view raw text
ONE OF THE CRACK THREE -YEAR -OLDS OF LAST YEARS RACING f i It may be that no better three-year-old was engaged in American racing in VM.i than Frederick Johnsons Cock o the Walk. In some racing years the champion of that age stands out plainly distinguishable lo all. It was not so in 19115. Cock o the Walk. Horron. Ten Ioint and Rock View were a group siqiorior; lo their competitors, but which of the four was best was a matter undetermined. Horron was not beaten. All of the others were. Cock o tit" Walk was the only one of the other three met in a race- by Horron nid him he defeated by a head at the Iimlico spring meeting. But it was only a dash of throe-quarters "f a mile and Cock o the Walk was making his lirst start of the year, so the result of that sprint could hardly bo held to shed much light on the question of their relative merits. Besides Cock o" the Walk was not so good in the spring as he was in the fall. Then he won his last live races and was beyond question a high-class young horse. If he thrives and improves normally in his winter retirement he should prove a regular whale of a four-year-old in 1014. As a two-year-old he raced quite well and won live of his nine races. He did not distinguish himself !n his first essay, liuishing unplaced in a purse at Iimlico, May 10, to Spring Maid. Buskin and Church !"! and being a oil to 1 outsider hi the betting. May 14 he did better in finishing second to Early high! at li i -eighths of a mile in 1:01:;.-,. This was a token of Improving form that bore the fruit of realization in his next race. This was in a purse race at Montreal. June :. distance four and a half furlongs. In Hits In- met respectable opposition and, al 7 to 1 in the betting, won comfortably by a length and a half in with Scallywag econd. Cencsta third and nine more unplaced. This initial success he followed up bv winning the Kindergarten Stakes on the next day. This race was at tive-eighfhs of a mile and. carry ing 111 pounds, he won by a length and a half in 1:011 from Buskin. Dili pounds. Strike Out. 10."i. and I.ii tie Hugh, in:t and went to the post favorite at :. to 1. His next start was for a purse at Fort Erie. July ;, at live and a half furlongs. The Widow .Moon was favorite at 1.! to 10 and it was to 1 against Cock o the Walk, hut in a close linlsh with Sand Vale he was tirsl by a neck in 1:0". lie carried 1!S pounds to 101 on Sand Vale and 104 on The Widow Moon, the latter bringing up in third place. Buskin, 102; Bunch of Keys. 10S: Ethelhurg II., 101, and ltock View. 11.". were unplaced, the latter losing his jockey soon after the start. This was a good race and he also scored in his next one. It took place at fort Erie, July 117, and was at the same distance. He carried 10! pounds and won by a length and a half in 1:!7V;-,. The Widow Moon. 101 pounds, liuishing second, and Briar Iath. 107. third, Horron. Bunch of Keys. Sand Vale. Richard Langdoii. Continental. Jewel of Asia and Chinook being unplaced. He was at 7 lo I in the beitting, The Widow Moon and Horron lieing the favorites. This sequence of victories naturally attracted the attention of the otlicial haudicapper. so when he next appeared in public he was asked to carry the substantial impost of ll.i pounds. This was at Havre de Crace. September 1!. in a purse handicap at five-eighths and he ran unplaced to Frederick I.., haw and Palanquin in 1:00. The colt had Ih-i ii given a .el up after his Canadian campaign. At the same track three days later he ran second to i iederick h. at live and a half furlongs in 1 :Gl! and then wound it his career as a two-year-old at Laurel, tefoher 7. in a nurse race at the same distance, which he won in 1 :07:5r. and in doing so defeated Sca.ly-wag, Frederick h.. Briar Path. Palanquin. Fl-immarion. Verdure and I.arnegat and so went into winter quarters in good repute, but not ranked in the first flight. His lirst start as a three-year-old was in the race referred to in which Horron defeated him by a head at three-quarters in l:l.!-ft. He carried 104 pounds to 105 on Horron, and old Priscillian with 1US was a good third. His next start was in the Withers Stakes at Belmont Park in which he unseated his rider directly after the start, leaving Rock View to go on and win from Prince Eugene and Yankee Notions. At the same track. June l.l, he took up 110 pounds and. running seven-eighths of a mile in 1 :12T, won by four lengths from Sand Hill. 104. Sam Jackson, 10.!. was third and Spring Board and Sir John Johnson were among the six unplaced ones. In his next two races he was unplaced. The lirst of these was a dash of seven-eighths, won by Meridian. June HI. in 1 :li.. with 12.! pounds up. Light O M Life, 117. was si r-ond and Flying Fairy, 10. was