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TWO CELEBRATED AMERICAN HORSES Greatness of Luke Blackburn and Hindoo in Racing and Afterward in Stud Service. Luke Blackburn and Hindoo were two of the greatest race horses that ever trod on an American track, Luke being the senior by a year. In individual characteristics they differed about as much as two horses could do. Luke Blackburn was all fire and animation. Racing to him was all that play in the open is to a hardy growing boy. He manifestly loved it and regarded it in his horse niind as about the only thing fit for a horse to do. Right out to the front was his way and "catch me if you can" his motto. On the other hand, Hindoo was a big, sedate, lazy horse which was content to go along and only do what his rider called on him to do. But when called on, the other horses contending with him speedily found out that what he did was more than a sufficiency. Both were of the kind of horses which win Epsom Dcrbys, superb in speed, magnificent in do or die gameness and entirely up to traversing any route victoriously. Luke Blackburn was not a great two-year-old. He was beaten eleven times before scoring. Then lie won his last two races of his year, taking the Breeze Purse over the old Prospect Park track, afterward Gravesend, and the Ocean Stakes at Brighton Beach. Far different was his three-year-old career in 18S0. Then he started in twenty-four races and won twenty-two of them. His first start was in the Phoenix Hotel Stakes at Lexington, in which he was fairly and squarely beaten by Fonso and Kinked, probably not being q:ite on edge. But Fonso was a good race horse and soon afterward won the Kentucky Derby. The only time Luke Blackburn was beaten again that year was when he fell down in a race at Gravesend, which was then won by Duke of Montrose. Otherwise his career was a marvel of racing. He treated em all alike. Nothing of his own age could hold a candle to him and he made hacks of the older horses of his time, gave weight to excellent handicap horses by the scale and, in fact, ran away from them. Leg infirm! lies beset him the next year and he was retired to the stud. He sired many good racers, of which Proetor Knott was probably best. But his line has not endured. His pedigree was: "2 , "Tramp or Wavly p f Don John.... J lDau- f Comus S f Iago ! . S rl lScandal...7.:fselim g LBau.of Haphazd te M fGladiator f Partisan p-3 a L Queen J L Pauline gg 3IalT- .Daughter of. . f Plenipotentiary H Ulyrrha O- . fBoston fTimoleon rLexing- T J LSis. to Tuckahoe a a ton .... r sarpedon g A,.ee c w c.J LRowena H o fGlencoe f Sultan T.vi.f Light- J W 55 I Trampoline g son,e"-LLevity f Trustee w I Vandals dam Unlike Luke Blackburn Hindoo was a high-class two-year-old and should not have been beaten. He began his turf career by winning the Colt and Filly Stakes at Lexington. Then in succession won the Alexander Stakes and Tennessee Stakes at Churchill Downs, the Juvenile Stakes and Jockey Club Stakes at St. Louis Fair Grounds and the Criterion Stakes and Tremont Hotel Stakes over the west side track at Chicago. These seven victories in a row gave him a great reputation, and he was sold to Dwyer Bros, for 5,000, a great sum for those days, but continued to race in the name of D. Swigert until retired for the year. He was taken onst, and at Saratoga ran tiiird to Crickmorc and Bonnie Lizzie in the Windsor Hotel Stakes and second to the magnificent filly Thora in the Day Boat Line Stakes. It was current and no doubt well founded rumor at the time that his training had been relaxed sulsequent to his sale and that he was not in fit condition to do himself justice at Saratoga. However, the horses which beat him there were real crackerjacks. The next year, when n three-year-old, Hindoo started in twenty races, of which he won eighteen, was second in one and third in one. Oddly enough, his two defeats, as in the previous year, came in his two last races, and for a further partial coincidence Crickmore won them both. Hindoo was a great four-year-old. Checkmate beat him in his first start at that age in the Dixiana Stakes at Louisville, then he turned right about and defeated Checkmate decisively in three stake races the Louisville Cup at two miles and a quarter, Merchants Stakes at a mile and an eighth and the Turf Stakes at a mile and a quarter. His last race at that age was for the two miles and a quarter Coney Island Cup at Shecpshead Bay, in which he vanquished two such celebrities as Eole and Parole. In all this noble animal ran in thirty-five races, of which he won thirty, was second in three and third in two. With careful and considerate management his record would have been unsullied by defeat. In the stud Hindoo was as great as in racing and sired a host of winners, among which Hanover ranked first as a remarkable racer himself and a sire of worldwide fame. Here is Hindoos pedigree: rVandal..JG1CHC0C lAlarics dal Luciand . r Yorkshire.... f?.- Nicholas lUymeniaJ feni08" TZ? Little "V"1110. I Peggy. g I- bhJ I Peggy Stewart 21 rBoston fTimoleon f Sis. to Tuckahoe gS gfLexington I lAlieeCarneal Weather- fWtabit.. Witch. 1 v DauglltL.r of. f Irish Birdcicher I Colocynth
