view raw text
CONFORMATION OF FAMOUS RACERS. "Good race horses come in all shapes." is an axiom of racing that no one will dispute. But thai certain conformations are better adapted to certain kinds of racing we have abundant evidence. We can prove nothing by citing exceptions to a rule. unless the exceptions are sufficiently numerous to weaken it. Race horses come in many shapes, the thick set. sturdy Bonnie Scotland?, the light Seabed, wiry Leamlngtons, high on the leg and short In body like Ormonde, and long and low like The III-Dsed; son,,, galloping with a straight knee like Gr instead, others all knee action like George Kinney, or with action completely from behind, like Douaid Macdonald. The type of race horses for sprinting and staying differs materially. In general, the thick, heavy-muscled horse baa greater spied. We often hear the expression "muscled like a quarter horse" — an expression arising from the old days of quarter horse racing and which means large, round muscles, lull and prominent. For sudden efforts they are powerful: but not for sustained efforts— they tire sooner, because, probably, they are short in the leverage, or too coarse in texture. On the other hand, the type of horse whose muscles are not so prominent, but whose conformation is of the angular st vie. is usually deficient in early speed, but is a better stayer than the round, muscular one. The famous lilly Correction a sister to Domino, and sim-e the dam of Yankee, was one of the most conspicuasuj examples. WhUe not what could be called a very robust mare in appearance, her development of quarters and gaskins was so remarkable as to attract the attention of the most casual observer. She was the fleetest mare of her day up to a mile, but she preferred six furlongs much lietter. Her brother. Domino, was built upon similar, but far more robust lines, and I doubt if we have seen a faster horse than Domino. But he was at best a miler. although his courage carried him a trifle further. At a mile and a quarter he could not prevail. For the Suburban of 1S9." I allotted Domino 123 pounds, and there was a howl that he was "thrown in." He started one of tin1 hottest favorites in the history of the race, ran brilliantly for a mile, then fell back unplaced. A few years later Fred Tarai and Sun Doggett, the jockeys, were sitting In our ollice one day. Just prior lo starting for Austria, and gossiping of the races in which they had ridden. "I think. Sain, the greatest surprise I ever had was in the Suburban when you rode Sir Walter and beat me on Domino." remarked Taral. "Of course." replied Doggett, "everybody thought youd win with Domino." "I thought his speed would carry him through." resumed laial. "I had ridden him in a great many races and never found him to flinch. He had all his speed up to a mile. Then, all of a sudden, I heard him go Ugh and he Stopped so quickly I thought he had broken down." No two horses could have been more unlike than Domino and his great rival. Henry of Navarre. The former had plenty of length of barrel, but he was bulky, heavily muscled, with enormous propelling power. Henry, on the contrary, was rather angular and stood higher on the leg. was lighter in the quarters and in the neck, and altogether less robust in appearance. At a mile. Domino could always outrun N ivarre, but at a mile ami a furlong it was another story, while at a mile and a quarter it was a complete reversal. The black and the chestnut illustrated the point made as between the round muscled, robust type ami the longer muscled, less robust one. Voter, the successor of Domino as a phenomenal speed horse, was of the huge, short-muscled type. FovV horses have shown more muscle in the quarters and gaskins, while be had a back cloven like a rams. He could out-gallop any horse of his time: but not beyond a mile. Roseben was another of the heavy-muscled type, with great size and capacity to carry weight; but found his enormous carcass too heavy to carry beyond seven furlonss. Jack Atkln was another of the type: pace or weight made little difference with him. but he tired when he was asked to go beyond a mile with horses of class. Olambala, on the other hand, is an extreme case of the long, light, wiry type, lacking the burst of speed but a real stayer. Gleneoo and Lexington, both horses of considerable bulk, early set the fashion in this country for the robust type: and when Leamington was imported there was a prejudice against him because he was of the ransy. wiry type. "To much daylight under him." horsemen said. But in four years they were all clamoring for his stud services. His son. Long fellow, inherited his length, with more bonp and size — -so much. Indeed, that he was a backward colt, anil it was not until late in his three-year-old season that he began to reach his form. After that he became one of the best race horses this eountry has known. For so large and lengthy a horse we never saw so quick a beginner. Nor do wo recall a bone of greater stride. He always made the pace — "from end to end" being the policy of his owner, Mr. Harper, considering which, that he could manage to stay as well as ho did was remarkable. But then he was. despite his great size, built upon the lines of a stayer. Ben Holladay was of the angular, long-muscled type, and When in training his quarters were so narrow and lacking in fullness that a yearling would have put him to shame. Yet It is doubtful if we have seen a horse which could carry his speed over a longer distance. He was. probably, the greatest distance horse of this generation under great Mights. I weighted him 188 pounds for the Morris Park