Stayer Exterminators Deeds: His Development From a Moderate Two-Year-Old into a Kentucky Derby Winner and Superior, Daily Racing Form, 1920-12-16

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ST A YER EXTERMINATORS DEEDS I HIS DEVELOPMENT FROM A MODERATE TWO-YEAR-OLD I INTO A KENTUCKY DERBY WINNER AND SUPERIOR LONG-DISTANCE RACE HORSE Exterminator justly .holds high rank among the best horses of the present day. Speedy, honest, always ready on fast tracks or muddy tracks, and a stayer of the old-fashioned kind, lie is the type of horse to delight the heart of any true lover of the thoroughbred. He is the best horse McGee has sent to the races, and unlike his daddy is an especially good mud runner. McGee was an excessively fast horse in his racing career over the western tracks, but could not run well in deep going. The ability of Exterminator in that respect was probably derived from his dam and her family in general. As a two-year-old Exterminator was not raced much and attracted no great amount of notice. His dfbnt was attended with success. It was in a three-quarters dash for maiden two-year-olds at Latoniu June 30, 1917. This he won easily in 1:14, but beat nothing-of much subsequent account in racing. At Windsor July 4 he ran fourth to Jack Hare Jr.," High Cost and Viva America at five-eighths in 1:01. At the same track July 17 he won at five and a half furlongs over a heavy track in 1:13, defeating Fern Handley. Lady Eileen and three others. At Kenilwortii July 25 he ran unplaced to Miss Bryu, Own Roe ONeil and Salvestra at five and a half furlongs in 1:07. He was fourth, witli seven more behind . him. That was all for that year, and his record did not even faintly suggest a future Kentucky Derby winner and a -great cup horse. Sun Briar was the leading two-year-old of 1017 and, being entered in the Kentucky Derby of 191S, was taken to Louisville to be trained for that much coveted race. For a time glowing reports came from Louisville heralding his line appearance, improvement through winter growth and good way of going in his work. Later on the tenor of reports concerning the progress in training of this favorite cliaugcd in tone. He answered some questions put to him so poorly that his owner and trainer were legretfully forced to the conclusion that if they were to win the Kentucky Derby it would have to be with some other horse than Sun Briar. What special providence directed their attention to Exterminator ! hns never been authentically disclosed, but when it was finally made public that Mr. Kilmer had pur-ciased him for the reported price of 5,000 the transaction attracted iio great attention, the general impression leing that he had been bought as a helper of Sun Briar in training and in the big race. However, when the day of its running arrived Sun Briar was an absentee and Exterminator, with "Big . Bill" Kuapp in the saddle, was the Kilmer reliance.- War Cloud was the favorite, while Exterminator vas the absolute outsider in the betting, his ! inutuel tickets returning 1920.sh1,120. This did not prevent him from shocking the big crowd1 present in winning by a length from Eseoba over a, muddy track, with the filly Viva America third. When the smoke cleared away it was assumed that his victory was somewhat flilky and due mainly to his -being a superlative mud runner. Something of this reputation hung to him until in the Carrollton Handicap, at Laurel in the fall he defeated such fast ones as. running thecfirst?mile In 1:38. This race was convincing and it revealed him in the guise of an extremely speedy horse, as well as a notable mud runner. He wound up his three-year-old campaign by a display of versatility in winning the Latonia Cup at two miles and a quarter over a heavy track and the Thanksgiving Handicap at the shorter distance of a mile and a sixteenth a few days later. In 1919 Exterminator fully upheld his reputation of being a horse to be relied upon to do his best ul any and all times. Having earned the distinction of being rated in the high weights of the handicap division, it follows that he met his reverses, but as a rule he was found battling out the finishes gallantly. On the other hand-, he scored his triumphs, the most notable probably being when he defeated Snm HUdreths great colt Purchase- in the Saratoga Cup at a mile and three-quarters. Purchase went to the post a l-to-3 favorite and carried 110 pounds, Exterminator having up 120. He took the lead quickly, made the pace fast all