Purse $30,000
Carioso
Spartan Hanover
Kilbuck Mary
Keystone Meg
Savoir
Hawiiar Mir
Delmonica Hanover
NY TImes - By GERALD ESKENAZI SEPTEMBER 1973
WESTBURY, L.I.,-In a race that chalk‐players will remember with an inward glow, Une de Mai of France went outside, inside and sideways tonight to vindicate herself and capture the $30,000 Challenge Match at Roosevelt Raceway.
It was one of the more remarkable demonstrations of courage that jaded New Yorkers have seen in a trotter-especially a 9‐year‐old mare some thought was finished with big‐time racing.
If Une de Mal and her groom were nervous about the contest, most of the 28,000 fans weren't. They made her the 4-5 favorite in a field that included the two horses that finished ahead of her last week in the Roosevelt International Trot - Delmonica Hanover, who won the International, and Spartan Hanover.
“She likes to have a horse beside her,” says Une de Mai's driver, Jene‐Rene Gougeon. Tonight she had company.
Killbuck Mary took the lead and Une de Mai ranged alongside. Apparently, Gougeon was going to handle Une de Mai as he always does-keeping her on the outside, even though the race was 1¼ miles long. Soon Savoir took the lead, and still the French mate was outside.
Then Gougeon surprised just about everyone by calling on Une de Mai, who rushed to the front. She yielded the lead to Hawaiian Mir, but Gougeon saw the John Chapman‐driven Delmonica Hanover coming close.
So Gougeon virtually went sideways, cutting off Chapman and almost locking wheels with Delmonica's sulky. Chapman went wide, but still managed to get to the lead. Une de Mai again moved powerfully forward. When it was over, and Gougeon had given her a love tap with the whip after belting her in the drive to the wire, Une de Mai had won by 2½ lengths over Spartan, with Delmonica three lengths behind Spartan.
The time was 2:34 for a $3.80 return.
The $15,000 increased her career earnings to $1.835‐million-about $140,800 short of Kelso's world record for a horse. Although she is barred from racing in Italy and Germany (no mares more than 8 years old may race in those countries), she probably will remain in North America for a few months and pick her spot.
The Italians thought they could take it tonight.
But as he did last week, Carosio broke at the start.