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ROYAL CONTEST IN STORE Eager Jnterest Waits on Meeting of Two Great Horses. Characteristics of Man o War and Sir Barton and Their Bearing on Saratoga Cup Race. n I i SARATOGA, X. Y.. August 7. What promises to be tlie racing test of the your will bo the meeting of Man o War and Sir Knrtoii-iu the Saratoga Cup, at one mile and three-quarters, on the closing day of the meeting at this point. It will be the first time these splendid specimens of the thoroughbred will try each others mettle, unless a special race should be arranged by the management between now and that date; and if the leather and course conditions are favorable a new record ;nay be looked for. Man o Wars sensational work on Tuesday last, when he covered a mile and an eighth in 1:49. and Sir Bartons mile and a quarter in 2:01- in the Saratoga Handicap indicate the fitness of both horses. It will be interesting to see whether the old adage about a good big horse being able to take the measure of a good little one will hold in this case, as it has in most of the other tests that have been made between horses that have been concededly first class, but have not been matched in n physical sense. Somebody recently referred to Sir Barton as "a bull of a horse," conveying the impression that he is a great heavy type of the thoroughbred. As a matter of fact, he is a trifl ovr 1.T.2 hands in height..nnd probahlynever. , lib weiglifd 9r0 poiUils""ih training.- He is all L horse, however, from his rat-like ears to his well-U placed tail. SIR BARTON A GLUTTON FOR WORK. " It is doubtful if the turf ever had a tougher bit of racing material than Commander Boss champion. He is a glutton for wori:. When trainer Bedwell was getting him ready for hi early engagements as a three-year-old, he gave him a drilling that would have knocked out any horse but the son of Star Shoot. Trials with Cudjel and Billy Kelly on all kinds of tracks and with weight up were the order of the day. The culminating work that made the average trainer hold up 1is hands, and declare that Bedwell had at last reached the climax, came one day at Havre do Grace, when the colt was brought out in a drizzling rain a cold, raw afternoon that would make the average" man keep his charges indoors, and sent a mile and an eighth in 1:54. He had Cudgel as a prompter for five eighths, and Billy Kelly brought him home. There wasnt an onlooker that didnt question the wisdom of Bed-wells judgment on that, occasion, and yet history 1 records that he was right. Bedwell knew his horse. It was his work day, and rain, hail or shine Sir Barton was on the track. If any proof were needed as to Bedwells skill, the manner in which ho brought the four-year-old to the post for the Saratoga Handicap recently snould be convincing. Tlint Bedwell will have him On edge for the Cup is a foregone conclusion. That he will start him also is certain, as he has always raced his horses when they were ready, and has never shown a disposition to dodge the issue with any rivals. When A. K. Macombjr was in this country recently he said that our system of racing .took much more out of a horse than the method which prevailed in France. Bates are run from start to finish here, no matter what the distance, whereas on the continent there is frequently no pace during the early part. The fact that Hollister, which was considered a miler when racing here, has been placed in good company at a mile and a half iu France is proof of this .-.ssortion. CUP A RACE FROM END TO END. It is for this reason that the Saratoga Cup should go down in history as a great race. Both Man o War and Sir Barton like to go to the front. If both trainers give orders to race from the moment the barrier is released a contest that will surpass anything the American turf has seen may be looked for. as both horses are dead game and each conies from families noted for their stamina. It will be a case of the survival of the fittest. Nature will be called upon for .her last reserves of speed aiid stamina. Whichever horse has the stouter heart and the greater degree of nerve force will be crowned the champion. In Sir Barton, Man o War will be meeting the horse best qualified to search out his weaknesses, if he possesses any. No other horse that coiih: be selected could be depended to carry him along all the way. When Sir. Barton is in action he is the picture" of the relentless, tireless type of thoroughbred that never acknowledges defeat. Witli his head and tall on a line and his ears flattened to the disappearing point on his neck, he is a veritable racing machine. On the other hand, there is no denying the fact that Man o War is a phenomenon. In physical makeup he is as nearly perfect as horses come, lie is 10.2 hands, but is so beautifully modeled that he does not look it. His action is long, low and sweeping, like that of the greyhound, and his stride so terrific that old-timers compare it to that of Longfellow. There is no doubt that he covers more ground at a liound than his older rival, and as his recovery is so smooth and fric-tlonless. Ids admirers elaitn that oven a long route tills will be greatly iu his favor. If Sir Barton lias as much speed as Man o War he has never uliown it in public. He is, however, blessed with what might he termed the "gift of continuance," mid if Man o War takes his measure on Tuesday, August 31, it will indeed be a case of hats off to the champion. Louis Feustel has handled him with rare skill to date and has earned the highest praise for his ability ns a horseman. The record for the Cup is 2:"8. held jointly by Africander and Exterminate r. The former made his fine effort in 1903, :ind he was a three-year-old, with 113 pounds, up. Dint was the scale at that period for a three-year-old. W. S. Vosburgh always contended that three-year-olds had the Continued on second page. RbYAE CONTEST IN STORE Continued from first page. advantage under the scale :is it existed then, and finally it was changed so that the impost at the present time is 110 pounds, and this is what Man o War will carry as against 12i for Sir Barton; The fact that Friar Reck. Omar Khayyam and Johren all wou the prize with 113 pounds was- convincing proof that the older horses were at a disadvantage under the old scale. The Saratoga Cup is one of the oldest of the American. Stake races. It was inaugurated in 1805 when- it- was won by Kentucky, a son of Lexington, in the colors of Hunter and Travers. The same horse won it the following year. Springbok won it in- 1874, and in 1875 dead-heated with Pieakness. Parole and General Monre each wou it twice, but in the other years of its existence it has never been taken on more than one occasion by the same horse. Four mares have won It Thorn in 1882, When the distance was two miles and a quarter, lie true Cup route; Los Angeles at two miles in 1S9J, and by Beldane anl Running Water in 1904 and 1907, respectively, when the- distance was one mile and five-eighths. President Wilson and his associates will be put to it to find room for all who will want to fee the Cup of 1920.
