Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-04-23
GRUbSTAKE BREAKS
ink TO WIN RACE.
Mrs. Raymond BeImont's Bay
Leads Grand National
P0int-to.P0int.
By a stan correspsnident Of The Star.

BY stan Correspendent of The Star.
GREEN SPRING VALLEY, Nd.
April 22.-Breaking q streak Of bad
luck which had dogged his heels for
two seasons, Grubstake, sturdy bay
gelding owned by Mrs. Raymond Bel
mont Of Middleburg. Va, won the
thirty-fourth running Of the American
Grand National Point to Point here
yesterday afternoon. With Jack Skim
ner, Virginia rider, in the saddle, the
seasoned Topper carried the Belmont
emerald green and gray to 10-length
victory over G. Bernard Fenwick's
Martins Vandergold, which faded in
the last quarter of the Smile race
after cutting out all the early pace,
was third.
Fifteen thousand followers Of cross
country sport witnessed the race from
the sloping lawns Of Mrs. Isaac e.
Emersons Brooklandwood estate.
Grubstake, victim of two bad falls
while leading In both the 1882 and
1888 running of the Middleburg Hunt
Cup, by virtue of strong fencing and
clever handling yesterday escaped the
fate that brought down four Of the
field of nine starters. Yeoman, the 1882
winner of the Grand National, was
che Of those which lost rider. and
Soleil Dor, with which Howard Bruce
had hoped to gain third leg on the
cup his famous Billy Barton won IN
1926 and 1927. also came cropper.
For hours before starting time a
solid stream Of cars flowed into the
elaborate grounds Of Brooklandwood.
AS the trainers and gentlemen jockeys
accompanied their charges into the pad
dock, every vantage point on the estate
was filled with sportsmen, farmers,
handbook makers, city people out for
an airing and country folks out for one
of the major events in the Spring cal
endar Of this sector.
Yeoman and Brubstake, which seemed
likeliest choices among the entries. ap-
peared At and ready as they were
saddled Shortly after 4 o'clock the
nine that were to face is timber fences
on a 3-mile route pranced from the
paddock behind pink-coated starter,
who led them to the post in small
field near the Emerson barns. The turf
was solid in the highlands. but slow
and heavy in the valleys, as the starting
hour came.
After a short delay, the field was
strong sunshine. Going to the first
fence Holmes Alexander sent Wander
gold forward smartly and took COM
mand as the barrier was passed.
Solei Dor was In a contending position,
and Jack Skinner had brought Grub
stake within striking distance and was
rating him easily. Not far back came
Yeoman.
All was we'll over the second fence
and the runners dropped behind
slope, came UP again into the stiff
third jump. and a few seconds later
made the first turn past the main body
of the crowd. A groan went up as
Yeoman, which had been one Of the
favorites in the betting, galloped by
riderless. Vandergold still was forcing
the pace.
BY the time the leapers had COM
pleted this wide circle behind tie
Emerson house and swung again into
Grubstake, barring his habitual bad
luck should win. The stout hearted
bay was running an easy second under
wraps and appeared to be only waiting
for the call.
AS the front runners put fence after
fence behind them. as one horse after
another tired or got in wrong and fell,
the conviction that Grubstake had only
to stand up to win grew stronger in the
minds Of the crowd.
When the final arc was ended and the
surviving five turned for the last jump
and the home stretch, the prophecies
were fulfilled. The race became a pa
rade and Grubstake led the band with
out a real argument Baby Bunting
swept in with a closing rush to snatch
the place from the fast-tiring Wander
gold David K. E. Bruces Bill Clark
was fourth, and far back came Brose
Hover, owned by Benjamin Leslie Behr.
Jockey Frank Bonsal, jr., had pulled
Brose Hover up when the gelding struck
himself a bad cash on the foreleg.
Neither the horses nor riders that
fell were injured something of mira
Gle in view of the fact three whole sec
lions of fence were crashed fiat on
the ground during the race. At the
third and fourteenth fences, where
stiff post and rail barriers had been
built, the rails were struck so hard the
hardwood posts were split wide open
and a whole panel broken down. Nu-
merous boards were smashed out OF
the plank fences also.
The horses, owners and riders and
the order of finish were: Grubstake
Mrs. Raymond Belmont, Jack Skinner,
first; Baby Bunting, G. Bernard Fen
wick, owner second; Vandergoid, j. w. Y.
Martin, Holmes Alexander, third; Bill
Clark, David K. e. Bruce, Albert Ober,
jr., fourth; Brose Hover, Benjamin L.
Behr, Frank Bonsal, jr., fifth; Yeoman,
Miss Frances Lynch, J. Boees Bond, fell;
Soleil Dor, Howard Bruce, Raymond
Wolfe, fell; Sieve Lune, w. w. Lana
han, Fife Symington, fell.