Rock Pilot Leads throughout, Lasts by Nose at Hazel Park: My Night Out Flashes Late Rush to Just Miss; Better Goods Half Length to Rear, Daily Racing Form, 1957-05-31

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: 4 Rock Pilot Leads Throughout, Lasts by Nose at Hazel Park My Night Out Flashes Late Rush to Just Miss; Better Goods Half Length to Rear By BUD LYON HAZEL PARK, Mich., May 30. JB. and H. Stables Rock Pilot, a mild choice, with the 22,925 fans here this holiday afternoon, eked out a thrusting nose victory in the 0,000 Decoration Day Handicap at a mile and one-sixteenth. Place honors fell to D. H. Wells "Cinderella horse," My Night Out, with the former claimer finishing a half length before M. H. VanBergs Better Goods. Rock Pilot, owned by the Oak Forest, 111., partnership of J. W. Bums and Harold E. Holder, notched up his second stakes victory of the year and his third winning effort while picking up the ,200 winners portion of the purse. JThe five-year-old son of Petrose Pigalle led his opposition from flagfall to finish under the guiding hand of Ronnie Baldwin and, in an all-out drive, just lasted over the belated rush put on by the runner-up. Just That Close In fact, had the race been another five feet longer, the finish on the infield tote board would have been reversed. The winner negotiated the mile and one-sixteenth in 1:47 and rewarded his backers with a .60 win mutuel. In the co-featured Fledglings Purse H. J. Wises Abla-Jay registered a surprise victory in the four furlong dash for two-year-olds. K. Burkharts Lady Jonage finished in. the runner-up position three parts of a length away but still just a nose before T. A. Grissoms Grand Fiesta. Actually the race was a gift to the daughter of Double Jay-Ablamucha for she not only broke slowly, but encountered a wall of horses in front of her at the midway point of the turn but as luck would have it the leader and favorite, Queen Sal, attempted, to bolt to the outer rail on entering the stretch and gave Abla-Jay the required racing room. The filly immediately moved to the front under Jack Fiesel-mans handling to open a two-length lead at the eighth pole. From that point on it was a difficult task for the miss for she was forced to an all out drive to hold the runner-up safe at the end. Johnny Sellers had a rough trip with the choice for after breaking smartly from the gate he had Queen Sal on top and seemingly in full command of the situation when she suddenly started to the outside as the field commenced the swing into the front stretch. Three other members of the iield were eliminated by Queen Sals bolting for racing just on the outside of her at the time were Grand Fiesta, Helsa, who finished third and fourth, and Subah, who wound up eighth in the nine-horse field. Abla-Jay, in picking up the second purse of her short career, was all but overlooked in the wagering for after stepping the half mile in :49, she paid 3. There was a shocking spill in the fifth race when Adelhart and Goughs gray gelding Streaking dropped dead as the field Continued on Page Fifty-Six Rock Pilot Lasts by Nose AfterLeadingThroughout My Night Out Rallies in Late Stages; Better Goods Third Continued from Page One straightened for the run down the back-stretch. Streaking was well clear of opposition and was running next to last when he fell, apparently the victim of a heart attack. Jockey Hector Viera was tossed forward over his mounts head, rose for a brief second then sank back on the ground. The rider was removed to the Wrlliam Beaumont Hospital in nearby Birmingham. Following an examination by attending physicians Viera was found to have suffered nothing more than a severe shaking-up and bruising but was being held over for observation and complete X-ray examination. Bill Cox, steered his mount Maritza, away from the fallen boy and over the prostrate Streaking. The latter gave a few spasmodic jerks after he fell and expired almost immediately. The unfortunate horse was making his first start since last No- jvember. In 1956 lie won five races and seven the previous year.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1950s/drf1957053101/drf1957053101_1_3
Local Identifier: drf1957053101_1_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800