A bright sun and brisk wind had the track in a fast condition for the first time this week and 8280 St. Patty Day celebrants bet $842617 on the well prepared program.

Prior to the featured race, the stewards announced that apprentice James P. Verrone is suspended ten days for crowding horses and crossing the field sharply in two races on Wednesday.

Garden Fresh, the result of a mating of Better Self and Rosy Fingered, seems to improve with each start and appeared to win the St. Patrick's Day Purse with some speed in reserve. She was moving up to the allowance department after winning a $10000 claiming event.

George Kerr, the swift striding Jamaican, set a meet record in the 600 -- yard run in the Knights of Columbus track meet tonight, beating Purdue's Dave Mills in a hot duel in 1.10.1.

Kerr, who set the world record earlier this month in New York with a clocking of 1.09.3, wiped out Mills's early pace and beat the young Big 10 quarter-mile king by 5 yards. Both were under the meet mark of 1.10.8 set in 1950 by Mal Whitfield.

Mills shot out in front and kept the lead through two thirds of the race. Then Kerr, a graduate student from Illinois, moved past him on a straightaway and held off Mills's challenge on the final turn. Mills was timed in 1.10.4.

The crowd at the twenty-first annual K. of C. Games, final indoor meet of the season, got a thrill a few minutes earlier when a slender, bespectacled woman broke the one week old world record in the half-mile run.