New-York tribune., 1903-05-17
WITHERS FOR SH0RTH0SE
WALTER CLE4RH VIM.
IkeIa, Wisard, IshLana and Lake
Wdrd Get FnstS.

limb rive rronise Of a career worthy the
which cluster around this rare old CLASSIC 0i '-'
American turf -,
u s,s -,,ofsrs and in its quality. the throng
-z-hsoh saw its thirtieth renewal was-nnco"
sciously perhaps. but none the less sig 80,
q tribute to the memory OF that me otN -,
sportsuuan who founded the stake ana Sllei - 80
81 IS nsued The half holiday attehoai0e q
zvesscbester racing inclosure, as matter OF a.
seems to be arranged on some sort OF an an .
cal progression scheme, and basing an esN
Of future patronage on the crowos "hi0i i- ~
,,oclsa 10 the park on the last two Saturdays -
g g little hazardous to guess what the sIaiiu
sum total would be should the present llee' 20
.tnue 3 few weeks instead Of few days longer
The notiIla Of automobiles drawn up on the lawn
20 the left Of the clubhouse yesterday approx
mated something like three hundred, exclusive OF
those hard sheIed land navigating monsters
licensed under the name OF electric hansoms- Mheh
It Is remembered that even in these opuIent Gays
.os GOOD hurnored favorites and astute hanolcap-
1ers majority of the enthusiasts reach the track
y other means than horseess vehicles. some notion
may be had the numerical strength OF the multi
fade yesterday.
II went home poorer and possibly little wiser
shan IL came but 1t had afternoon OF keen Sport
and the breezes which came across the great cooI
stretches Of green were fragrant with a perfume
which is not distilled In cobblestone precincts
Aside from the Withers the programme contained
TWO other stake races Of Importance TO owners II
not the pubc-the Fashion, for two-year-old miles,
Gown the last four and a half furlOngs OF the
Eclipse Course. and the International Handicap
ssteeplechase Of two miles through the field the
fact that only three horses in field that was oan-
erousIy large came to grief at the fences is. after
rs narrowing spectacle Of PROSTATE jockeys and
rsoe-less horses which steeplechasing so lar thls
srrfnr has afforded source Of congratuIanon.
A., was to be expected, the number Of candidates
who accepted the conditions imposed by the WIN
srs was comparatively small Owners and trainers
are naturally reluctant about sending three-year-
.olds TO the post in contest IN which on4y race
horses Of class and condition can hope TO nave a
shance There were originally l52 entries, which,
with the s25 added by the association. made the
value of yesterdays renewal 1856 The programme
Included the names Of August Belmonts Mizzen' by
5Iast;rgs-Donna Mia, winner OF last year ;
Juvenile Eclipse and National Stallion STAKES;
Perry Belmont's Pirate Of Penzance coIt RIVER
Pirate; Alfred FeatheTstone's brown colt MesIner'
n, AIre-t-FIoodoo: David Gideon's bay Sovereign.
she three-year-old Of His Highness; the Cough
acres Stables brown colt Shorthose' by AtheIhg'
FoxhaI P Keenes St DeonaTds colt ln1unctlon'
r. T Wilson'S Mexican. by Mirthful-Llandrinso.
and P J. Dvgyer's Merry Acrobat, by Handspring
Merry Thought.
NJ Dwyer was the first 10 change his MIND. ana
shortly afterward Mizzens name %as added TO
the list of non-starters. The withdrawal OF these
two however. not materially simplify the prop
lem which the students had to solve, and the ex-
'rpression on the faces Of those who journeyed to
The paddock just before the bugle sounded was one
OF perpiexity and uncertainty Of the five canoi-
left iu all seemed dangerous ana COuO
he eliminated with impunity- As all of them were
colts there was no added vexation Of weight carry
sng conundrums. All OF them shared alike WIN
sS pounds up
River Pirate the students decided finally. was
she class Of the race and. although Hicks. who was
70 ride him was not looked materially i'm
s7royfng the colts chances, he was made faVor1te
tn the market at 2 TO 5 and z TO 10 1t was gen
orally conceded that the horse that beat Injunction
would win, and the St. Leonards colt was backed
from fours to tvvos and received generous support
Tor place at a short price. OF the Others Mesmer
was least liked and the market closed with 40 10
offered against his chances The report that Mex
lean had bled after galloping mile last Thursday
in 1;42 undoubtedly had its effect upon the quota
1ions and although he Won good race over the
Withers mile earlier in the week. his price receded
and closed at 10 and to 3
Although Sovereign had displayed some evidence
Of speed and courage, and had twice carried David
Cideons colors home in front within the last two
weeks his performances had both been down the hill
OF the Eclipse Course and there was natural
Inisgiving as to his ability to go the mile He
closed at s and 3 TO / As high to l and TO
could be had against Shorthose and that in the
Of a rafting good race only few days ago. Little
Hack rode the AtheIing colt, and he handled him
with nice Judgment and patience.
The horses were the post only long enough for
Mr Fitzgerald TO get them Strengthened out, and
when the barrier released IL was difficult to
say which had the advantage OF the start Martin
hurried Mexican cut at once or, rather. he gave
that freegoing colt his head. and he did the rest
fn a buoyant spirit Mesmer kept him company
through the backstretc4l. with Shorthose and In
junction rating along together River Pirate at
that particular stage was within reach OF the lead
ers and only Sovereign seemed already beaten
he was running with good grace, and all
O6orn's tact and skill required TO keep his
mount from incontineDtly chucking it up then and
there
When the field appeared at the top OF the i.A
the horses were nicely grouped that any of
the four separate and vociferous predictions which
grandstand hurled across the lawn seemed
possible Of fulflment- The sixteenth, how
ever a decided change Mexican begin
ming TO stop; River Pirate had gone wide at the
turn and was in obvious distress. Shorthose had
put three lengths between himself and Injunction,
end his white striped countenance was noddng
down the stretch past his weary opponents a
fashion that eminently pleasing his sup
porters.
It may be that Mr.. Wilson's colt heard the shout
that up when Shorthose thrust his bazed face
ahead Of the aristOcratic OF his neighbor; a
eny rate he surrendered, and the big aashy fellow
who in the purple and black Of the Goughacres
Stable and who had plenty Of up his
sleeve, apparently, kept on. and easily from
Mexican. Injunction closed with that tantalizing
burst OF speed which generally is timed fraction
Of a second late. and finished third The ia
Vorite. ''au In fourth. Sovereign never i'm
proved his position. and finished a bad last
Possibly the most complacent individual after the
running Of the Withers Mr.. Presgrave, who
placed s. 900 on Shorthose straight and $500 place
With the bay gelding Walter Cieary Mr.. Colt
scored his third straight victory the jumps.
Mara, undoubtedly the best steeplechase rider in
the country, rode the Colt candidate and that he
home practically sn alone was in great
measure due his skill At one jump the gelding
made q desperate attempt TO out, and probably
would have succeeded with any other jockey riding
him.
Judge Philips. the favorite was ahead when ne
went down az the next the last jump Until
horses that turned turtle Plohn and Eophone