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OF THE PREAKKESS Marylands 50000 Stake Began as 2500 Allowance Race Great Contest Between Water vale and Zeus Sir Barton and Man o War An stake histories go the annals of the Preakness at Pimlico now worth 50000 in added money and rival of the Kentucky Derby as Americas niost coveted threeyear old prize are not of great length Until the ninth running in 1917 the Preakness was an event of no outstanding importance and the records of its victors prior to that date with one or two possible exceptions can be searched in vain for thoroughbred names of exceptional quality or perform ¬ ance anceThe The first running of the Preakness oc ¬ curred on May 12 190D The race was an allowance affair at one mile with 2000 and 500 in plate added Ten horses faced starter A D Dade and not one of them was of better than ordinary grade The Oneck Stables Fashion Plate was a 7 to 5 favorite under heavy backing and showed a good flash of speed through the early part o the race keeping close on the heels of W T Ryans EiTendi and making a strong bid at the eighth post The two thoroughbreds fought it out for a few strides and then the favorite began to fall back crossing the finish a length behind the fast Effendi Hill Top was third The time was 139 139Eftendi Eftendi was a brown colt by Previous Htasoo He was an inandouter notori ¬ ously inconsistent and practically neglected at 20 to 1 in the betting He enjoyed a good day and had the racing luck The result was that he gained the honor of winning the first Preaknesa taking for his share 52725 and the 300 in plate plateRACE RACE BECOMES A HANDICAP HANDICAPIn In 1310 the race became a handicap with the same amount of added money and plate The race attracted twelve starters none of which was better than ordinary The Chel ea Stables Martinez was heavily backed into favoritism and raced well behind the pacemaker Dalhousie to the stretch when he tired and fell back Meanwhile Lay minster a chestnut gelding by Matchess Northminster coupled with Medallion as the E D Cassatt entry was racing iindcr re ¬ straint in fifth position He was lightly weighted with but eightyfour pounds and jockey Estcp rushed him up to the leaders in tha stretch Measuring strides with Dal ¬ housie and gradually wearing him down Lay minster came to the finish with a margin of a half length Dalhousie tiring was under heavy pressure to save second place from Sager which after overcoming interference made up ground rapidly through the final eighth Layminstcrs victory was worth 2SOO and 500 in plate He covered the mile in 1 40 scarcely a notable performance performanceSeveral Several elements combined to make the Preakness of 1911 a highwater mark in the history of the race to that time The reformers played a part through their temporary victory in New York State driv ¬ ing the thoroughbreds from the metropolitan tracks into Maryland The distance of the Preakness was increased to a mile and an eighth its present length and remained un ¬ der handicap conditions conditionsThe The New York stables helped to raise the grade of the field and the seven horses which faced the barrier were of a far bet ¬ ter class than in either of the previous run nings ningsTwo Two of the starters were thoroughbreds of the highest grade August Belmonts Watervale a fine upstanding bay colt by I Watercress Lady Violet and S C Hil 1 dreths Zeus by Adam Shaft had the run ning pretty much to themselves Watervale was at the top of his form on that day He began rapidly and dashed into a long lead fighting for his head and clicking off the yards with fast flying hoofbeats i Through the first threequarters jockey Du gan held the colt hard but then with the j growing speed of the pursuing Zeus he gave i his mount free rein reinWATER WATER VALES RECORD SPEED SPEEDWatervale Watervale raced along at a sprinting gait and although Zeus which had long before i shaken off the remainder of the field was j comingup with a surprising burst of speed the Eelmont colt rushed on across the finish with a length to spare His speed was I epic His 151 for the mile and an eighth i set a new track record which still stands at the Maryland course Zeus though beaten was not discredited i He conceded six pounds to the son of Water f cress and yet ran a smashing race Carroll Shilling rode the son of Adam and fine judge of pace that he was sensing the startling early fight of his opponent as too i wearing for the distance held his mount mountback back until