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RACING CHAMPION OF 1880 Great Exploits of Luke Blackburn as a ThreeYearOld Only Beaten Twice in Twenty Four Races Invincible at All Distances In 1879 Dwycr Brothers bought a Bonnie Scotland colt from James Williams of Kentucky for the sum of 2500 Williams had previously ac ¬ quired him from Wartzfeldor Co in whose name lie had started in nine races without once winning although placed in most of his starts By arrange ¬ ment he was raced to the end of that year in Wartzfelders colors and won his last two races out of thirteen starts He was left in charge of Williams who wintered him at Lexington Ky His name was Luke Blackburn BlackburnIn In the spring of 18SO Luke Blackburn made his first start as a threeyearold in the Phoenix Hotel Stakes at Lexington one mile and a quarter and ran tliird to Fonso and Kinkead That was the only time be was fairly and squarely beaten during his threeyearold career Fonso subse ¬ quently won the Kentucky Derby and was a great race horse and a greater sire After this defeat Dwycr Brothers concluded Luke Blackburn was undesirable property and offered to sell him back to Williams for the same price that they had paid for him but Williams refused the of fcr and thereby rejected a fortune and onu of the greatest horses ever bred in America In the way of making the best of a bad bargain the Dwyers ordered the colt sent East to join their main string thinking lie might be good enough to pick up a few purses here and there thereHis His race at Lexington had taken place May S At Jerome Park June 3 he was called on to show what he could do in a threequarters dash for which the famous Checkmate was a 1 to 3 favorite Luke Blackburn was at G to 1 in the betting carried 100 pounds and had Mclaughlin up He simply ran away from Checkmate and won by three lengths It was not the Dwyers policy to let grass grow under their horses feet so two days later Luke was asked to stride over a mile and an eighth route against Checkmate Scotilla and some other good horses of the day dayCheckmate Checkmate was the favorite at about even money and Luke Blackburn was second choice He won by four lengths with Scotilla second and Check ¬ mate tliird This race demonstrated that he could stay as well as sprint and the Dwyers were now glad that Jim Williams had not fallen in with their offer and kept the colt coltPLEASING PLEASING WAY OF WINNING WINNINGBelieving Believing in pressing a good thing they started Luke Blackburn June 8 at a mile and throe eighths against Scotilla Dcmocrat and Anna Au ¬ gusta He was ranked among the quality by this time was a 1 to 2 favorite and won by six lengths Luke had one habit that was pleasing to his rapidly gathering backers and that was his decisive manner of winning It was always lengths of open daylight with him and no perplexing matter of heads or noses June 10 lie defeated the bigh ¬ tlass horse Monitor at a mile and half in 239X extremely fast for the old saddle bags track at Jerome Park He carried 100 pounds to Monitors 115 and won by six lengths June 12 he beat Buster and Danicheff by fifty yards in a dash of one mile and a quarter Thus within a space of nine days Luke had won five races at dis ¬ tances ranging threequarters to a mile and a half and by impartially defeating all comers fully vindicated his right to a front position in good horse society All these races were for purses pursesFrom From Jerome Park the Dwycr horses were taken to Gravcsend and here June 19 Luke Blackburn started in his first stake race The Tidal at one mile for threeyearolds It was the Coney Island Jockey Clubs meeting the splendid Sheepshead Bay track not being then in existence Lukes op ¬ ponents were Kimball Kitty J and Grenada He was favorite at 4 to 5 and won by five lengths from Kimball with Kitty J third Now Kimball and Grenada were highclass colls and Gre ¬ nada in particular was thought to be capable of defeating the doughty son of Bonnie Scotland and Nevada Three days later he won the Coney Island Handicap at a mile and threeeighths by four lengths from Duke of Montrose and Vagrant June 20 he was started in a purse at a mile and a quarter and while running in front crossed his legs and fell the race falling to Duke of Montrose which was a fast colt This was Luke Blackburns only defeat in the East that year and was a great shock to what would be denominated the talent He was carrying 318 ixninds to Duke