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THE WOODLAWN VASE. At Morris Park last Saturday when Advance Guard won this Morris Park. Autumn Stakes at two miles and a quarter he also won possession of the famous Woodl-wn Vase for his owner. Sunday Alex Shields offered to wager ,000 that one of his horses will win it again next year, in which event it would become his personal property. Of this racing trophy a letter to the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune savs : "As a specimen of the silversmiths art, designed nearly half a century ago, the Woodlawn Vase compares favorably with any latter-day trophies of the kind, its exquisite and delicate workmanship showing that the artisans of 1902 have very little, if anything, on their confreres of 1860. Indeed, Tiffany and Co., of this city, the designers of the vase forty-two years since, have no hesitation in pronouncing it the equal of anything they have ever turned out, either before or since. "In adding the Woodlawn Vase, valne ,C0O, to the Autumn Weight for Age race, two miles and a quarter, the Westchester Racing Association stipulated that the vase must be won twice consecutively before it becomes the property of tho holder. Also that a holder of the vase, through virtue of having won it once, may be required to give security for its safekeeping. "Its histcry is a most romantic one. taking in the history of American racing at the beginning of the war, and the revival of the sport, after the internecine strife that decimated a nation was over. "Robert A. Alexander, of Woodlawn, Ky., had the vase made for him by Tiffany and Co., in 1860, after designs furnished by him. Tho following year he prosented tho handsome trophy to the Woodlawn Racing Association, of Louisville, Ky., to be run for twice a year, spring and fall, over a four-mile route. The vas9, under these original conditions, had to be won three times in succession by one stable before becoming the property of tho owner or owners. "In 1831 Captain Thomas C. Moore won the initial races for the vase with Vandals great daughter, Mollie Jackson, and tho one-eyed heroine, Idle-wild, by Lexington. Then came Kentuckys trial by fire as the tide of battle flowed to and fro across the dark and bloody ground, and the stud farms at Woodlawn and Nantura wera harassed by regular and irregular troops pressing horses and anything else they fancied. "So persistent became these drafts on the Alexander and Harper farms that valuables were buried for safekeeping, all the Alexander silver, including the Woodlawn Vase, being consigned to the deep recesses of the earth. In a tray by guerrillas dur ing this period Adam Harper, brother of John Harper, the owner of Longfellow, was shot and killed at his own gate, while the same band, headed by a woman, Sue Munday, went on to Woodlawn, where it secured Asteroid and other valuable thoroughbreds after a pitched battle with the Alexander retainers on the banks of the Kentucky river. The marauders swam the Kentncky river with the horses under a shower of bullets, but got away. How Asteroid was captured by the pluck and cour-age of Alexanders two friendB, Warrn Viley and Zeke Clay, is an interesting story in itself. "So frequent did these guerrilla raids become that tho entire stock at Woodlawn, stallions, mares and horses of all ages was removed to Sangamon County, 111., together with all valuables, etc., including the Woodlawn Vase. The conclusion of the war witnessed the return of the equine colony home again to Woodlawn. "In 1866 the Woodlawn Association again hung up the vase, R. A. Alexanders Asteroid, by LexingtonNebula, having a walk in for it. The next spring, 1867, the same owners Merrill, by Lexington, also had a walkover. That fall Gen. A. Bn-fords Harry of tho West defeated R. A. Alexanders Lee Paul for the vase, but the Woodlawn Association, followng financial troubles, returned the vase to the Alexanders. "Added to the list of winners of the vase named was the ntout colt Bramble, by Bonnie Scotland. In 1878 the new Louisville Jockey Clnb purchased the vase from the Alexanders and added it to the Great American Stallion Stakes, run for at Louis-villo in September of that year. Bramble, ridden by James McLaughlin, won tho race and trophy. On the return of the Dwyer stable to Brooklyn the vas9 was deposited at Tiffanys for safekeeping. "In 1883, 1884 and 1885 the vase was added to the Great Long Island Stakes, two mile heats, run at the fall meeting of the Coney Isjand Jockey Club at Sheepshead Bay, Eole winning it the first year and Miss Woodford the next two, which again, by the conditions, returned it to the Dwyers. "After Miss Woodford won the race, for the Dwyers two years in succession it was raced for several times without changing hands, the last occasion prior to Gold Heels success a year ago being in 1894, when Banquet and Sir Excess ran two races for its possession at Jerome Park. On September 24 of that year Sir Excess beat Banquet at nine fur- longs, while on October 4 the race was repeated at a mile and a quarter, Banquet winning; This was. the last days racing held at Jerome Park and the vaso. returned to M. F. pwyers possession. From him it !was purchased by the Weechester Association nearly two years ago."
