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JACOB PINCUS, OLD TIME TRAINER. Jacob Plucus, who enjoys the distinction of having trained the only American-bred winner of the Epsom Derby, is one of a distinguished quartette of .old-time trainers now living in and about New York, the other three being Charles Littlelleld, of Sheeps-head Bay, Matthew Allen of Gravesend, and Bernard Riley, of West Farms, Bronx. Mr. Pincus lives at the Sheepshead Bay track, keepiug bachelors hall, with his dog Dan as his only companion, though he frequently visits his fellow horsemen already mentioned. He was born in Baltimore a few weeks more than seventy-five years ago, and since ids early boyhood his energies have been wholly employed in the riding and training of race horses. He saw the Incomparable Lexington win his first two stakes in the blue grass city after which he was .named, in 1S54. These were the Phoenix Hotel Stakes, mile heats, and the Citizens Stakes, two-mile heats. It was during that same meeting that Richard Ten Broeck and Captain VIley bought Lexington for 5,500 and matched him against Sallie Waters lor the four-mile race in which he defeated her at New Orleans and be was in tbe great southern metropolis to witness Lexiugtous triumph in that great match, which was for 5,000 a side. He also saw the four mile dash In which Lexington was defeated by Le-compte, the grt?ut son of Boston and Reel, by Glen-coe. when the former lost by being partially pulled up by mistake at the end of the third mile. He also witnessed Lexingtons triumph in his 10.000 a side race against Lecomptes time, when the son of Boston and Alice Carueal cut the four-mile record, from 7:25 down to 7:lt?4. From there lie went up to General Wells plantation on Red River, in northern Louisiana, where the distinguished owner of Lecompte trained and developed his thoroughbreds. In this connection it may be well to note that Mr. Pincus explodes the popular and generally accepted fallacy that Lecompte was a Louisiana-bred colt. He says that Lecompte was bred in Kentucky and that he never saw Louisiana until he was a yearling. It was General Wells custom to have his foals bred and dropped in Kentucky ami to leave them there until they were yearlings, when they would be shipped down the river and placed on his Red River plantation to be trained and developed. Some time in the winter of 1833-4 Mr. Pincus rode Prvor to victory in the Picayune Stakes at New Orleans, the race being named after the leading newspajier of that city. In referring to this Mr. Pincus said, "Pryor was a great horse, the property of Mr. Ten Broeck. He was by Glencoc Gypsy, by Mcdoc. and Lecompte was a great horse. In fact, there were many great horses iu those days, but Lexington was the daddy of them all. "He alwavs was a free running horse, but not at all crazv." 1 remember as if I had seen him but yesterdav. ne was a bright bay with a large star and a snip on his nose of considerable size, and four white feet, the white not amounting to stockings, but coming above the aukles all around. He stood n little short of 15 hands, had a clean neck, finely arched throttle; fiue head tapering to the muzzle, ears which were thin, beautifully shaped and well carried, but not especially short; a deep, full chest, oblique shoulder, and grandly muscled arm aud stllle. "His loin was splendid and so were his quarters, but one peculiarity struck me especially the moment 1 had a chance to look him over, and that was that he had the longest and most elastic pastern I had ever seen under a horse. His style of running was also peculiarly impressive. He tan with his head extended aud lie carried his tail rather high, so that he presented a top outline which was straight and level from his nose to the tip of his tail. "Like all fast horses I remember to have seen, Lexington had straight hind legs, although they were not so straight as those of The Ill-Used, Kingfisher and Henry of Navarre. He was a quick breaker, but as there were practically no races at less than a mile in those days, we made no effort to make quick breakers of our horses. We were more concerned in what they would do when making a finish In the stretch and that was where Lexington never failed to make good. Then, too, many of our great races were matches, big stakes or sweepstakes in which there were seldom more than four starters ut the most and of course there w:as no struggle to get out in the lead to escape inteference. "I look upon Lexington as one of the greatest thoroughbreds ever foaled, great on the turf and great in the stud. The weights carried in those