Evening star., 1953-02-22
Spartan VoIor Runs Last:
Decorated Also Defeated
Alerted Is Beaten
BY q Head at HioIeoh
RY the Asseelated Pfasa

BY q Head at HioIeoh
| ny the Asseeiuted Ptsss
MIAMI, Fla, Feb. 21.-Oil
Capitol. . stretch-rllnning gray
horse. won Hialeah's $1,000
added Widener Handicap today
with o tremendous burst of speed
that seven other classy thorough
breds couldn't match.
Spartan Valor, the favorite at
3 to 5. and Crafty Admiral, z to 2,
raced each other into the dust
In the mile-and-a-Quarter grind,
and Hasty House Farms Oil
Capitol. with Conn McCreary
riding, came on to take the rich
est purse ever offered for horse
race in Florida.
Hampton Stables Alerted
moved up to take second, a head
back Of on Capitol. and George
D. Widener's Battlefield was
third. q head behind Alerted.
The crowd Of 30,969 was the
largest Of the season and it
wagered q record 1884. 1874 on the
feature race alone.
Oil Capitol Wins $93,2OO.
Oil Capitol. owned by Allie
Reuben, Toledo, Ohio, and Mrs.
Harry Trotsek, Detroit, Mich.
came with a rush in the final
yards to win $93, 200 out Of the
gross poll Of $3.50, 400.
| Alerted won $4,000, Battle.
field $4,000 and How $1,000.
Spartan Valor, with Jimmy
Stout up and carrying 1877
pounds, was the heavy favorite
with Crafty Admiral, top
weighted at 131 pounds and rid
den by Kenny Church, the Sec
ond choice.
Those two horses came out Of
the gate head and head and
matched strides to the first turn
where Crafty Admiral, owned by
Charles and Frances Cohen of
Miami Beach, took the lead.
Spartan Valor fell back to third.
only q stride behind the Admiral
and q whisker back Of H. G,
Bockman's Happy Go Lucky,
which took over second.
Battlefield Moves TIN
Crafty Admiral and Happy Go
Lucky battled It out around the
Tar turn and Battlefield, which
has won $441,577--biggest earn
ings Of any thoroughbred still
racing moved into third place,
/ Alerted was a close fourth
and Oil Capitol moved up from
seventh to fifth.
| Crafty Admiral was still Sec
ond as they whirled into the
stretch. with Battlefield taking
over the lead by a scant nose
when they turned for home. Oil
Capitol was third at that point
and starting to move.
Oil Capitol, carrying only ia
pounds, caught Battlefield and
so did Alerted. the latter coming
up from fourth to grab second
money.
Crafty Admiral and Spartan
Valor were done. Crafty Admiral
dropped back to sixth place and
Spartan Valor was eighth and
last as they dashed under the
wire.
Winner Pays $12.2O.
Oil Capitol, only horse ever to
win beth the Flamingo and the
Widener at Hialeah, paid $l2. 20.
$3.50 and $3.50. Alerted returned
$12.70 and $6.10. Battlefield paid
| $3.50.
The times for the first mile.
with Crafty Admiral and Spartan
Valor battling it out, were. :224k.
:467s. l:10b and 1:363s. Time
Tor the mile and a quarter was
2:O2A against the track record
set BY Ell Mono in l948 at 2:O1.
Trainer Harry Trotsek said
there wasn't any doubt in his
mind that Oil Capitol would win.
Conn McCreary made all the
difference In the world on him. I"
TrotSek said. "Conn is definitely
the rider for him. He comes out
OF the gate with him like he
should and he never hurries him.
The most important thing is
that Conn knows how to bring
him on In the stretch"
Trotsek said he couldn't see
the race too well from the ground
hut he knew it was all over
when he started to move at
the half-mile pole"
Alerted Gaining at Finish.
As they hit the stretch, Bat
tlefield was in front briefly but
OH Capitol came up on the OUT
side and took the lead midway
down the stretch. Alerted ral-
lied nicely and was gaining at
the finish but couldn't catch
Oil Capitol.
Oil Capitol, six-year-old son
Of Mahmoud out Of Never Again
II, was foaled at Elmendorf
Farm in Kentucky. Today's
race was his biggest and boosted
his earnings to $1i7,7OO for this
! year He has started 10 times
and won II. finishing second 10
times and third eight times in
earning 3 total Of $422,l51 up
to today. His Widner purse,
boosted his all-time earnings to
$515, ,35l.
Battlefield picked up $4,000
to push his aff-time earnings to
/ $451, SIT.
The race was run in ideal
weather over q fast track. The
bright breezy day brought out
Q throng Of $1,000 and by the
first post time every available
inch Of space was filed.
Crowd in Betting Mood. b (
The picturesque track was at
It's peak with flowers and shrub.
berry blooming ia profnsion. A
band Of so Seminole Indians.