New-York tribune., 1908-09-20
DUEL OF TURF GIANTS
RACE WON BY Il NOD.
Far Play Beats King James IN
Fast, Brilliant Struggle.

August Belmont's Fair Play beat s. g Hildreths S
King James short head in the First Special OF
$500 Gravesend- yesterday. after b'ood-tins-
ling drive through the half mile that brought
the big crowd to it's and set nine out of every
ten persons present shouting and cheering III tie
widest enthusiasm no this year has aroused
greater show of interest, and no race thls year
was more deserving of the plaudits of the crowd.
as it of the greatest struggles IN the HIS
tory of the American turf.
1t was not only OF the best races ever run
from a spectacular point of view, but it was one
of the fastest ever decided at mile ana a
quarter Fair Play took up 10 pounds to 1ls for
King James and clipped full second off the track
record of 2:Oi 20 made by Dandelion last year. by
running the distance in 2G3 20 which was WITHIN
three-fftEs of second of the worlds record Oh
2O2 4-5 made by Broomstick, with io5 pounds up
when he beat Irish Lad a head in the history
making Brighton Handicap Of 1901.
Fair Play earned the glory of the race and the
81 400 which went to the winner but King James
earned equal honor. and it may be said that ooth
of the good three-year-olds deserve promiheh'
place in the thoroughbred Hall of Fame Consid-
ering. the weight carried the time of the race ana
the manner of its running, no better race mas ever
been run In this country Fair Play, which was
beaten a neck by the unbeaten Colin in the Bel
mont Stakes ran second to Celt in the Brooklyn
Handicap third to Ballot in the SUBURBAN. ana
then won the rich coney Island Jockey Cluo STAKES
and the historic Realization. has proved his Glass;
NNNSN''A''
any other year would have been hailed as cham
pion of champions King James. too, has proved
himself colt far above the ordinary althoush
his victory in the Annual Champion Stakes on the
last Saturday at Sheepshead Bay was his only I'M
portant this year.
Jack Joyner scratched August Belmonts unbeat-
en- Prisciian yesterday and pinned his faith 10 ar
PLAY The other starters were King James. Master
Robert-which with his pull in the weight ap-
peared to be about equal favoTite with Far Pay
with those who had opinion to express-aho
Dandelion From the far turn home Master Robert
and Dandeon practically overlooked In the
wonderful duel which began at that point between
Fair Play and King James, for they fought II out
head and and stride for stride TO the last jump
where f. Dugan riding one of his strongest nm
isbes. managed to get Fair Play home In front by
the width of a hand.
King James had perhaps, the most to DO IN 'he
race as he was called upon TO share the brunt OF
the pacemakng with Dandelion and race the Iight-
" weighted son of Hamburg into submission That
done he had breathing space. for FAR flay'
which had been cleverly rated by f. Dugan, gave
immediate battle. King James ran gamely and
tr,e and gave of his best but Fair Play matched
hin, in courage stamina and speed. to his lasting
credit.
The fractional times of the race show that there
was no loafng at any part and add to the br1lancy
of the performance King James raced to the half
in O:4S 20 turned the six furlongs in 1:13, was
ioned at the mile by Fair Play in 1:3s reached the
mile and a furlong. head and head with his con-
Gueror in Isl 10. and beaten head on the
post for the mile and quarter in 2:03 2-5.
James Rowe's Suffra gette took up 122 pounds and
won the. Junior Champion Handicap of s3 900 in the
fast time of 09 for the short six furlongs. 1t
a brilliant performance. and Jimmy Rowe, who
bought her out of the Keene dispersal sale a week
ago for $500. has now more than won her out, as
she galloped home in the Willow Handicap on
Wednesday. She raced right to the front yester-
day with such burst of speed that she had ner
field reeing and dizzy behind her in the first quar-
ter Mediant being the only one which could keep
within striking distance. FitzHerbert might have
given her race. but he was badly interfered with
in the first sixteenth and lost any chance he might
have had of winning.
The Hitchcock Steepechase furnished pretty
struggle Thistledale beating Sanctus a scant half
length in hard drive and making new track
record of 443 for the full Fifteen lengths
back Bayonet beat Coligny head in another pretty
drive for third money.
The other winners were Westbury, Bad News and
Walfower and 1t may be said in passing that
while there nothing but oral betting at the
track. six quoted favorites won. It gray day.
or. better. smoky day and altogether too hot and
sticky to be comfortable but the biggest crowd of
the meeting was in attendance ard more interest
and enthusiasm than at any time since the passage
of the Agnew-Hart law.
Much amusement caused during the steeple-
chase when the horse hitched to the runabout of
race when the field went by him on the backstretch
and tried 10 join the fray Mr. Hall spilled
out, and the horse went careering around the in
field. There distinct element of danger with
possibility of his racing across the course but
stable hands shooed him about and kept him in the
centre of the field until the race
GRAvEsEND RACING SUMMARIES.
Weather clear. Track fast.
prices quoted by professional handicapper)