davs were not heavy, and the time would not cam-pare with that made uow-a-duys. but Lexington alwavs did whatever was asked of him. aud he was meeting great ones; and since his day, his sons and daughters have been able to do the same thing. Referring to his earliest experiences as a jockey. Mr. Pincus said: ... "1 believe the first mount I ever had In a race was down In New Orleans in 1S52. I rode a mare called Ida, not at the Metairie, but at another track. She belonged to a Mr. Warwick. New Orleans was a great racing point in those early days, and there was a lot of racing, there all through the winter. Those were the days of long races, too. A two-year-old filly by Bulletin won a four-mile race, and I saw a two-year-old filly named Telle win a race at mile heats, three iu five, when it took seven heats to decide the race. "It should be added, however, that the age counted from May 1 iu those days instead of from Januarv 1, as It does now. I once rode in a race iu which four-mile heats were run., Sue Washington ultimately won the race, but she had to run sixteen miles to win it, and It took the lives of at least two of the horses engaged In It. Balloon, the horse I rode, died after the fourth heat. . "Most of the netting in those days was simply out of hand or on the nod as they called it, and often there was Immensely heavy betting after the horses had turned into the stretch, and every bet was made good, too." In referring to the most spectacular triumph of his turf career, Mr. Pincus talked modestly. "Mr. Lorillard had his horses In Billy Browns hands over in England and he telegraphed me to come over from Baltimore and go across to take charge of his English string. This was In 1SS0. Iroquois had gone over as a yearling, but well along in the season, Barrett, by Bonnie Scotland, had developed iuto a great two-year-old, having beaten several good ones on this side, with Spinaway among them, and so he sent him to start In the Derby along with Iroquois. "As it turned out, it would have been better If he had left the son of Bouuie Scotland at home, for he developed into a regular lunatic working on the open hea til over there where they galloped on the grass without any inside or outside rails, just as manv another American horse lias done in England; and I never was able to get him into anything like racing form as long as I had him there, although he came back here and won some good races. "Barretts splendid reputation preceded him in England and in the future betting. Mr. Lorillards entry went to a short price,, at least, much shorter than it would have gone had Barrett been left at home, for he was a big. upstanding fellow, high headed, and fast, while Iroquois was a smaller and less impressive looking colt, and besides he had the reputation of being an in-and-outer. As a matter of fact, Iroquois was generally underrated over there. "In truth, he was really a game and consistent colt, but Jeffries, who had been riding him, was an inconsistent boy and he gave the colt a reputation which lie never deserved the reputation of being an in-and-outer for he was fast aud game and always could be depended upon if properly handled. He was a rich brown, not higher than 15.2, but a grandly turned colt, built for speed and a stayer. "There were some few iu England who really appreciated him, and one of these was the owner of that great lilly Bal Gal. One morning when I had Barrett out on the heath, working at a considerable distance from where I was standing. Bal Gals owner, thinking I was working Iroquois, caiue up and asked me how my colt was working. " I have not had a chance to try him yet, I replied. " Well. I have tried him, he rejoined, and I know he is a good colt. It was trial enough for me when I saw him race my filly to a head last season when Archer was taking the last ounce out of her, and Jeffries was up on your colt. Bal Gal was the most highly tried filly I ever owned and any colt .that can carry her along like that must be a good one!" "Then, of course, I knew he meant Iroquois, and I explained to him that I was working Barrett. "Barrett was a bright golden, or soft hay. big, high-headed and full of dash and fire a grand one. to look at. " Did Iroquois have any trouble in getting through and winning? "No, none at all. He always was prominent, and he could have gone to the front at any time after the fall of the Hag. Archer did not have to ride him out in any part of the journey and he beat his company easily. Archer sat straight up in the old-fashioned way. with a long vein and deep seat. II was an easy race." New York Telegraph.
