view raw text
TURF CAREER OF GREEN B. MORRIS DEAD MAN HAD A WONDERFUL ARRAY OF GREAT RACERS IN HIS CARE WHEN IN HIS PRIME GEEEN B. MORRIS. Of late years it has been the custom to refer to Green R. Morris in terms to convey the impression that he was one .of the oldest men on rarth. Quito erroneous this. It is true that lie had been around quite awhile, but there are plenty of older men who are still quite spry und inwardly of the belief that they are entirely capable of holding their own with their juniors. Green 15. died at S3 years of age. Most of the people now connected witli racing found him a prominent figure on the turf when the sport first engaged their attention, heiica without reflection unconsciously contracted the habit of considering him in the same light as if he had quite really and truly been a centenarian, lie was by birtli a Mississippian and ivas born at Madison in that state in 1837. His folks moved to Missouri while lie was a lad and when lie was but fourteen yearn old "he bullwhacked" in a cattle train across the plains and mountains to California. There, in milling, stock trading and other pursuits, he remained until 18i4. Then he returned to Missouri and it was not long before lie drifted into racing. Such records as are available show that he raced a horse called Zuzu at Mobile, Ala., late in 1S0. This may have bee i his first thoroughbred, but of this there is no certainty. Zuzu had won races for Gen. Abe Ruford, but does not appear to have won after she passed into the possession of Mr. Morris. She was a chestnut filly by Ulverston Minnow, breeding that reads quaintly now. It is thus established that he was racing at least one horse as long away as fifty-one years ago and it is probably the case that there is Mutllno,w. ,g0givwturfnTnttandiioand$ record. Early in the seventies Morris formed a racing partnership with the Missouri breeder, James D. Patton, and it was not long until the firm name of Morris and Patton gained recognition East and West. Rill Dillon, Fellowplay and Mintzer were renowned horses that he campaigned in those early days, and good ones they were. He throve in his calling and grew in skill as a trainer and judge of horses and began to fly at the high game of the turf with marked success and success that stayed witli him for a loiig time. He achieved a sensational triumph in 1SS2 when he won the Kentucky Derby with Apollo. That year Dwyer Rros. owned a line colt by Rillet Mercedes, named Runuymede. He was an even-money favorite, and by virtue of his record and the presence of the redoubtable Jimmy McLaughlin in lie saddle deserved to be sucli. Apollo was such an outsider that he sold In the field in the auction pools and was 30 to 1 in the books. Rut in a Fensationallinish Apollo won by a half length, witli Runuymede second and Mike Dwyer lost a barrel of money oyer this unexpected result. Green Morris assured him and others that the best horse had won, but tliis was not so. When it came to the running of the Clark Stakes a few days later Runy-mede simply lost Apollo and won by ten lengths, while Billy Lakelands Rabcock beat Apollo for .sec- ond place. Still Apollo was quite a good colt and won a number of other races that year, including the Kentucky St. Leger of two miles at the Louisville fall meeting. This was thou an important race, which might very well be revived by the New Louisville Jockey Club. Morris found the experience of winning the Kentucky Derby quite agreeable and tried to repeat, but did not quite succeed, finishing second to Leonatus with Drake Carter in 1S83 and second to Joe Cotton with I.ersan in 1885. Rersan was a capital race horse and because of a peculiar bony protrusion above, his eye wan called "the horned horse." As in the case of Runuymede and Apollo, he had his revenge on Joe Cotton in the Clark Stakes, which lie won, easily, witli Troubadour second and Joe Cotton third. Rersan belonged to Morris singly, but Morris and Iatton had another excellent three-year-old that year in the Pat Malloy colt. Favor, which ran second to Lucky Raldwins Volante in the American Derby at Washington -1ark, and Was favorite in the betting. He was not equal to beating Volante, but won many important races East and West that year and in the year or two following. Many devoted turfmen ply their calling year in and year out, always cherishing the hope of some day coming into possession of one of those gems of horsedom which bring fame and fortune to an owner, without ever realizing that hope. Until in recent years Green R. Morris knew but little of such disappointment. From the time be began to race his first good horse. Rill Dillon, he had in his ownership or charge a remarkable succession of high-class racers. Sir Dixon, Strathmeath, Judge Morrow, Apollo, Mintzer, Drake Carter, Freeman, Ten Stone, Star Ruby. Cunard, Rex, Sombrero, Old England, Fellowplay, Favor, Pupil, Knight Templar, Tipstaff, Rena R., Modrine, lSeaocK, Star Chime, Janice, Slave, Money Muss, Duke of Kent, Lobengula, Sallie Clicquot, Moderocio and Ellen were names to conjure with in the host of billiant performers he trained and sent to victorious careers on the track. Sir Dixon he only raced as a two-year-old and, having won with him the Camden Stakes and the Select Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Flatbusli Stakes at Sliecpshead Ray, sold him to Dwyer Rros. for a big sum, but most of the others named raced in his charge until their days of usefulness on the track had waned. Sir