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THREE MOST FORMIDABLE CANDIDATES Eternal, Vindex and Dunboyne Best of Eastern Eligibles for Latonia Championship Stakes. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y.. September 3. From the way things went during the recent meeting the most formidable of tlio three-year-olds that will take part in the impending inaugural of the 0,000 Latonia Championship Stakes, the Kentucky Jockey Clubs great mile and three-quarters feature for three-year-olds, will be three colts whose names figured prominently in the anticipatory comment on the Kentucky Derby of last spring. The three-year-olds eligible for the Championship that appear to have trained most satisfactorily up here since the beginning of August are Harry Payne Whitneys Vindex, a half British, half American son of St. Victrix and Bellefontaine; James W. McClellands Eternal, the Anferiean.-brcd sos of Sweep and Hazel Burke, which won the juvenile championship of 191S when he defeated the all-conquering Billy Kelly in the John It. McLean Memorial at Laurel Park in October, and Philip A. Clarks Dunboyne, the American-bred son of Celt and Workmaid, which defeated Sir Barton and Purchase in the Futurity of 1918. Of these Eternal is the only one that has really distinguished himself this year. After suffering defeat in the Kentucky and Latonia Derbys, also in the Withers Stakes at Belmont Park, all three of which races were run on slow or heavy tracks, and meeting defeat by Purchase in the Stuyvesant Handicap at Jamaica, undoubtedly because of jockey Andrew Schuttingers timid disinclination to take a reasonable chance on the first turn. Eternal defeated Purchase without half trying in the Brooklyn Handicap. Probably there was no three-year-old in the country that could have beaten Eternal on Brooklyn Handicap day. The going was light .?JJil,JandandtwJuc and Hazel Burke had always liked, and lie galloped one mile and an eighth in 1:49, the last three-eighths against a strong head wind. It was the opinion of Mr. McClelland, also of J. D. Odom, the official timer at Jockey Club tracks, that Eternal would have covered one mile and an eighth in 1:4S or thereabouts if there had been no wind. And this theory -seems to have had substantial basis. Such speed as Eternal displayed in the Brooklyn had never before been shown by an American thoroughbred. The lightfooted Sweep colt ran the first half iu 45, the three-quarters in 1:10 and the mile in 1:35. His time for the mile was three-fifths of a second better than the American record for one mile, made under silks and in a race, which was then held individually by Sun Briar. ETERNAL SAVED FOR THE BIG RACE, Eternal has not started since the Brooklyn Handicap was run. Heavy going prevented his appearing against Sir Barton and Purchase in the Dwyer renewal at Aqueduct, in which Purchase dethroned Sir Barton. No effort was made to get him to the post at Yonkers and Saratoga because of his eligibility for the Latonia Chaamplonship and the general attractiveness of the fall programs of Maryland and Kentucky as regards racing for horses three years old and three years old and over. There have been rumors of Eternals having gone wrong. But they were inevitable. Whenever an American horse remains away, from the races for a couple of weeks the gossip mongers tell of his having broken down. As a matter of fact, Eternal is bigger, better looking, sounder and faster today than he has leen" at any time in his brilliant career. Several times in the course of the last fortnight lie has- proved that none of his old-time speed has been lost by galloping three-eighths of ,a mile in better than 30 seconds. Continuous bad training weather alone will prevent his training for the Championship. He has shown such a pronounced indisposition to maintain his speed in heavy going Mr. McClelland will not even work him on slow tracks. Vindex, which became one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby -last soring after he shouldered 110 pounds with the four-year-old Foreground, which was then at the top of his form, and beat him in the Susquehanna Handicap, probably is the most formidable of the Saratoga aspirants for tiie Latonia Championship on recent work. Vindex galloped one mile and a quarter over the rather euppy Oklahoma track in 2:00 last week with bis head swinging. Mr. McClelland, who held a watch on the handsome son of St. Victrix, declared after Vindex pulled up that he had never seen a horse work more satisfactorily. He said that if the Latonia Championship were to be run in ten days or two weeks time that there would bo no question as to the result. He predicts that if Eternal fails to train in Maryland through the first fortnight of September as he hopes the Sweep colt may and expects he will that Vindex, provided he stands, will take the winners end of the great Latonia race. VINDEX A PREPOSSESSING COLT. The failures of Vindex in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness were due to the "sturdinoss" of the son of St. Victrix. Vindexs heart and mind throughout the spring were too full of romance. He would not apply his energies to racing. But since a flirtation with influenza in June, tills sickness having prevented his starting in the Brooklyn Handicap, the Dwyer Stakes and the Empire City Derby, and interfered with his preparation for the Continued, on second page. THREE MOST FORMIDABLE CANDIDATES Continued from, first page. Tiavers up here, Vindex has trained as soberly as any horse ini the..country, A splendid looker is this tail male descendant of the brilliant St. Simon. But he is a Hamburg in physique, not a St. Simon. He gets lus Hamburg blood through Bellefontainc, his dam. which is a daughter of Watercress and the brilliant Hamburg Belle. The early spring career of Dunboyne was not unlike that of Vindex. After training promisingly for the Preakness, the great son of Celt and Workmnid went down to Maryland and began to act badly. He dumped his rider Buddy Ensor at the post before what was to have been his first race. In the. Preakness he refused to start. Then he struck one of his legs and became slightly lame. Finally lie" fell Sick- -with influenza, as did- most, of the horses that were at Belmont Park in May and June: : Slowly Dunboyne , has, recovered from both lameness and the. debilitating effects of his influenza. Carefully he has been brought back to racing form. The patient skill Dunboynes whimsical trainer, William Hogan, lias shown in his handViiw ,1s jWQrtby of ,thji Jiigliest commendation. Today Dunboyne is in splendid condition. His mile and a quarter over the Horse Haven track in 2:25 last week proved that. The Horse Haven traek is about a foot deep in sand. Hogan lias told Mr. Clark and Burton L. Cassells, the last-named Mr.-Clarks- partner in the ownership of Dunboyne, that the Celt colt will beat both .Sir Barton :nd Purchase Tvhcncvcr he is ready for the colors. All three of these horses will be given their final preparation for the Latonla Championship at Havre de Grace traek, which has been pronounced by horsemen the best training track in the United States. They will ship from Saratoga to Marylnnd. Hogan will continue to manage. Dunboyne, Kimball Patterson will-have the care of Eternal and Albert Simons will take care of Vimle.v, while. James Rowe is campaigning the majority of the horses, of the Whitney stable at Belmont Park. It is. not improbable that all three will start in the ,000 Harford County Handicap, the 10,000 Potomac and the 0,000 Havre tie Grace Handicap. Tlie value of actual racing as part of- the preparation or three high-class horses for such a race as the Latoniu Championship is sure to develop is keenly appreciated by the trainers of- Vindex, Dunboyne niid- Eternal. . . -. . . .
