New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-27
Hard Fought Finishes Thrill Big
Crowd at Rockaway Hunt
Clubs New Course at
HeWIett's Bay Park.
GUS HELMS GAME EFFORT
After Throwing Rider and Los.
ing Quarter of a Mile, Gold
crest Gelding Wins Chase
Under Mastery Ride
by Jimmy Parks.

sahd nVe hundred lovers or thoroughbred
racing, who took advantage of the bright,
| bracing weather of yesterday to help the
Rockaway Hunting Club open the anna
teur racing season at its new grounds at
| Hewletts Bay Park. A couple of acct
dents helped along the excitement, but
neither of them proved to be serious
The sensation of the day came in the
fifth race, the Rockaway Cup when Jim
my Parks piloted Gus Helm under the
! wire a winner by a scant half length after
the Goldcrest gelding had apparently not
| the slightest chance in the contest. Gus
Helm was easily the class OF the race
and would have won handily had It not
| been for Pantaloon, which fell at the
second jump. In trying to get his mount
| out Of the way of the fallen horse, Mr.
Parks slipped out Of the saddle. but
quickly remounted, the other horses in
the mean time having gone along in good
| fashion.
The race was q three and a half mile
affair over the jumps. and Mr.. Parks. al
though at least a quarter OF mile to the
bad, started after the bunch. Little by
little he gained. until a mile from home
he had made up more than half the dis
lance. l.. T. Martins Chester. ridden by
his owner. and r. J.. Fosters Silver Fox,
| Mr. Voss in the saddle. had been fighting
for the lead in a nip and tuck struggle.
Mr.. Parks called on Mr.. Dreer's game
| gelding. however to show what was in
| him, and when the stretch was reached
he had almost got on even terms with
| Silver Fox, the leader.
| Down the stretch they Numbered in one
| OF those ensational finishes which makes
mems blood tingle, and as they passed
the judges stand Gus Helm was a scant
half length in front of Silver Fox. Even
the judges joined in the applause which
greeted Mr. Parks when he dismounted.
for old racegoers said it was one of the
most remarkable contests which had been
run In years.
The opening race OF the day. the Gallo
way Handicap. came near ending disas-
| trously because Of an imperfection I'm the
| course. Undertook. ridden by Harry
Bell, and Petit Chevaux. with Philip
Stevenson, his owner. in the saddle went
down In heap a furlong from the wire.
A macadam road crosses the course at
loose grass, which was as slippery and
unstable as an ice covered street for the
horses.
Live Wire, which won the race, a half
mile scramble. was well in the lead when
this road was reached. Mr. Gatinss
mare slipped to her knees. however. but
quick work on the part OF Johnny
Tucker. who was in the saddle. kept her
from going over. Mr.. Bamberger's Pete
close behind. also stumbled, but Mr..
Bamberger managed to keep his geld
ing up.
Mr.. Bell, on Undertook. was not so
fortunate however. for Robert Kely's
speedy little gelding bumped into Pete
hard enough to go down and turn a COM
plets somersault, with Mr.. Bell right In
the middle of the mix-up. Mr.. Stevenson.
who was close behind. tried to take Petit
Chevaux out Of the way Of the fallen
Pete. but he was unsuccessful, and his
little mare went down, with Mr.. Steven
son underneath.
Mr.. Bell was badly shaken up. but be-
yond a broken finger was uninjured. Mr..
Stevenson. however. had the wind
knocked out OF him good and hard. He
minutes after the accident was uncon-
scious. When he came to physician
looked him over and said he hadn't
broken a bone, and beyond a shaking up
had sustained no injury.
Jack Cade, which ran second to Live
Wire, was a warm favorite at to ..
while Mr.. Gatinss geldng was quoted at
6 to /. The favorite ran In the colors OF
Rufus C. Finch. Of the Watching Hunt
Club, for the first time yesterday.
Richard Mortimer, Jr.. who came all
the way from Boston to ride his black
gelding Country Guy In the Cedarhurst
Cup the feature race Of the day. had the
satisfaction of carrying away the COW
eted trophy. although he was the only
gentleman rider in the contest. The race,
which is a fixture Of the Rockaway Club.
was over a brush course Of about two
miles, and to win 1t Mr.. Mortimer had to
beat out Practical, a Hastings gelding
and a full brother to the well known
Priscillian Country Guy is half
brother TO Shialeh. Mr.. Mortimer won
| by only a short neck I'm a driving finish.
A. j. Davis's Hampton Roads took the
lead at the start and held 1t by good
margin Ior the nrSL mile, Wnen ne
stopped. and Z. +. Whites Guatematzin
went to the front. The latter did not
stay there long. for Mr. Mortimer brought
Country Guy to the lead and held 1t BY
good margin until the turn into the
stretch, when Practical came along and
challenged.
| With their riders using whip and spur
furiously the two horses dashed down
| the stretch only heads apart. Nearing
the wire Country Guy made a final effort
and landed the cup for his owner by
short neck
| Mr.. Won Slade. who has just returned
| from abroad. gave an excellent exhibition
OF horsemanship in the Hewlett Park
handicap, when he cleverly plotted L.
Jacobs's Pail Mall to an easy victory
over Mr.. Mortmer's Tillie d.. her owner
riding There were only three horses in
the race, Tillie d. being a 3 to s favorite.
After going a mile Chancellor refused
and Pail Mall and Tillie d. had 1t out
between them. The latter led all the way
to the stretch, Mr. Van Slade racing Pail
Mall along behind. Once In the home
stretch. he called on Mr.. Jacobss geld
ing, and Pail Mall responded so well that