The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1922-09-12
Lucky Hour Comes From
Deaths Door to Victory
Great Colt Runs Mile in Exceptionally Fast Time of
SO 1-5-Robert L. Gerrys Cyclops Hangs Up
New Record for Five Furlongs Straightaway
by HENRY ". KING.

Horses fairly flew at Belmont Park
yesterday afternoon. Every winner
made much better time than its owner
or trainer believed possible. Good horses
competed In most of the events and
they were evenly matched as a result.
The day brought forth the best racing
since the thoroughbreds returned from
Saratoga.
After Edward Sims's Lucky Hour
came back after being at deaths door
and won the Merrick purse. covering the
one mile route in the exceptionally fast
time of / :36 is. the fastest mile of
the year. Robert l.. Gerry's Cyclops
beat big field of good Juveniles in the
final and smashed the old five md a
half furlong record for the straight
course into smithereens
He negotiated the distance in the I'M
precedented time of :03. This is four
fifths of a second faster than the track
record established by August Belmont's
Friar Rock in 1915.
The race of Lucky Hour was the fea-
ture of the day. This fast and beauti-
full son of Hourless and Lucky Catch
gave promise early this spring of be-
ing a keen contender for the champion
ship. He had a world OF speed and Jim
McClelland and Roy Waldron, his train
ers, were confident he could carry 1t
over any distance OF ground. But just
when he was ready to be shipped to
Kentucky for the Derby. Southern Cross.
one OF his stable mates. kicked him
in the forehead and almost killed him.
The cash was a deep one and was
within one-sixteenth of an inch OF the
brain. DR.. Robert McCully attended
him and performed what horsemen call
a miraculous operation. For six weeks
the colt lowered between life and death.
Then he began to rally. His recovery
has been exceptionally slow and even
now he carries wound in the head.
Retains Speed and Courage.
Despite his injury he failed to lose
any of his great speed. Neither did the
pain dampen his courage or sap his
strength. During the Saratoga meeting
he began training and went at his work
as though nothing out of the ordinary
had ever happened to him. Since his re-
turn here he had several fast trials and
yesterday Mr.. McClelland, who Is man
ager of the stable, sent him forth for his
initial race since the accident. Mr.. Nc
Cleland said the colt was a thoroughbred
in every sense of the word and that no
would win.
The colt did win and won in much
faster time than Mr.. McClelland believed
he would. He sped away from the bar
rier on his toes but before the first six
teenth of a mile had been covered Gift
ford A. Cochran's June Grass stuck his
neck in front of him. But that was as
far as the Cochran colt could get. Lucky
Hour raced along with June Grass until
Strengthened out in the homestretch.
There June Grass faltered and Lucky
Hour came on and won handily by a
length and half. Athlestan was Sec
ond a neck in front OF Yankee Star.
On his return to the scales Lucky
Hour was greeted with applause for his
plucky and exceptionally fast race.
Many in the throng believed he was
wearing hood. He wasn't but his head
was covered with cotton bandage to
keep the wound in his forehead clean.
Some racegoers detracted from Lucky
Hours fine race. They claimed that a
strong wind helped him. A strong wind
did aid him on his run down the back
stretch but in the run home he faced the
wind and that about evened things up