Messenger Boys Wonderful Race: His Death Recalls His Victory in the Four-Mile Kentucky Endurance Stakes., Daily Racing Form, 1918-06-12

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MESSENGER BOYS WONDERFUL RACE His Death Recalls His Victory in the Four-Kile Kentucky Endurance Stakes, The death of Messenger Hoy recalls to mind the vic-ory of that racer in the Kentucky Endurance Stakes, the gnat four-mile race featured by the New Ixiuisville Jockey Club, with the hope of renewing interest in long distance racing in this country. It was in Ml, in tin- fall of the year, that the first running of the Kentucky End i nance Stakes was staged at Chan hill Downs. Messenger Hoy. then a three-year-old. won it and. in winning it. established a new American record for four miles. The account of the race on that day reads as follows; "Kugene Lutz three-year-old, Messenger Hoy. accomplished today what no other racer of his "years has been able to do in the hist decade, namely. score at four miles over older opposition. He triumphed in splendid fashion in the much-coveted Kentucky Endurance Stakes over Nadzu and Itoya! Beaart, and also established a new American record for tlie distance when he came home in 7:14V-. En-cn-tia ISorgia. against time, made a mark of 7:11 with pacemakers, but neyer has Messenger Hoys Hbm been approached in actual contest. The race was a splendid spectacle between Messenger Hoy I nd Nadzu for the last two miles. Previous to this. Hoyal Kt am t had essayed tlie role of pacemaker and flattered the hopes of his backers. His lead, however, was only on sufferance, as Messenger Hoy and Nadzu left him with aopareut ease at their riders call. "Messenger Hoy flashed into the lead passing tin second mile, but Molesworth. his rider, did not in tend to eul out the pac- and. taking a restraining hold, content* d himself with staying clos-.- to Nadzu. which had taken the role of leader. Clos" order was maintained by the pair until the last half mile, when it lNcame apparent that Nadzu was weakening and the younger horse, though himself tiring, overhauled the It. dwell r present-itive iu easy fashion and ultimately drew out to win by eight lengths. Kov.il Beaart falt-red badly iu the last mile and brought up a full eighth 1m hind Xadzu. Aylmer. the only othir starler. broke down after going tw. and a half miles and was dismounted. The net vain- of the stake to the winner was S3.7SO and a •_oM cup donated by the Kenlitcky State Itacing Commissiou worth S1.IKKI. Nadzus share was ,180 and Hoyal Beaorfl S . the latter two taking re-sp.-ctive!- twenty per cent and ten per eeat -.f the sri.joo parse. BIG CROWD WITNESSES THE RACE. "rnmindfiil of the cold and threatening weather, an imiie use attendance, second only in size to that • f Kentucky Horby day, was at Churchill Downs. eager to witness the four mile racing. There was a predominance of old timers, among them some who had not been to a race course iu ten years. To them th" Endurance Stakes recalled racing of old. They lived in the past and told and retold of the struggles of T-n Hroock. Mollie McCarthy, Cray Eagle. I/oxiiigton. Lecompte and other racing veterans of over thirty years ago. They mentioned the names of the racers reverently and again recalled the time wh-n they wore all assembled at the same track to a Man - the now historic race between Ten Itroeck and Mettle McCarthy. Coing back thirty-three years was as nothing to them. They spoke of it as if the mat. h hail taken place yesterday. "The;, younger generation listened to the old-timers ith rospvetful attention, but intent on pick ing tlie winner. To them the vital question was whether Nadzu would be able to pack 124 pounds over the trying route or would he succumb to his younger MM lighter weighted rivals? Hoyal He-port atjd Aylmer never entered seriously into caleu !atioiis. To the more exiicrieiieed horsemen, as well s raee followers generally. Nadzu loomed as the aie most likely to pull down the plum. It was known that le- iiad been given a thorough preparation for the Biee, while a doubt as to Messenger Hoys fit-in ss bl go four miles was expressed. It was also argil-.; that it was against precedent for a three-year-old to succeed at the distance over an older horse. "The human side cropped out during the running of the race and sympathy was all for Messenger Hoy in ;he feat mii,. and a half. When it ltocame apparent that he would win. the cheers of th,. spectao.rs grew in volume. To the owner, the stakes took on the proportion of a fortune. It was common rumor Ixfore the race that he had to Ixirrow the sl.-.ii starting fee. Mr. Lutz confidence in his hois,. |ir.,wt.ss was sui erb. To those who asked him while in the paddock he had the same answer. " I expect to win by about an eighth of a mile. and i it js necessary Messenger Hoy will run tin four n, lies in 7:11. He was all smiles after the finish .-nd ,-hoke. 1 with emotion when Ceorge J. Long, i -presenting the Kentucky State ltaciug Com mission, tendered him tlie gold cup. He found voice-to expn-ss thanks to Mr. Long and immediately rushed away to superintendent the cooling out of his hors..." Messe.igcr Hoy cost his owner S135. Eugene Lutz tx.ugl.t the colt from It. F. Carman at a weeding "lit Mle of the Carman stable at Tampa, Fla., in the sluing of l.HW. Messenger Hoy was bred by J. I. Wilson and was purchased by H. F. Carman as a yearling for MS.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800