Features Of Old Koenigs Career: His Defeat of Roamer in the Carter Handicap the Crowning Achievement of His Racing., Daily Racing Form, 1918-07-13

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FEATURES OF OLD KOENIGS CAREER His Defeat of Eoamer in the Carter Handicap the Crowning Achievement of His Baring When Old Koenig defeated Roamer in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct July 4 he ran the best race of a career flecked with other good races Roamer for the time being seems about as good as ever lit was and it was no slight thing to outfinish him at a concession of but eisht pounds to say nothing of the fast band which brought up behind the pair The Carter is a long established fixture of racing and in Its time has fallen to such stars as Charade Box Beldame Itoseben Jack Atkin Roamer and Old Rosebud but Old Koenigs was the fastest and best race ever run for it itThe The indefinable something that diffentiates a good race horse from a great race horse belongs to Old Koenig When at his best as exemplified in the Carter Handicap his speed is of the remark ¬ able order But it is not always on tap One of the elements of the truly great race horse is that he can be relied upon to race to his demonstrated form consistently Roamer is a great race horse He did not win either the Excelsior or the Carter Handicaps but with 130 pounds on his back he was second in both and battling nobly for victorv Old Koenig won the Carter Handicap with 122 pounds up but with 114 lie was nowhere in the Excelsior There is the difference in a nutshell Old nutshellOld ICoenig started but once when a twoyearold and was unplaced He was given a respectable cam ¬ paign of ten races when a threeyearold and won four of them All of his racing was done before July 1 and all was over the Kentucky tracks All of his victories were ii fast run purse races A threequarters sprint at Churchill Downs in which he defeated Blind Baggage and other fast ones in 111 achievementLast was his most notable achievement Last year the horse took part in nine races and again won four all being purses Three were won in Kentucky and one at Belmont Iark in all of which he showed his ample endowment of speed A mile in 138 with King Gorin second three quarters in 112 and again in 1121 were his best winning performances But it was reserved for this year to bring about his first success in a stake race raceOld Old Koeiiig started off with colors flying high this year when he won at his first start This was at Jamaica May 1C when carrying Ho pounds he won at threequartern quite easily in 112 from Startling Campfirc Panamaii High Noon Green Gold Greek Legend and Hank ODay Then lie ran five races without winning but in all but one of the five races was second or third in fast company In his last race prior to his signal success in the Carter Handicap he carried 124 Dounds and was a bangup second to Kalitnn 122 Tit six and a half furlongs in such fast time as 11SJ Heretofore some besetting weakness has confined Old Koenigs endeavors in racing to the first half of the year If this year he escapes this infirmity it may be in store for him to bring his undoubted speed into play effectively at Empire City and Saratoga It is of interest to observe how this may turn out


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1918071301/drf1918071301_1_7
Local Identifier: drf1918071301_1_7
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800