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CONFORMATION OF FAMOUS RACERS. "Good race horses come in all shapes," is an axiom of racing that no one will dispute. But that certain conformations are better adapted to certain kinds of racing we have abundant evidence. W 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 Scotlands, the light-fleshed, wiry Learn ingtons, high on the leg and short in bodv like Ormonde, and long and low like The Ill-used; some galloping with a straight knee like Grinstead, others all knee-action like George Kinney, or with action completely from behind, like Donald Macdonald. . . The tvpe of race horses for sprinting and staying differs materially. In general, the thick, heavy-muscled horse has greater speed. 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, full 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 tvpe of horse whose muscles are not so prominent, but whose conformation is of the angular style, is usually deficient in early speed, but is a betler staver than the round, muscular one. The famous filly Correction a sister to Domino, and since the dam of Yankee, was one of the most conspicuous examples. While 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 three-quarters much better. Her brother, Domino, was built upon similar, but far more robust lines, and I doubt if we have seen a faster hors than Domino. But he was at best a miler, although his courage carried him a trifle further. At a mile and a quarter lie could not prevail. , . , For the Suburban of 1S95, I allotted Domino 123 pounds, and there was a howl that he was "thrown in." He started one of tin; hottest favorites in the history of the race, ran brilliantly for a mile, then fell back unplaced. A few years later Fred lnral and Sam Doggett, the jockeys, were sitting in our office one day, just prior to starting for Austria, anil gossiping of the races in which they had ridden. "I think, Sam. 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 Taral. "I bad 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 be stopped so quickly I thought he had broken down." o 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 be was bulky, heavilv muscled, with enormous propelling power. Henry, on the contrary, was rather angular and stood higher on the leg, was lighter m the quarters and in the neck, and altogether less robust in appearance. At a mile, Domino could always outrun Navarre, but at a mile and 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 and the longer muscled, less robust one. Voter the successor of Domino as a phenomenal speed horse, was of the huge, short-muscled type. Few horses have shown more muscle in the quarters and gaskins, while he had a back cloven like a rims. He could out-gallop any horse of his time; but not bevond a mile. Boseben was another of the heavy-muscled type, with great size and capacity to carry weight; but found his enormous carcass too heavy to carrv beyond seven furlongs. Jack Atkin was another of the type; pace or weight made little difference with him, but he tired when lie was asked to go bevond 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 stajer. Glencoe and Lexington, both horses of considerable bulk, earlv set the fashion in this country for the robust tvpe; and when Leamington was imported there was a prejudice against him because he was of the rangv, wiry type. "Too 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 bone and size so much, indeed, that he was a backward colt, and 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 country has known. For so large and lengthy a horse we never saw so quick a beginner. Nor do Ave recall a horse of greater stride. He always made the pace "from end to end" being the policy of bis owner, Mr. Harper, considering which, that be could manage to stay as well as he did was remarkable. But then lie was, despite bis great size, built upon the lines of a stayer. Ben Holladay was of the angular, long-muscled tvpe, 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 oter a longer distance. He was, probably, the greatest distance horse of this generation under great weights. I weighted him 13S pounds for the Morris Park Handicap, two and one-quarter miles, 1S9S, and he won in a canter. In 1899 I allotted him 140 pounds for the same stake, and he was beaten only a head by. Muskadine. 101! pounds, with Ethel-bert. 117 pounds, a head behind him. The character of muscle that made Ben Holladay the stayer liar excellence, could not enable him to prevail in 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 bis horses. Parole was an angular, light-waisted gelding, with 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 gieat 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 bad a family of race horses that surpassed that of Bonnie Scotland in this respect. They were most of the round, compact type, tremendously muscled, and. while not so renowned for stamina as for speed, they won more races 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 Scotlands for the mud" became a proverb among horsemen. That angular, leggy and long-muscled horses are usually bad performers in heavy, muddy ground is a fact well known to most horsemen. 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 bis stride. Thus, deprived of bis natural advantage. Ik; loses his race. The Bonnie Scotlands were usually stocky, short-legged horses, and, with their great muscle and short, rapid stride, they fairly revelled in mud. and, as a baseball friend put it, "they never heeded rain checks." 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 he could not stay beyond a mile. His son, Himyar, Jess heavily muscled, could carry his speed further. Ilimyars son. Domino, as already noted, was not a stayer, but his son. Commando, a rather coarse colt of more length and liberty, seemed able to race over a distance. Glcnmorc was a muscular horse, but in a four-mile heat race at Coney Island some years since he developed a clear case of tetanus and could hardly gallop something we have never seen a long-muscled horse do. Of course, there are notable exceptions. We have seen large horses and heavily-muscled horses which could stay as well as sprint. The French horse Mortemer we thought one of the largest and most powerful horses we ever saw. He won at all distances from five-eighths to two miles and a half. Tom Ochiltree was a mammoth for size and a Hercules for muscle, and though speed was his forte, he could stay. Irish Lad was another, and so was Peter Pan, Emperor of Norfolk, Springbok and Sy-sonby. Burgomaster was one of the most massive colts of recent times, but he stayed the Belmont course. So did Bowling Brook, but lie Avas too heavily topped for his light limbs. Hermis Avas a chunky, compact horse and certainly be did all he was asked to do. Thus, while there are many exceptions, as a general thing, the short, heavily-muscled horse excels for speed, AAiiile the long muscles are better for a sustained effort they better bear the contraction resulting from sustained speed. Probably a happy medium between the two is the ideal horse a horse of the style of Africander. He Avas the beau ideal of a racer, just tall enough to give length of stride, just muscled enough to give him the needed speed and dash, though he leaned toward the staying type. Ethelbert was a horse of the intermediate type, so Avas Requital. It is a principle of racing, that a mere sprinter, or pure stayer, cannot be called a first-class horse, but he should fill both conditions horses like Cyllene, St. Simon, Bayardo, Isonomy, Isinglass and Spearmint in England; Mortemer and Boiard in France, and Longfellow, Henry of Navarre, Hindoo, Hanover, Sysonby and Salvator in this country. This letter is not written to exploit a theory, and the fact that examples for and against are given is proof enough of that. All students of racing aud breeding are apt to indulge theories at some time in their career, but in the end they find them unprofitable. The fact is the race horse is a complex animal, an uncertain animal. Like a lady, he is a being that has Avithstood for many generations the efforts of mankind to understand. Science, philosophy and logic are thrown away in the effort. And avIio shall say Ave should like either the better if Ave understood them? The charm of woman lies largely in our inability to understand her; the charm ot the race horse, and of racing, is their element of uncertainty Avithout which there could be no racing, and hence, no race horses. W. S. Vosburgh in Thoroughbred Record.
