New-York tribune., 1921-06-03
Uneven Start
Gives Classic
To Xalapa Colt
Grey Lag, Odds-On Favorite.
Is Third After Field Is
Sent Away In Sections
By w. ]. Macbeth

BY w. j. Macbeth
Lecnsrdo II, che xslapa FARMS crack
.nree-yesr-old colt, won the forty
sixth running of the historic Withers
at mile at Belmont Park yesterday
ssternoon. The Redstone Stables
spartiag Blood finished second, tvo
lengths behind Leonardo II, while four
lengths back came the Rancocas
Stables Grey Lag, favorite for this
hest Of the metropolitan three-year-ola
slassics contested to date. Grey Lag
Best The Gfeentree Stables Touch Ne
Not by 9 length and half for the
consolation end of the purse.
It was not q truly run race. The
issue was decided at the start. All
os the competition was wiped off the
slate by one Of Starter Mars Cassidy's
most ignoels errors of judgment And
these errors are legion. Nothing of
real class in the field had chance TO
beat Leonardo II after the break. 1t
would have taken q 1920 Man o. War
70 overhaul this second choice, which
was of running a half dozen. lengths
in front of his most formidable com
petitors.
Leonardo II. which won the Hopeful
at Saratoga last year and which, un-
beaten himself as q two-year-old,
shared the two-year-old honors with
the ssbeaten Trysters; did ali that
thoroughbred could be asked to do in
The Withers. He took the track, held
tks race safe at all stages snd won
with apparently plenty in reserve. But
until practically the same field meets
again in the Belmont no one who
viewed yesterdays race is likely to ad-
nit that Leonardo II was the best.
Field Of in Sections
= Time means little in a horse race.
But IN this particular case there ap-
pears significance. Leonardo II. with
z flying start. covered the mile in the
very Indifferent time OF i :27 2-5. Cheap
selling platers step that fast; and the
direction OF the wind favored rather
than retarded time.
Cassidy sent the field away in three
separate and distinct sections. Mont
alvo was the only one that broke any
way close to Leonardo Knobbie,
Sporting Blood and Grey Lag were in
the second fight. Exodus and Touch
Ne Not were as good as left. at the
post. Sporting Blood, slow beginner
at the extreme outside, ran a more
courageous race than perhaps anything
else Of the field, and with an even break
at the start might have headed the fleet
Leonardo II.
Grey Lag. the favorite, did not run
so impressively. This colt seems thin
and drawn, like a thoroughbred that
has seen q tough seasons campaigning
He had some excuse, for through the
backstretch he was pinned down on the
heaviest going, near the rail, by Exc
dus and Montaivo. Sande worked his
way through with the favorite com
ing around the stretch turn until he
got up on almost even terms with
Leonardo. Then. just when everybody
thought the Rancocas Stables pride
would get TO running his best, the
colt hung and stopped nor would he
respond to Sande's spirited efforts.
Making up his early disadvantage
told heavily on the resources of Exo-
dus, who ran more kindly than usual
and showed a remarkable effort, on
the whole. Touch Me Not, outrun in
the. early stages, closed with rush.
This colt of the Greentree Stable will
bear further watching over distance
Of ground. Knobbie seemed to be
hustled too much at the start to make
up his disadvantage He is slow be-
ginner and his effort to follow the
pace. told heavily upon him when the
pinch came.
80 to Shot Wins
The biggest spill" Of the year was
seen in the third race, at mile, when
Sam Hildreth's old Stromboli was
nosed out in the very last stride by
the Quincy Stables imported Devil
Dog. >Stromboli was at odds-on, held
az An n
while Devil Dog closed at the "get-
Yich-quick" quotation of 80 to I. Devil
Dog, badly outrun for more than half
mile, worked up through the field
and closing with rush stuck his lip
IN front by an inch in the very last
jump. Stromboli raced down Regal
Lodge, the second choice, but tired
badly under his impost in the last six
ssenth.
Cum Sab, an outsider, stole long
lead IN the first race, at six and a
half furlongs, and just lasted long
enough to take the measure of Ned
dam, the favorits. Neddam was very
poorly handled by Clarence Hummer,
VINO took up at the start and timed his
rush too late. Runners ride meriterd
an investigation.
The get Of Sweep figured most prom
iinently, as three OF his sons swept the
last half Of the program-Leonardo II,
Leading Star and Sweep BY in order.
Jockey s. Bullman broke fast, stole q
long lead and. though tiring fast, held
= good advantage at the end of the
afth race, at mile. War Machine,
whicn was running strongest at the
end, had q lot of toncb racino 1ncl- hp+
evidently was not intended for this
particular heat.
:. Mrs. A. &. Lawson's heavily played
sweep By beat ten two-year-oid
maidens in the closing dash, Of four
ana half furiongs. The Pelican Sta
Ole,s Oil Man, touted as q real mar
,yei, lost whatever chance he might
u aave had by boiling to the outside ct
the start