THE HAMBLETONIAN

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 70, 20 September 1939, Page 13

THE HAMBLETONIAN

PETER ASTRA'S EASY WIN

The Hambletonian Stakes, leading light-harness three-year-old race of the world, was decided at Goshen, New York, on August 9, and resulted in a very easy victory for. Peter Astra, a _ bay colt by Peter Volo, 2.2, from Astra, by San Francisco, 2.7;}. ■

There were ten competitors for th« first heat, and Peter Astra was an odds* on favourite, with Gauntlet second in demand. The field had gone three/ furlongs in the first heat before H. M. Parshall decided to take Peter Astra to the front, and from that stage on it was simply a procession, victory finally going to the favourite by three lengths.* The second heat*was run in similar • fashion, except that the winning mar* gin on this occasion was five lengths. The track was on the dead side owing to heavy rain overnight, but this did not stop Peter Astra from running the 5 respective miles in 2min sssec and " 2min 4£sec. The record for the racf is held jointly by McLin and Grey- " hound, who registered 2min 2ssec. Gauntlet, a bay colt by Spencer from - Galeta, by Etawah, was second in each heat, and Sir Walter, by Volomite from •• Thyra Varrick, by Native King, by ' reason of his fifth and third placings, • - secured the minor money, . . The stake amounted to 40,502 do]* . lars, of which Peter Astra receive*! 21,341 dollars and Gauntlet's second - placing brought in 7760 dollars. Sir ' Walter collected 4656 dollars.

On the same programme was the . Good Time Stake, which brought out ". two celebrities in Billy Direct, 1.55, and Chief Counsel, 1.573. It was expected , that the latter would fully test the - world's champion, but Billy Direct ■ was untroubled to register three ' straight wins. His times were 2min * ljsec, 2min 3sec, and 2min Spec. They were impressive performances and point strongly to his prospects of estab- "> lishing more records in tjie future.