Handicap, two and one-quarter miles, in 1808, and he won in a canter. In 1S99 I allotted him 1 lo pounds for the same stake, and he was beaten onlv a head by Muskadine, 106 pounds, with Ethel-bcrr. 117 pounds, a head behind him. The character of muscle that made Ben Holladay the stayer par excellence, could not enable him to prevail fi the great middle distance races, like the Suburban. Brooklyn, Metropolitan, Advance, etc. His long, slender muscles failed to give him the burst of speed at the start, and while he was always coming bravely at the finish he could not catch his horses. Parole was an angular, light-waisted gelding. wiiii no apparent muscular power, but he stamped himself one of the most famous horses in racing history, both here and in England, and raced until he was eleven years old. He was a good horse at all distances, and his action was quite perfection, resembling the steady lope of an old dog fox pursued by a pack of hounds. It may be said that the comparison is unfortunate, as the hounds usually catch the fox. They do not always, and it is no great credit to them when they do. as they are about three times as large and as strong as the fox. and outnumber him by a majority almost as great as Pennsylvania gives the Republican ticket. In heavy ground the round-muscled, compact, robust style of horse generally prevails, owing, probably, to the greater power of his muscles for immediate effort. We have never had a family of race horses th.it surpassed that of Bonnie Scotland in this res-p, t. They were mostly of the round, compact type, tremendously muscled, and. while not so renowned for stamina as for si oed. they won more r t s than any other strain of their day. Bramble. Luke Blackburn. George Kinney. Bancroft. Balance All. Glidelia. Bootjack, etc.. won race after race In heavy ground until "the Bonnie Seotlands for the mud became a proverb among horsemen. That angular. legsy and long-muschMl horses are usually bad performers in heavy, muddy ground is a fact well known to most hoi semen. The fact is such horses are naturally long stridors. If the going is muddy, a long striding horse slips, and fear of falling, causes him to shorten his stride. Thus, deprived of his natural advantage, ho loses i :s race. The Bonnie Seotlands were usually stocky, boi-t legged horse:, and. with their rroat muscle and short, rapid stride, they fairly revelled in mud. ami. is i 1 sseball friend put it. "thev never needed rain el 1 1 ks." Luke Blackburn had more muscle than any horse we can remember. His speed and energy were amazing, but he managed to stay a mile and a half. Alarm was a short necked, stocky, heavily-muscled horse, but be could not stay beyond a mile. His soi. HImyar, less heavily muscled, could carry his speed further. Himyars sou. Domino, as already noted, was not a stayer, but his .-ion, Oomasando, a rather coarse colt of more length and liberty, seemed able to lace over a distance. Glensaore was a SBUS-Cttlar horse, but in a four mile heat rare at Gone] Island some years since he developed a clear case of tetanus and could hardly gallop — something We bare never seen a long-muscled horse do. of course, there are notable exceptions. We have seen large horses and heavily-muscled horses which could siay as well u sprint. The French horse Mortemer we thought one of the largest anil most powerful horses we ever saw-. He woa at all dls-tsnees from live furlongs to two miles and a half. Tom Ochiltree was a mammoth lor size and a Hercules for muscle, and thongs spied was his forte, la- e mid stay. Irish I ad was another, and so was Peter Fan. Emperor of Norfolk. Springbok and Sy-sonby. Burgomaster was one of the most massive colts of recent times, but he staved the Belmont course. So did Bowling Brook, but he was too heavily topped for his tlcjbl limbs. Hermis was a chunky, compact horse and certainly he did all he Was asked lo do. Thus, while there are many exceptions, as a general thing, the short, heavily-muscled horse excels for speed, while the long muscles are better for a sustained effort they better bear the contraction resulting from sustained speed. Probably ■ happy medium between the two is the ideal horse a horse of the Style of Africander. lb- was t|,e beau idea! of a racer, just tall enough to give lei gth of stride, just muscled enough to give him tin seeded speed and dash, though he leaned toward the staving type. Btbelbert was a horse of the Intermediate type, so was Requital. It is a priiu-i pl of racing, that a mere sprinter, or pure stayer. cannot be called a first class horse, but be should nil both conditions horses like Cyllene, St. Simon. Bayardo, Isouomy, Isinglass am! Spearmint in England; Mortemer. mid Boiard in France, ami Longfel low. Henry of Navarre. Hindoo. Hanover. Sysonbv and Salvator in this country. This letter is not written to exploit a theory, ami the fact that i xamples for and against are given is proof enough of that. All students of racing and breeding are apt to indulge theories at some time in their career, lint In the end they find them un profitable! The fuel is the race horse is a complex animal, an uncertain animal. Like a lady, he is a being that has withstood for many generations the efforts of mankind to understand. Science, phil-i ophy and logic are thrown away in the effort. And who shall say we should like either the better if we understood theml The harm of woman lies largely In our Inability to understand her; the Charm of the race horse, ami of racing, is their element of uncertainty —without which there could be no racing, and hence, no race horses. — W. S. Vosburgh in Thoroughbred Record.
