Day of Big Race Here: Man O War and Sir Barton to Meet This Afternoon, Daily Racing Form, 1920-10-12

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DAY OF BIG RACE HERE Man o War and Sir Barton to Meet This Afternoon. Thousands to Witness Struggle of Giants for Richest Turf Prize Ever Offered. WINDSOR, Ontario, October 11. The eyes of tlie turf world are now. turned toward this quiet little Canadian village. For here on tomorrow afternoon nt Kenilworth Park thousands and thousands of people from all parts of the United States and Canada will gather to witness what promises to be the greatest turf event of the century, when Man o War and Sir Barton, meet in the Kenilworth Park Gold Cup for the richest turf prize ever offered auywhere, the winner to receive 5,000 and a ,000 Gold Cup. The race -will be at the distance of a mile and a quarter, Man o War to carry 120 pounds and Sir Barton 120. Jockey Clarence Kum-mcr will pilot the great three-year-old, while Earl Sandc will have the moun$ on Sir Barton. Both horses are in as fine condition as their expert trainers could prepare them and those fortunate enough fo sco these giants of the turf clash in battle will have something to remember and "talk about for days to come. All preparations have been completed and Kenilworth. Park looks spick and span. The track is in fine condition and will be lightning fast tomorrow. Every incoming train Is bringing visitors to see the big race. Both Samuel D. Kiddle of Philadelphia, owner of Man o War, and Commander J. K. L. Ross of Montreal, owner of Sir Barton, arrived today. Both were accompanied by a large number of friends." " The Ross party included Sir-H. Montague Allen and Major McDougall. The timers for the race will be E. W. Moore, W. C. Wcant, Frank Farrar, John Walters and William Walker. The first race will be called at 1:30 p. m. tomorrow. Captain Duhaine, chief of the Pinkerton forces that police the race tracks on the New York circuit, was an arrival this morning and will remain until after the running of the big race on Tuesday. Johnny Payne was an arrival from Cincinnati. He brought the news that over 100 racing enthusiasts would make the trip here from Cincinnati to witness the big race, and he was busy about the hotels this morning making reservations. A big delegation from Chicago is expected in the morning. BY C. J. FITZ GERALD. Unless there is a radical departure from the methods hitherto pursued by both trainers Feustel and Bedwell the special race at Kenilwcrth today between Man o War and Sir Barton will be remarkable for the speed in its early stages. Both of the great horses have been in the habit of smothering thpir opponents during the early part of a contest, and unless something has happened since the pair of flyers were sent to Canada to alter the plans of their trainers, this is the course which will be followed in the spectacular battle this afternoon. It is generally agreed that a horse can only maintain his highest flight of speed for a comparatively short distance something over a quarter of a mile where everything is demanded of an animal but it is thought that while the battle will rage furiously from the moment the barrier is released, tiie pace will be so regulated that neither gladiator will be exhausted short of a mile and a sixteenth, and it is In that last crucial three-sixteenths that nerve and muscular forces will be strained to the breaking point. It will then be a question of which lias the greater lung power and the stouter heart. Those who have watched Man o War in all of his races this year have seldom seen him show signs of distress. lie was a somewhat tired horse lifter he made John P. Grier capitulate at Aqueduct, but there was a good reason for his blowing on that occasion as lie had been indulged somewhat before the race, and the exertion it required to .overhaul the speedy Whitney representative when the ground broke out from beneath his feet at the start called for a supreme effort. After he got to Grier he hadnt a chance to get a breathing spell, and it was only his indomitable spirit that saved him from defeat. That was the last time that any liberties were taken with the champion in his training. At Saratoga prior to the running of the Miller Stakes the big colt was sent a mile and a quarter in 2:03 with four big bandages on, and when he went back lo the barn after jogging through the stretch he wouldnt -blow a caudle out. That he will not he short on Tuesday is assured by the character of the work he has had within the past ten days, particularly that remarkable mile and a quarter in 2:0273 at Belmont Park on last Tuesday. The searching preparation which Guy Bedwell lias given Sir Barton has been not a whit less exhaustive, and the Ross flyer will go into todays race as fit as hands can make him. Unlike his great rival, Sir Barton is not a generous horse. He will not give his best efforts except with the aid of pacemakers, and dressed with blinkers as though the fate of nations were at stake. He is a glutton for punishment and has required "killing" in order to get him to a point where he could be depended upon to show that flight of speed and display of courage , which has stamped him as one of the greatest horses for his inches that the American turf has ever known. He may be depended upon to carry the fight to Man o War from the start, and a new record fcr the distance should be made If the track is fast. It has always been contended that the horse which makes pace is handicapped several pounds some experts say as much as seven pounds, whil. others aver that five would be nearer the mark. The great colored rider, Isaac Murphy, whose superior as a judge of pace has never been seen in this country, wanted to wait witli Salvator 011 th occasion of that horses race witli Tenny at Sheeps-head Bay in 1890. He was overruled, and there are many alive today who recall the masterly fashion In which Murphy hursej the white-faced son of Prince Charlie through the last liuiidred yardJ Continued 00 second page. DAY OF THE BIG RACE HERE Continued from first page. of the contest when Garrison brought Tenny up -with one of those electric- rushes for which he was -famous. It took all of "Murphys horsemanship to save the day by a nose. Later on there was talk cf another race between the rivals and Murphy told his employer, J. R. Hnggin, to make the match even if: he had to concede seven pounds. That was the difference in the two methods according to the "colored Archer," as he was termed by his admirers. That lie was accurate in his estimate was shown when the horses met in the Champion Stakes at Monmouth Park. Although Salvator drew the. outside position and had to run around Tenny on the big oval heMaid at his rivals girth every inch of the first mile and a quarter, .and when .called upon shot away from the renowned, sway-back in a manner that astonished those who had thought the son of Rayon dOr: the superior of Salvator or any other .horse of the day. Rut there is a unique quality governing todays big race. Roth contestants are front runners and have won fame by taking the lead. The question of how far a good horse can maintain his speed should be answered when these gamecocks, a good big one and a good little One, are pitted against each other. No matter which one loses, it is certain that neither will be disgraced, as they have shown on many occasions those qualities which make the sport of horse racing popular the world over.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1920101201/drf1920101201_1_2
Local Identifier: drf1920101201_1_2
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800