view raw text
HIGHEST PRAISE FQR SIR BARTON Noted American Trainer Says He Is One of Best Three -Year-Olds Ever Seen in Any Country. "Sir Barton is undoubtedly one of the highest class three-year-olds that has ever shown in any country," says one of the foremost of American trainers and as keen a judge of a horse as then? is in this country today, in a letter to Daily Racing Form, giving a brief resume of the years racing. Here Is what lie says: "As was predicted a year ago the J. K. L. Ross stable was easily the largest money winner on the American turf in 1919. However, the chief breadwinner or steak winner came from a rather un-looked for member of the Cnnadiau sportsmans stable. It is something unusual for a- horse beginning as a three-year-old maiden to end the season the largest money winning individual of the year. a.s did Sir Barton. The Star Shoot colt is undoubtedly one of the highest class three-year-olds that has ever shown id any country. What a pity it was that Sir Barton and Purchase did not meet last fall while both were at their best! It would surely have been a contest worth witnessing, and I for one would have had a ticket on Sir Barton. Of course Purchase beat Sir Barton at Aqueduct; but the latter was in no condition and might better have been kept in the stable. That the race was not a good one is proved by the fact that Herodias ran much faster the first part of her race the same day, and Herodias was only ordinary. "It is well for the Ross stable that Sir Barton was a. champion, for it needed such a horse to pay for the 5,000 trio War Pennant, War Marvel and Motor Coji bought from A. K. Macomber the hitler end of last season, for they won nothing worth mentioning, and also for the high priced yearlings bought at Saratoga, viz., Royal Jester, 4,000, and Irish Dancer, 1,000. the hnlf-brohor to The Porter, both of which retired this fall as maidens. "Commander Ross is a liberal buyer and has spent upward of ,000,000 for horses .and breeding farms the past few years. litis any one else spent half as much in racing lately? He paid 7,000 for a mitre and foal last August, a record price in this country. I believe. and also 5,000 for a yearling, and it has been some time since a yearling sold for that much over here. May his success continue. "Just at present it would appear that Man o War has all the three-year-old events for next year at his mercy and John P. Grier seems to be next lst. Still, racing is a bit uncertain, and colts change from their two to three-year-old form. "The Futurity is generally considered the proof of greatness; but what of the last two winners of it? Dunboyne, which won the big race last year, failed to win even a purse this year, while Papp, the Futurity winner of 1917, won but one race as a three-year-old and then only beat Poacher a nose in a hard drive. Exterminator, The Porter and Sunny Slope showed no high class as- two-year-olds, but they were among the liest three-year-olds to race last year, Johrcn being the second largest money winner of the year and Exterminator third largest, only Eternal winning more than these two good horses. Omar Khayyam is another which did nothing great as a two-year-old. "Man War is a great two-year-old and in a class with Colin and Sir Martin. Some hitherto unknown may furnish keen competition next year. Dounacoua should make a grand three-year-old. He looks the part and is bred well enough to do anything asked of him. I predict lie will do better than his stablemate. On Watch, a good colt himself."