third. Cock o tin- Walk carried ll."i and was never conspicuous in the f. inning. The second was that wonderful running of the Suburban Handicap, in which the beautiful Whisk Broom II.. with R!! pounds on his strong back, broke al! records, American or foreign, by running its mile and a quarter in 2:00. hakoie, weighted at 112 pounds, ran the race of his life here and finished lapped on Broomsticks gnat son. while Meridian with 11! up was a good third. Cock o the Walk carried ll." and was last all the time. The first mi e of this remarkable race was covered in l:JM!if,. Cock o the Walk finished his disappointing Belmont Park campaign in the Westchester Racing Associations meeting by winning a race on tie last day of the meeting. He carried 11! pounds to 104 on !. M. Miller and bent the latter by a mere matter of Inches at a mile and a sixteenth in 1:45. Mission, 102. finishing a had third. At the ensuing meeting of the Metropolitan Jockey Club, transferred from Jamaica to Belmont Park, he ran a good race in the Excelsicr Handicap at a mile und a sixteenth. The starters and weights were Meridian. 120; Cock the Walk. 114: Lahore. Ill: Nightstick. !7: Prince Eugene. 112: Guy Fisher. 10!, and Flying Fairy. 104, and at the end of a thrilling finish Meridian was lirst by a half length, with Cock o the Waik second three lengths in front of Lahore The race was run in 1:44 and was a new track record, rndoubledly Cock o the Walk would have won this race but for being much knocked about and badly hampered in its lirst mile. This was his last race at Itelmont Park and from there he was taken to Saratoga. There he began a career that was untnarrcd by defeat. His first start there was in the .$.",OOo Saratoga Handicap at a mile and a quarter, run in 2:0t!. His weight was 107 pounds and he won hy a length from Lahore. 110. Boiling Stone, !r. pounds, was a bad third, and Colonel IloIIoway. 02: 0. 31. Miller. 10.".. and Bob It., 100. ran unplaced. In the Champlain Stakes, run August 10. at a mile and an eighth. lie took up 114 pounds and. running the distance in 1 :."1 if,, won easily by a length from Nightstick. !0 pounds, with Prince Eugene. 110, third. The unplaced division was made up of Lahore. 11C: Sam Jackson. 100: Hawthorn. IK!: Any Port. 07; Guy Fisher. 1!7. and Ringling. 0.".. so this was. in all respects, a high-class performance. August 20. in the Huron Handicap, for three-year-olds at a mile and three-sixteenths, he was given 12.! pounds to 107 on Nightstick. 100 on Barnegat. 11.! on Buskin and 110 on ITince Eugene, and won by a length and a half in l:.".!!1-,. with Nightstick second and Barnegat third, again a capital race. This concluded his triumphant Saratoga campaign and he was taken southward to meet some engagements at Havre de Grace. Maryland. There, on September 1.!. in a rousing finish, he won the Itoval Blue Handicap at a mile and seventy yards in 1:4.". from Nightstick and Flying Fairy. Only the three started and at the lmish only three heads separated the speedy trio. Nightstick was second and the winner carried 120 pounds lo his 112 and Flying Fairys 114. His last race of the year was in the Cheslerhrook Handicap, at a mile and a sixteenth, run September 20. In this he was given 12S pounds to 112 on Flying Fairy. 11". on Nightstick. 07 on Barnegat. 100 on Hedge and 101 on Fiamma. This time lie won easily bv a length and a half in 1:40. with Flying Fairy second and Nightstick third, a slight readjustment of weights on the latter pair serving to reverse their placing in the Royal Blue Handicap. Then Cock o tin Walk was given a well-earned retirement for the year and the record and pedigree of this great young thoroughbred are: Year. Age. Sis. 1st. 2nd. ..rd. Flip. Won. 1012 - ! " 2 0 2 S .!,14r 10l:t 12 7 2 0 .". 11,27.". Totals 2 21 12 4 0 .", ?14,420 r , r l-ot.I on! Clifilen Uildcn i Newniitister. "!" J The Slave. f Ayrshire. j I.adv " Langden i Kettledrum. 1 Haricot. L I S f!"l" j Vedette. iV At. v,.,.,,... il. int. i J , Flying Duchess. r Peep oD.iv... J t Favonia j Thormnnbv. T I Woodbine." i St. Albans Stockwell. , I ,, r t., Springfield ,,- J - I f Hril.rv. 5 " I Sundown I . I Vivldis j Marsyas. . M. of Palmyra. ! . . Thormanbv j AlelneorWdhd w .2 .-.. . vnnshiut: -j Alicellawthorn. 3 . , . . Sunbeam J Chanticleer. E-i " .- . ,i Snntlower. b ? - . . Sterling J Oxford. S - -v fBeaudesert j Whisper. G - r Dil Beauvolr... - Sgnll, j Lifeboat. o -i Wild Cherry. ll j Stockdove ,., J Stockwell j . The Baron. M Pocahontas. J "ice J L Ellangowan j Voltigeur. j Bribery. i Leamington j Faugh-a-BIagh. rro.riiow i I f honj.t.no D.of Pantaloon. I h. Longfellow, j I Xanlura j Brawn. Eclipse. . . i I Quiz. , Planet j Revenue. L - j I Nina. Balloon j Yorkshire. Heraldry.
