The San Francisco call., 1896-11-18
CLOSE FINISHES
At OAKLA AND
The Luck Still Follows in
the Wake of the
Favorites.
Little Cripple Hard Ridden to
Beat IS to Out.
slider, Coda.
Shield Bearer Liked the Heavy Going.
Torsina Beat the Favorite, Sir
Play, in Gal op.

1t is not very tempting to the owner OF
a good handicap horse to see boys gather
ing up stones in buckets between races,
yet that was the sight presented at Oak
land track yesterday. The top dressing OF
dark loan put on the new course seems to
be full of small stones, and the gallopers
are continually raising them to the sur
face. Already it is said one or two horses
have been famed by stepping on them,
and this in part no doubt accounts for the
scarcity OF good horses starting.
The weather IN the afternoon was clear
and cool; and although the track was
slow, the finishes in nearly every instance
were close and exciting. The favorites
found the road rough and rocky, for but
two returned with the coin.
The brown colt Infiammator, who seems
to have struck a winning clip, repaid his
hackers well by beating the even money
choice Principle out nose at odds of II
to1
1t was only by the narrowest of margins
that Little Cripple, heavily supported at
evens, took the mile selling affair. Coda,
Is to l shot, made all the running, and,
hanging on stubbornly, was Just nosed
out on the wire by the favorite, on which
Bob Isom was compelled to do some very
tall hustling. Navy Blue was third. The
start was a very poor one BombaZette and
Seaside being turned sideways when the
barrier flew up.
Frank Phillips mud-runner. Shield
Bearer, carried the bulk of the coin bet on
the eight starters IN the six-furlong run
that followed, and, leading from the Jump,
reached the wire neck before the l5 10
outsider, Flashlight, we'll ridden by
AL Shaw. Doubtful, backed from Is and
20 to down to 8, was a poor third.
The big bettors were badly dumped over
IL q
Sir Play was backed for big bundles of
wealth to win, and at one time his chances
looked most favorable. Racing away in
the lead with Johnny McHale The second
choice, he shook him off in the stretch
only to be passed by Torsina and beaten
out with ease. Johnny McHale hung on
gamely, finishing but nose further away.
The Burns and Waterhouse entry Midlo
was prohibitive 2 to chance for the con-
Guiding six-furlong run, and cut a very
sorry figure. Hymn, the second choice,
made runaway race OF it, Jogging in the
handiest of winners from Ricardo. The
favorite was distant third.
Following are to-day's entries:
First race eleven-sixteenths of mile, two
Ezekiel 1Ol, 103 Billy ce 49, 1O4 Tempes-
tuous ITO. 104 celeste 103 z Viking ITO, Ri
enzi 113, IA Jerilderio no. Destra ITO.
Second race, three-qnarters of d mile, sell.
ing-67 Perhaps 93. 81 Candor 103, SO Mon
terey SO, 1o2 Gold Boy 93 80 Mt Roy SO, 1O2
Edgem1unt SO, "a Premata 10Y, 50 Hazel q
SO, 102 Sylvia SO, 1O6 Doub.e Quick So
Third race, three-ouarters of mile, selling
6 Captain C ster 101, 95 Tampa 102 1OI Ma
jor Cook 104, 106 Howard 10Y, 96 Benamela
107, LOG Hueneme 106, 80 MoyIan los, LOG
Palomacita 80.
Fourth race, one and six teenth miles, hand
icap-92 Teaacity 80, Thornhin 100, IO5
strathmeath 100, Q5) Peter II 95, Semper
Lex 100, Q05) Kamsin 103.
Fifth race. one mile. selling-Fred Gard.
ner 1906 Sunrise II SO. (S0) Marjorie &c. 1O5
Salisbury II SO, SS Arno los, los Red Glenn
102, 105 Belle Boyd 80.