Evening star., 1942-01-29
Woman Riders
Trail Men, but
Show Spirit
HuIf Point Back, They
See Victory Tonight
In Show at Myer
By LARRY LAWRENCE.

The Stars team of famous eques-
triennes, not one whit discouraged
by losing the first round of the
women-vs.-men match at the initial
performance of the Presidents
Birthday Horse Show at Fort Myer
last night, today calmly are PLAN
ming to overcome the lead Of a half
point and chalk up a final victory
over the quartet of male riders at
tonight's showing.
A distinguished gathering of Gov
ernment officials, beribboned diplo-
mats, cinema notables. officers of
the Army and Navy, socialiteS and
every Washington horse fan who
could obtain a ticket filled to over
flowing Fort Myer riding hall and
cheered till the rafters rang the
superb horsemanship and match
less riding of Margaret Cotter, Mrs.
w. Haggin Perry, Sara Bosley and
Mrs. Fred J. Hughes, jr., as they
battled to standstill the best male
riders the Army and the civilian
horse world could furnish.
The particular star was Mrs. w.
Haggin Perry of Gotham. Va, who
rode a great horse, Thunder Boy, to
the low score of the match. Yes
terday was the first time Mrs. Perry
ever had mounted the 18-hand
gelding and it must have been love
at first sight, for the Virginia sports
woman not only rode Thunder Boy
to the low score of the match, 112
faults, but earlier in the evening
scored blue in the open jumping
class with the big fencer.
Hi Ho Thrills Crowd.
Following Mrs. Perry's round,
Maj. C. B. McClelland put his big
jumping Smacko over the tough
course for a score of Az points.
Then came Mrs. Hughes on her fiery
Hi Ho, the splendid little mare elec-
trlfying the crowd with a splendid
3-fault round. Sam Bogley took his
ex-circus horse Ringmaster over the ,
barricades with the low score for
the mems team of faults. The
Star team was leading by points
at this stage of the match, but their
next performer went bad. Sara
Bosley's Prince Tex suddenly took
a dislike to the going and refused
until he was ruled out. Then Black
Caddy, one of the most consistent
OF jumpers, also went haywire with
an outsized score of II points. AS
only the total score of the best
three counted, the final issue was
up to the two last members of the
respective teams, Margaret Cotter's
national champion Rocksie and the
spectacular fastener, Lew Dunbar,
with Gordon Wright of Scarsdale,
N. Y. up. For once in a crucial
contest Rocksie let her adoring
mistress down and registered a
score of 81a points for an indiffer-
ent round. The decision was in
the power of the New York horse.
AS Lew Dunbar went so went the
match
AS the spectators moved to the
edges OF their seats the Manhattan
favorlte cleared one jump after an
other with but few inconsequential
faults until he came to the tough
Toronto bank there he struck and
struck hard and finished the round
with six faults. The final reckoning
was The Star team, Is points; the
mems team, 1872 points And this
scribe still is betting on the women.
Mrs. Perry Has Big Night.
1t was big night for the Perry
Stable with Mrs. Perry doing the
hard work. One of the top riders
OF the Old Dominion, the blond
horsewoman not only starred in the
men VS.. women match but rode her
latest acquisition, Thunder Boy, to
a merited win of the featured open
jumping class over a field of SO out
standing fencers. Under Mrs. Perrys
inspired riding the big gelding
romped around the course taking
every barricade faultlesSly in his
giant stride. Streamline, ably
ridden by Lit. Cross of the Sd Cavalry,
also had faultless round, but was
beaten in the jumpoff by Thunder
Boy. Mrs. Perry came right back in
the next class, the open hunters. to
register a win with her reliable
Hydrogyro and also rode the Perry
bay geldlng Ragnarock to the second
place.
Shirley Payne stepped from his
daily vocation as a private in the
Sd Cavalry to assume his former
role as trainer and top rider of the
Springsbury Farms by plotting
Looter, one of the best of the
Springsbury string, to an impressive
win of the green hunter class. An
extremely large field of Al good
looking youngsters, which had ex-
ceptional performances, made the
(See HORSE SHOW, Page C-2J