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Thunder Bits Graduates In Debut at River Downs Completes Daily Double Worth 29.60 for With Sweet Grace By W. A. CRUSE Staff Correspondent RIVER DOWNS, Cincinnati, Ohio, June 23. A rather cloudy ahd humid afternoon was supplied for the upward of 5;000 fans on hand for todays program. The fans, however, did not seem to be affected in any way and were enthusiastic in their acclaim of the winners. In the opener, first half of the Daily Double, Sylvia Urens Sweet Grace and jockey Forrest Kaelin were victorious. The visit to the charmed circle was the second of the year, and the first of this meeting, for the seven-year-old Seven Hearts mare. Jockey Howard Craig, currently the leading rider at the meeting, was aboard a first-time starter in the form of Leslie Halls Thunder Bits in the second race and the combination was a formidable one from the outset. Though the Silver Bull gelding had done little and was quoted in the morning -line .at 20 to 1, his victory under Craigs excellent handling was an impressive one. He negotiated the six furlongs in 1:12, a fifth of a second faster than the time for the first winner to travel the same distance, and after being backed down strongly, returned his supporters a 6.80 mutuel. The Daily Double, as a result of the top two winners, was worth 29.60 as a 4-11 combination. - Wallace Strongs Steak Bone and jockey Jack Kurtz celebrated their second consecutive victory as a duo in the third affair. The seven-year-old Bull Dog gelding was sent the six panels in 1:11 and at the end of the dash had a half a length on Donald Schmidts Speed Wrinkle, who had set the pace most of the way, with Craig up. Third in the eight-horse field and another length back was Lloyd Dorsey and Gerry Mecklings Ruse, who was third choice in the betting. Miss Meckling is one of the few women trainers in the country and makQs her home in Wheeling, W. Va. Steak Bone, as the favorite in the betting, returned an even .00 mutuel.
