Big Attendance at Havana: Largest Crowd in History of Oriental Park Witnesses Racing, Daily Racing Form, 1917-12-26

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BIG ATTENDANCE AT HAVANA Largest Crowd in History of Oriental Park Witnesses Racing. Ocean Prince Wins Christmas Handicap President Men- ocal Among Patrons. Havana, Cuba, December 5. Todays attendance at Oriental Park was tlie largest in the history of raring in Cuba. Among the crowd were many notables of the island. President Menoeal and staff occupied the state box in the grandstand. Members of the first families of Havana society filled the other boxes. The American, English and Chinese consuls were also present. The Cuba-American Jockey Club provided a splendid program for the occasion. There were seven races on the card, with the Handicap de Navidad, a dash at three-quarters of a mile, and the Christmas Handicap at one mile and fifty yards as tlie attractions. The latter was the first stake race ever run at Oriental Park. It had ,200 added and the winners share amounted to ,320. There were five starters and M. J. Daly furnished the winner in Ocean Prince, which beat the favorite J. .7. Murdock, by a length and a half. .1, J. Murdock set a fast early pace and led to the homestretch, where Ocean Prince moved up on the outside and, passing him, moved away into an easy lead. Montresor finishing fast, was third. The- Denavidad Handicap run as tlie fifth race, was provided as an additional attraction to the stake feature and a well-matched band of young horses faced the starter in what was confidently expecfed to be one of the best races Of. the day. However, Marauder upset calculations by scoring in easy fashion after Bafferty tired from his early efforts in setting the pace. 3IG MARGINS FOR WINNERS.. The opening races failed to offer much in a racing way, easy victories resulting in both the first and second. G. 15. Foleys Hockaway captured the first after sprinting into a big lead on the far turn, which he maintained to the end. The second proved Just as easy for San Jon, which disposed of the pacemaker in the stretch and drcjv away through the last eighth. After witnessing these two uninteresting contests, the spectators were treated to a real racej when Victrola, ltrown Baby, Count Boris and Flecha Negra finished in the order named in the third after a hard fought struggle every inch of the way. Brown Baby led on the far turn, closely followed by Count Boris. However, the two leaders went wide in the stretch and Victrola, saving much ground, finished on the inside and was drawing Hoar at the end. The public picked Lantana to defeat Circulate in the fourth and the Dr. Leggo filly raced up to expectations, winning in easy fashion after Circulate tired after setting the pace to the half. Tito won his third straight victory of tlie meeting when he easily accounted for the closing dash of the afternoon. The Daly stable won two of the days races, the Christmas Handicap with Ocean Prince and the second race with San Jon. Jockey Ball rode both winners. There was much enthusiasm during the running of the races and with the tourist season about to begin, tlie racing from now on should be a big attraction. The track has shown vast improvement and the footing tomorrow should be fast.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1917122601/drf1917122601_1_2
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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800