Dixon was the best son of Rillet and an extremely successful sire after his retirement from racing, heading the American site list in 1901. Of all the horses he owned and raced Strathmeath was the greatest winner. .This was .n bay gelding by Stratlimore Flower of Meath, which, among other races, won for him the Spring Stakes and Partridge Stakes at Sliecpshead Ray, Tyro Stakes and Junior Champion Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Algeria Stakes at Gravesend ns a two-year-old. and the American Derby at Washington Park, Stockton Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Twin City Handicap at Sheepshend Ray when a three-year-old. He raced on successfully for several years and ranks thirteenth in the American list of winners of .00,000 or more, with a total of 14, 95S won. At the same time Morris owned the line racer, Judge Morrow, which won the Rrooklyn Handicap of 1892 for him, as well as many other races and a total of 7,- 213. It was at this time that he attained his condition of greatest prosperity and was a wealthy man and the possessor of a line residence property in Rrooklyn. In racing he was a careful and resourceful man, overlooking little that might be conducive to success. On the day when the American Derby of 1891 was to be run the track was "spottv" and drying out from a drenching rain of the night previous. Shortly after the first, race of the day had been disposed of Morris and his jockey, George Covington, walked around the track for its entire length and caefully noted its condition at every point. The result of this inspection was seen in the race. Covington raced Strathmeath along with the other horses for the first half mile, then lie began to veer him in and out in a way puzzling to the vast throng of spectators, but, exactly as had been mapped out by Morris, carefully following the course that had been selected in the stroll around the track. It resulted from this that, while Strathmeath really ran farther than the others horses, lie was running comfortably over sound going all through that last important mile, while his competitors were now and then unbalanced in their stride by plunging into soft spots. In no small fneasure was Strathmeaths easy triumph over Poet Scout and Kingman due to this intelligent measure, which did not occur to any other owner or rider concerned. Another striking illustration of his skill nd shrewdness in meeting an emergency was furnished in connection wtili the horse Star Ruby. This animal had been imported from England by J. B. Haggin and was his property, but was raced in partnership by Mr. Morris, as was also the case in regard to many other Haggin -owned horses. Reing a horse of extreme speed. Star Ruby had been raced almost exclusively in sprints and was considered a sprinter only. Rut lie had been entered in the four-mile Thornton Stakes of 1S90, run at the old Ray District track. Morris was racing his horses at San Francisco then, but did not intend to start Star Ruby In the long race. However desiring to send the horse to the stud with more than a sprinting record, Mr. Haggin ordered him to be started in the Thornton Stakes. This occurred so shortly prior to the date of the race that no time remained in which to give Star Ruby an orthodox preparation for a dash of four miles. His sagacious jockey, W. .Martin, was called into council and the two wise heads devised what proved to lie a novel, but highly successful plan for winning a four-mile race by a dash of three-quarters of a mile. Only three started, the other t wo being Gilcad, which had won the stake in 189ri, and the proved staver, Claudius. No such four-mile race was ever witnessed. Claudius went off in the lead, with Giiead lapped on him, and ran thus for the first two miles. At the end of the first mile Star Ruby and Willie Martin were just turning into tite homestretch as the two leaders dashed by the grandstand. At the end of two miles the gap had widened to all of a half mile and it was nearly the same when three miles had been covered, with Giiead now leading. Of course, to all appearances, Star Ruby did not possess the ghost of a chance and the spectators were giving litttle attention and applause to the really exciting struggle going on between J Head and Claudius, with exhausting effect for both. It was not until in the fourth and last mile that the bit of racing strategy devised bv Morris and Martin and carried out with signal skill and coolness by the latter was made manifest to tlte astonished people who had lost sight of Star Ruby. When lie turned into the backstretch Giiead, now having Claudius well beaten, was turning out of it on the far turn. With three-quarters to go, Martin released Star Ruby from restraint and the way he closed up on the two tired toilers far in front seemed almost magical to the startled beholders. Yet it was a simple enough affair. Star Rubv had been so skillfully saved that he was a comparatively fresli horse when he began his sprint of "three-quarters. He ran that three-quarters in 1:15 and such a rate of speed in the last mile of a four-mile race was bound to be decisive. lie passed Claudius before reaching the homestretch and, nailing Giiead when beginning the last eighth, passed him and won pulling up by a length. Good old Green R. He had no Sir Dixon, Strathmeath or Judge Morrow in late vears and his wealth has gone as it came, but he did the best he could with what he had and, was an ornament to American r acini;. I I i 1 i I i
