Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-04
THRILLING FINISHES MARK
GRAND PRIZE SEMI-FINALS
Kramer, Gouet and Spears Fight Their
Way Into Final Heat After Desperate
Battles with Opponents.

desperately ridden Seml-hnalS at the
Nelodrome last night these riders won
their heats, which placed them in the
last leg of the race in which $3.50 in
prize money is at stake.
Never in the history of the Velo-
drome, or any track in the world for
that matter, was ever witnessed such
racing. The old saying that big
money makes big races and good
competition" was never better illus
trated. Not only was the competition
IN the big derby of the most des-
perate order, the disappointment
Stakes, for the riders shut out in
the grand prize, was equally as keen,
and all of the finishes, with one eX-
ception, were remarkably close, so
close that there was doubt about a.
most every decision.
A large crowd witnessed the races
and there were hundreds who were
unable to reach the Nelodrome owing
TO the car service, which was very
bad. Those who failed to reach the
track missed the best racing in the
history of the Velodrome. While the
occasion needed nothing more than
the spectacular racing to enliven
things the 800 Star newsboys who
occupied a section of the bleachers
is the guests of the promoters, Great
ed a din that rivaled a college foot
ball game.
As was predicted in the Evening
Star the semi-finals might be won by
any three of the nine starters, and
this prediction proved very true, for
only one of the three favorites came
through to victory. Kramer was
picked as the likely winner in the
first heat, and he won after a Won
derful sprint, but in the second semi
final, Worlds Champion Walter Rutt,
the favorite, was defeated by both
Bob Spears and Frank Cavanagh, and
Jackie Clark, who was looked upon
as having the best chance in the
third semi-final, was defeated by Aft
Goullet. Cavanagh won the third
heat of the disappointment Stakes
from Clark, and Rutt defeated Gren-
da by the Veritable eyelash in the
second heat of this race. There was
considerable dissatisfaction among
the fans when the judges gave the
heat to Rutt. Rutt then went out
and won the final from Cavanagh and
Fogler.
Kramer Himself Again.
Champion Kramer rode a master
full race in the first semi-final of the
Grand Prize, and won after he was
apparently in a hopeless position. Al
thHrbel Kramer was in third posi-
Ion, with Fogler and Grenda racing
at top speed in front, and to those
who have witnessed the champions
races for the past three weeks felt
certain that the Yankee was going to
be beaten. But Kramer was the kra-
mer of old, and from a position two
lengths to the bad going out of the
homestretch on the bell lap, he sailed
up and. around Grenda and Fogler,
and was a winner in the fastest
sprint, of the evening. The time for
the eighth was II AS seconds, but as
Kramer was a full two lengths away
from Grenda, the leader at the
eighth pole, the champions time must
have been close to IL 20 seconds.
Grenda rode a splendid race, but
Kramer was simply invincible. At
the start there was considerable
jockeying which was continued at
intervals right up to the start of the
sprint, and Grenda and Fogler used
every artifice to place the champion
in a bad position, which they finally
succeeded in doing, but which did
not bring about the desired result,
Cavanagh Fastest in Second Semi-Finai.
The surprise of the evening came
in the second semi-final, in which
Rutt was figured a pretty certain
winner by the crowd. CaVanagh and
Spears feared the Big Dutchman;"
that was plainly evident, and they
Unanswered in such a way as to lead
to the suspicion that they were team
ing against him. Three different
times Rutt had the premier position,
only to lose it again. Rutt tried re-
peatedly to separate CaVanaSn ana
Spears by getting the position be-
tween them, but this he was unable
to do Two laps from the finish Rutt
was leading, with Cavanagh on his
wheel and Spears following Cavan-
agh. On the backstretch. at lap
and a half to go, Rutt was riding
about midway up the track, and Cav
anagh shot down on the POLE. with
Spears following, as though he was
a part of Cavanagh's machine, Rutt
Z tried to butt Spears off, but the lat
ter met his attack, and Rutt was
\ forced to drop in third position.
4 When Cavanagh looked around and
y saw where the worlds champion was
placed he tore for home, and Rutt
chances faded at once. AT the bell
Rutt made an effort to come up on
1.-THE outside, but quickly dropped back
lin the protecting wake of Spears. ON
lentering the final turn Spears came
but and in a desperate finish just
dipped the local giant at the tape,
Cavanagh was easily the fastest man
a the heat, and had he been riding
'e- Frank Cavanagh. instead of Bob
bears, he would have been in the
s4tinal, and with a chance to win $l0oO.
\ Cavanagh had more speed last night
\ than he probably realized. The heats
n and final of the disappointment
IN Stakes" proved that he was speed
& lmaryet Manager Floyd MacFarland
3warned Cavanagh not to team, and
Mtold him that his chances were as
Wgood as any man in the Grand Prize