of Montroscs 108 and tlie latter was heavily hacked to win winHIS HIS BRILLIANT FEATS AT SARATOGA SARATOGALukes Lukes next start was at Monmoutli Park July 3 in the Ocean Stakes which he won from Duke of Montrose and the fine racer Harold over a deep track The distance was a mile and an eighth jind he won by two lengths July 10 he defeated Duke of Montrosu and Grenada at a mile and a quarter for 1000 a corner and 1000 added He and Grenada carried 110 pounds and Duke of Montrose 105 This race was also at Monmoiith Park From there he was taken to Saratoga where his career was so brilliant that when the meeting was over no one questioned his supremacy as the best race horse in the United States StatesThere There he defeated Checkmate and Volturno at a mile and a quarter winning by six lengths won from Gabriel and Gircfle at a mile and an eighth by eight lengths and defeated Juanita General Phillips and Ada Glenn in the Summer Handicap at a mile and a half cantering in six lengths in tlie lead From Saratoga he was taken to Mon inoutli Park and at the summer meeting then the greatest turf reunion of the country met Monitor Uncas Grenada and Report in the Champion Stakes at a mile and a half It was the same old story Luke Blckburn first by four lengths Time 234 He then went back to Saratogas second meeting and won the United Hotel Stakes at a mile and a half defeating Ferncliff Oden and Turfman by ten lengths Then he won the Grand Union Prize a mile and threequarters handicap for which he defeated One Dime Glenmore Cammie F Gen ¬ eral Phillips and Chimneysweep winning by two lengths in 307 conceding much weight to all his opponents This was generally considered one of the most remarkable triumphs of his threeyear old career He followed it up by winning the Kenner Stakes at two miles from the famous mare Glidclia the only other starter being Oden He won by fifty yards in 335Vi and that was his last race at Saratoga that year yearHIS HIS MATCH RACE WITH UNCAS His next racing was done at tlie autumn meeting of tlie Coney Island Jockey Club at Gravesend Here September 4 he won the Great Challenge Stakes from Monitor Uncas and One Dime winning by ten lengths from Monitor one and a half miles done in 238 For the Long Island St Legcr at a mile ami threequarters only Ellas Lawrence started against him There was no betting and he Avon pulled up by eight lengths P Lorillard was not satisfied that his fine horse Uncas could not defeat Luke so a match followed for 2000 a side It was at a mile and a half at even weights Uncas being a fouryearold Luke won by fifty yards That completed his eastern cam ¬ paign of that year yearHaving Having two good engagements at the Louisville fall meeting Luke BJackburn was taken west and won the Kentucky St Lcger September 27 It was nt two miles and Kinkead was his solitary opponent He had beaten Luke in the lattprs first race of the year but now things were dif ¬ ferent Luke won by nearly a furlong as the record of the race puts it Three days later he won the rich Great American Stallion Stakes from Kimball and Big Medicine doing the mile and threequarters in 301 anil defeating Kimhall by ten lengths Then his seasons work was over and a great horse went to his richlyearned winters rest restAt At that time all tracks were deep and slow and it is more than probable that had tlie arts of the thetrackmaster trackmaster bgeu a fully developed us is the cane now and tracks been kept as lightning fast Luke Blackburn would have set records that would be standing now He was gifted with an enormous flight of speed and could keep it up until all opponents were reeling in distress He was a small horse but all horse Weight sat lightly on his muscular back and all ages and classes of other horses were alike to him things to be bowled over by the rapid sweep of his resistless stride Racing was a delight to him When brought to the post he was all fire and excitement and a pretty pic ¬ ture to delight the eye of a horseman1 Every vein fully distended stood out in delicate tracery in his glossy liny skin and every movement denoted his intense anxiety to be off and away The horses he met and vanquished were the best horses of his day nnfl ftiUjvUisv good as Mantio War Sir Barton Exterminator and other stars of the present time Here is his record as a threeyear od and it is one to consider witli wonder and admiration admirationYear Year Starts 1st 2d 3d Unp Amt 1880 24 22 o 11 46073