the way and tied the track record when he won by a length and a half In 2:58. One of his adventures that did not turn out well was a trip west to Latonia to essay the cap-tyre of the Latonia Cup for the second time. It chanced that Be Frank had come west to run In that same race, and he performed his task so well that at the end of its two miles and a" quarter he was two lengths in front of Exterminator, with Legal a bad third. However, Exterminator made amends for that disaster when he won the Pimlico Cup at the same distance and gave Koyce Rools and Woodtrap an easy beating. With the mighty Man o War setting the turf world ablaze with his marvelous achievements, there appeared remote chance of any other horse to bask in the spotlight of public favor during the racing of 1920. But the gallant Exterminator was not to be denied his place in the sun, and before he was retired for the winter his praises were sung far and wide. This wonderful gelding set the seal to his fame by a succession of superlative performonces seldom witnessed on a race course. Starting in seventeen races, he won ten of them, six consecutively, and was only unplaced twice. He not only upheld but further enhanced his reputation as a stayer and superior weight carrier. He won five cup races this year, the Saratoga and Pimlico for the second year in succession, and probably, has won more cup races than any other horse in the history of the American turf. In winning the Saratoga Cup and the Autumn Gold Cup, Exterminator gained more laurels by establishing new American time records for one and three-quarters .miles and two miles respectively. Incidentally in winning the sum of 2,405 during the racing of 1920, Exterminator earned inclusion in the select list of American horses that have won 00,000 or more during their racing careers. Here are details of Exterminators performances in 1920: Date. Race. Course. Dist. Wt. Fin. Time. Track. Amt. May 29 Elmont Handicap Belmont Park 1 1-10 128 2 1:44 Fast $ 200 June 5 Suburban Handicap Belmont Park 1 1-4 123 3 2:09 Muddy 500 June 19 Long Beach Handicap Jamaica 11-8 119 1 1:51 Good 3,325 June 24 Brookland Handicap Aqueduct 1 1-8 124 4 1:50 Fast June 29 Luke Blackburn Handicap. . .Aqueduct 1 1-16 120 1 1:44 Fast 990 July 3 Brookdale Handicap Aqueduct 1 1-8 129 1 1:50 Muddy 3,450 July 14 TTontier Handicap , Windsor 1 1-8 127 3 2:01 Heavy 1,000 August 2 Saratoga Handicap Saratoga .1 1-4 126 2 2:01 Fast 1,000 August 14 Cham plain Handicap....... .Saratoga 1 1-8 128 2 1:53 Good 500 August 21 Windsor Jockey Club Hand.. Windsor 11-8 125 1 1:51 Slow 8,250! August 28 George Hendrie Handicap... Windsor 11-16 131 1 1:44 Fast 0,490 August 31 Saratoga Cup . .. Saratoga 1 3-4 126 1 2:56 Slow 4,950 September 15 Autumn Gold Cup Belmont Park 2 128 1 3:21 Fast 4,100 September 25 Toronto Autumn Cup Woodbine Park 1 1-4 132 1 2:04 Fast 5,575 October 2 Ontario Jockey Club Cup Woodbine Park ... .2 1-4 134 1 4:04 Heavy 5,475 November 8 Bowie Handicap Pimlico 1 1-2 135 5 2:31 Fast November 12 Pimlico Cup Handicap Pimlico 2 1-4 126 1 3:53 Fast 7,100 A summary of Exterminators record during his four busy seasons on the turf is here presented: Year. Age. Sts. 1st. 2d. 3d. Unp. Won. 1917 2 4 2 0 0 2 $ 1,350 1918 .- 3 15 7 4 3 1 36,147 1919 4 21 9 C 3 3 26,402 11-20 . 5 17 - 10 3 2 J2 52,405 Totals ... 57 28 13 8 8 10,304 Exterminators pedigree reads as follows: f i Wisdom J Blinkhoolie j rlir Hugo - 1 Aline I J Lord Clifden tin f t t i r White. Knight ! Manoeuvre j qujci; i:lren J Lord Clifden f - - i - i Weulock ..... J : .11-Whitelock J Mineral J Blair Athol f ? 1 " Wiiite Heather . J May Bell o -j; i i.-f . Newminster J Touchstone M f , .. ". I Beeswing a 55 l . f Hermit, ,1 j Tadmoor Remorse ..... Seclusion .. "j Miss Seliou a V ,. , j Voltigeur O " Vedette Mrs. Ridgway i I Ve.- , j The Fly. Dutchman S Flying Duchess- . . Merope S ". I . vircil Vandal H f Hindoo ... .. J Lexington A "3 1 Florence Weather Witch w - i . j King Tom Jinr Oore .... t Phaeton a 1 Merry Sunshine 5 I Katie "j J War Dance S: S Daughter of I Mamie S " i j Blair Athol g 1 " I Prince Charlie . Eastern Princess f Pirate of j Jwcaneer . Penzance Plunder Sister to Aegis I Merrythought., "j j Rayon dOr AuraSria I Raybelle J J War Dance Blue Grass Belle Ballet Imported, tNo family number.


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1920s/drf1920121601/drf1920121601_1_3
Local Identifier: drf1920121601_1_3
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800