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THE 1809 FOUK TEAR OliDS. A good, sound four-year-old is usually about at the zenith of his powers as a racehorse. To horses of that age fall the major portion of the honors of the big handicaps and other races for three-year-olds and upward. Last year the Brooklyn went to the four-year-old Ornament and the Suburban to the four-year-old Tillo. In fact in the lists of the winners of these two greatest of American handicaps, the four-year-olds largely predominate. It is very satisfactory to know that even if Hamburg has gone into retirement, we shall have quite a lot of good four-year-olds this year, even if none is on paper of quite as high class as Ornament and Ben Brush were rated before racing opened last year. It is quite likely that before midsummer arrives, it will be established that more than one of them can run as fast and as far as their predecessors of other years. In theBrooklyn and Suburban Handicaps of this year handicapper Vosburg has rated that splendid filly Briar Sweet as the best of the 4-year- olds entered. It is true that Plaudit carries more actual pounds in each race, one more . in the Brooklyn and two more in the Suburban, but when her sex allowance is considered it is seen that she really concedes him four pounds in the Brooklyn and three pounds in the Suburban, With both at the post in perfect condi-tion it is more than doubtful whether she could .do this. Plaudit was by no means the most fortunate of horses last year and he was surely many pounds below his best western form when he ran in the east last year. His hard race in the Latonia Derby when with 127 pounds up he ran second to Han dOr at a mile and a half in such phenomenal time as 2:32i, conceding the winner fourteen pouuds.unquestionably affected him. B e must have run in 2 :33 himself and the effort took so much out of him that ho was not afterwards nearly so good. Plaudit started in eight races of which he won four and was second in four. In most of his races ho carried high weights and in none did he carry low -weights while Briar Sweet carried low weights in most of her races. Plaudit has had a long reBt. He is in the care of a past master in the art of training and it is quite on the cards that this year he will probably establish his right to be called a really great racehorse. All the elements are there, speed of high order, demonstrated ability to handle high weight easily over any route, Hildreth to train and Clawson toride.COnpaperit is a very neat combination and it appears that only accidents or bad luck can prevent his ranking first among the 4-year-olds of 1899. Briar ISweet is probably the best mare that has appeared for some years. There was no question of her rank among the fillies of last year and from the way she ran at San Francisco that she has in no it a few days ago appears way lostlform. Of fifteen races last year she won thirteen.cHer two defeats came early in Francisco. Both were in five the year at;San furlong spins, Montgomery beating her in the first and Paul Griggs in the oilier. After that she was invincible, tand it is to be hoped she will remain Isonnd through the year, in which case some very great performances will almost surely be recorded to her credit. Taking Plaudit and Briar Sweet to be by the record the best -of their sex therelis still quite a number of colts and fillies entitled to consideration by reason of sterling performances. Lieber Karl was only second to Plaudit. Up to the time accident led to his retirement he could beat the others of his age about as surely as Plaudit could beat him. He was fast, a weight carrier and a stayer. tHe has wintered well and been eRtered freely in the big stakes of the year. If he trains well and remains sound he should rate as the best of the western owned four-year-olds unless some of the others should show strongly marked improvement over their three-year-old form. In his ten races last year he was four times first, five times second and once third. A four-year-old somewhat difficult to rate is Pink Coat. That he was a good three-year-old his capture of the St. Louis and American Derbys attest. In the St. Louis Derby he had quite a pull in the weights, but in the big Washington Park race he shouldered his 127 pounds and won like a real racehorse. Afterwards, especially in the east, he did not do so well and, like Plaudit, he had probably trained off. He won three of his seven starts and was once second and twice third. It is probable that Pink Coat should be guaged by his best form of last year andset down as a horse hard to keep on edge. At his best he should prove a handicap horse of high class. So far as is known he retired sound. Down east a three-year-old of last year, now in the Whitney-Paget stable, showed remarkable speed, endurance, unflinching courage and great weight-carrying power. That colt was George Keene, and as he went into winter quarters as sound as a new dollar it seems more than probable that he will add.to his fame this year. He is an every-day horse, and if he shows average improvement over his three-year-old form will be bound to rank very high in the racing annals of 1899. Alice Farley, Napamax, Goodrich, Han dOr, Lanky Bob, Isabey, Bannockburn, George Boyd, John Bright and Warrenton are ten more four-year-olds, each of which is credited with distinguished performances last year. AH, so far as is known, will be active contenders for honors this year. Under favorable conditions every one of this lot can do a mile in 1 :40 or better with good weight up, and some can and have done so. Goodrich holds a mile and a half record that is likely to stand for many a year. John Bright beat Han dOr and Pink Coat for the Himyar Stakes at Latonia. Han dOr and Isabey are Derby winners. Bannockburn, with 122 pounds up, won the mile and a quarter Sheridan Stakes at Washington Park in 2:06K No one could say with positive assurance that there is one in the lot that might not under favorable circumstances achieve the highest honors of the turf. The possible improvement of such horses as Banastar, Candleblack, Bendoran, Swiftmas, Ed Farrell, George Krats, Hurly Burly, The Devil, St. Callatine, Crocket, Floronso and Handball can hardly be estimated just now. In fact Bendoran has already given evidence at San Francisco that he is likely to prove one of the cracks of the year so far as speed up to a mile is concerned, even if he goes no farther. On the whole, when tho.matter is looked into, it seems that we have moro really good four-year-olds to consider than a great many people have supposed.
