Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 January 1917 — STROMBOLI’S GREAT VICTORY OVER ROAMER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STROMBOLI’S GREAT VICTORY OVER ROAMER

Thrilling races hava been run in the past; thrillera-will baataued TaPt6» years to come. But none probably will be closer, furnish more excitement or send a crowd into a greater frenzy than the Stromboll-Roamer battle on Labor day at the Belmont (N. Y.) track. It was a two-horse race around the full one-and-a-half-mile course; with Itoamer an odds-on favorite at 11 to 20, and Stromboli heavily backed at 7 to 5. Roamer got the jump at the break, shot into the lead by half a length and made it another length within the first 100 feet. And so they ran for more than a mile while the crowd waited in anticipation for a great stretch struggle which only horses such as that pair can produce. And what an amazing finish it was! At the turn for home, Stromboli, un-

der the coaxing of Johnny McTaggart, began to come along. With giant strides he closed the daylight gap and crept up to Roamer’s saddle bags. It looked as if he would pass him there, but Roamer, grand old horse that he is, met the challenge and maintained his half-length lead until within about 500 feet of the finish line. Stromboli, with the crowd shrieking in racing madness, came on again. Inch by inch he crept along. Roamer led by a neck, now a head, now a nose — and then they were even. Nose and nose they raced, with the thunder of the throng ringing in their ears; ran as horses never have run before. Fifty feet from the finish line it looked as if the race would be a dead heat. And then Stromboli, with herculean leaps, gained an inch, two inches, four Inches —and the race was over. Stromboli was the better horse. 1_

SUBURBAN HANDICAP WINNER READY FOR BARRIER.