New Britain herald., 1917-09-04
ST, FRISCO AGAIN
 BEATS MABEL TRASk
Geers Drives Celebrated 7rotting
 New Charter Oak Record
(BY J. J. NEENAN.)

(By J. J. NEENAN.)
 The Connecticut fair had a glorious and successful opening yesterday At { Charter Oak Park. It was stated that the association had s5,000 paid admissions. The fair is up to the standard and the immense crowd seemed to enjoy the grand circuit races, which consisted of three classeA. The feature event was the battle royal for free-for-all trotters for a purse of $2,500 and our horses answered tho bell. N The race was won in two straight heats by St. Frisco from the Geers stable. The field was made up of such cracks as Mabel Trask (2.03A) : from the Cox string, while Bud" Murray had the mount behind Al Mack (2:o5h). Tommy Murphy from Poughkeepsie was up behind the nine-year-old trotter Royal Mack. who recently trotted to a record of 2:06A.
 On the third score they got the word Murphy had Al Mack in the lead at the first quarter in 33A seconds. Cox had Mabel Trask at hiaS saddle, while Geers was on the out side of the track with St. Frisco. When Geers got his stallion headed l down the back stretch he took->the 1 field down to the half in 1:06, while 1 Cox had Mabel Trask trailing in be- hind The time from the half to tho three quarter was 30 seconds. a two- minute clip. Geers. hearing the hoof beats of the golden chestnut mare | growing louder and closer, knew that. l Mabel Trask was coming in com. manding style into the stretch drive. | Geers asked his great trotter far 1 more speed, and St. Frisco responde4 to the voice he heard from the matter i reinsman-it was the same voice th43 coached him in the racing game when he was a weanling, six years ago down in Sunny Tennessee" s
 It was a glorious drive down th& home stretch, not only by Geers but by Cox as well. The TraSk mara struggled hard to head the flying AtAl- lion, but the clip was too fast and about fifty yards from the wire Mabel Trask broke. The last quarter VIA trotted in 29A seconds, the last ha4 in 59A seconds. and the first heat of the battle royal went to St. FrdDc4, the champion racing stallion of tho world, in 2:03A.
 In the second heat Geers had thu 1 pole. He flashed at the quarter t4 31A seconds with Mabel TraAk and Royal Mack close up. He took them. down to the half in, 1:oS. St. Frisoe trotted the third auarted in 30 " clip too vigorous for Royal Mack an9 Al Mack. The admiration for MAbAA Trask as she tried to head the Frisco horse was immense, but Geers wal putting the question to that iion- hearted trotter and he came on to the 1 wire in a sensational burst of speed. trotting the last half of the heat in zoo fiat, the last quarter in 29A seo- onds. In this the final heat of the battle royal, St. Frisco lowered the trotting race record of the Charter Oak track. The record prior to hin mile in 2:os was 2:o4A. held by Ham burg Belle, when she won the Charter Oak stake September 2. 1908, when Billy Andrews drove her to that record. St. Frisco holds tho worlds trotting record 2:01A, nAdo last week at Poughkeepste.
 In the Whirlwind for :04 pAcerxat took five heats to decide tho winncg. The first two heats went to Ben Ali in 2:05A for each heat. Ben Ali is the largest money winning pacer on the grand circuit. He lost the third heat to Butt Hale in an eyelash finish in 2:04A, a new record for Butt Ha}a, who came back and won the fourth heat in 2:10h and repeated in the fifth heat in 2:06A., C
 The two heats necessary to win tho Acorn purse of $2,00o went to Bertha Mcclure in the three-ycar-old class for trotters. She won the race eAAy in two straight heats from Harvest Tide, and Mister Jones. in 2:12A and 2:13A.
 The summary: The Whirlw1nd, 2:o4 pace; three in
 i've; purse 91,200. sf Butt Hale. br. S., by Senator f
 Hale-Veta (Murphy ...2 1 1 Ben Ali, b. 6. by Wealth.
 Nellie By (Pittman) ...1 { Peter Pointer, blk. 8. (Snow)4 4 3 Z 2 The Savoy, blk. g. (Cox)
 Time, 2:05A, 2:o5A, 2:osN, 2:1oA, 2:06A.
 Battle Royal. free-for-all; two in
 three; purse $2,600.
 St. Frisco, b s. by San Francisco
 Clara Cantrill (Geers) ........1 1 Mabe Trask, ch. m. (Cox) .......2 2 Royal Mac, g. (Murphy ...s...5 ! Al Mack, b. s. (Murray) ........4 |
 Time. 2;o5A: 2:0s.
 The Acorn; threo-yeaS-old trot; two
 in three; pursc S2,o0O.
 ! HA~ ho foG kn hN