installed second choice to Parlor Pink, who had trimmed her in their recent turf engagement here but who could do no better than fourth today. The victory astride Side Saddle was the second of the afternoon for jockey Shuk, who had ridden Ira Hanfords Two David in the third race. High Claiming Bracket -The headliner was fashioned for claim-ers in a bracket from 0,000 to ,000 and Side Saddle carried the lower figure. She was the only member of her sex among the 10 contestants and when the start came she was unable to match the speed of the early leaders. It was Handicapper who was fastest away and had sufficient speed to take a clear lead almost at once. Racing before Doreens Play and I Oreo the leaders moved down the back-stretch and -to the far turn. Here the pair chasing Handicapper began to show signs of weariness and Oreo dropped out of ifc while Hoplite supplanted Doreens Play in the runner-up position. Entering the stretch Handicapper swung wide and Hoplite swept through on the inside to reach equal terms with the Llangollen representative. Meanwhile, Side Saddle had gradually improved her position and when entering the home lane she drove around the outside and quickly joined the closely aligned leaders. In the resultant drive Side Saddle was able to inch away under pressure while Handicapper and Hoplite remained virtually deadlocked to the end.