the final drive But Watervale was better than he thought and the best that Zeus could do was not quite good enough The Nigger was third beaten beatentwelve twelve lengths for second place The race racewas was worth 2700 to the winner After the sparkling 1911 running of the race the Preakness suffered a decline The added money for the 1912 renewal was re ¬ duced to 1500 and stake horses stayed at home The Beverwyck Stables Col Hollo way brown colt by Ethelbert Sweet Haw I thorne defeated the band of ordinary selling platers with ease over a slow track In 1 5G The race paid 1450 to the winner There was no improvement in the quality of the field for the 1913 running Eight i horses started The stake remained under underhandicap handicap conditions with 1500 added The i only notable feature of the race was that it marked the first time that the mutuel mutuelsystem system had been used in betting on the race i The race Itself was a close affair John JohnWhalens Whalens Buskin a bay gelding by Hamburg j Slippers followed the leaders through the early part of tho race but then camo up Continued on fourteenth pose HISTORY OF THE PREAKNESS Continued from third pnge with a rush and drew away into a long lead in the stretch Kleburne another early follower also rushed up into contention near the finish however and just missed overtak ¬ ing Buskin by a short neck Owner Wha lens share of the money amounted to 1670 Although the track was fast the time 1 53 was not notable notableThe The Prcakness history rolls on over a record of lean years Under similar condi ¬ tions in 1914 six horses of the cheaper grade made the contest The victor was Mrs A Barklies Holiday a bay gelding by Broom ¬ stick Leisure which won from IL G Bed wells Brave Cunarder by three parts of a length in a hard drive The time was again slow 153 and the winners share of the stake came to 1355 1355The The first filly to win the Preakness was E F Whitneys Rhine Maiden a bay by Watercress Gold which later proved a use ¬ ful race mare through a long career She sends a twoyearold colt Rhinegold to the races this year Rhine Maidens year was 1915 The track was muddy and scratches reduced the field to six She covered the mile and an eighth in the slow time of 1 53 and won 1275 1275The The eighth running in 1916 marks the final chapter in the story of lean years J K L Ross Damrosch a brown colt by Rock Sand Dissembler saddled by A G Weston won easily from a moderate band of opponents The time was 1 154s 54s and the value to the winner 1380 1917 KUXXUTG MARKS AJf EPOCH EPOCHThe The following year 1917 is a red letter date in the annals of the Prcakness Hith ¬ erto a minor stake with little to differentiate it from scores of similar events throughout the country the Preakness in 1917 for tho first time became a matter of nationwide interest among turfmen The reason for this metamorphosis was the increase in the added money to 5000 The stakes was made an allowance affair instead of a handicap handicapLeading Leading owners east and west sent their horses into the race Among those repre ¬ sented were E R Bradley H P Whitney R Parr J K L Ross and Gifford A Cochran CochranThe The fourteen horses in the field got away to a good start with Fruit Cake setting the pace but before the halfmile post was reached E R Bradleys Kalitan flashed into the lead On the last turn he began to draw away rapidly and cantered across the finish a winner by two lengths Al M Dick was second a nose in front of Kentucky Boy BoyThe The winner was a bay colt by Rey Hin ¬ doo Dally The competition was not keen enough to force him to top speed but he covered the distance in 154 easing up through the final eighth His share of the money was 4800 a new highwater mark for the Preakness PreaknessThe The remaining history of the Preakness is a story of startling growth The 1913 running with 15000 added attracted over ¬ night acceptances totaling twentysix and the Maryland Jockey Club decided to run the stake in two divisions providing the full amount of added money for each eachIn In tho first division ten of the fifteen carded starters contested A K Macombers War Cloud an Englishbred bay colt by Polymelus Dreamy won by three parts of a length from Sunny Slope The finish was thrilling Sunny Slope made up ground rap ¬ idly in the stretch and was steadily overcom ¬ ing War Clouds long lead when the finish lino was reached G D Wideners Lanius was third ten lengths behind the leaders Lanius was the favorite favoriteJOHREXS JOHREXS LATER TRIUMPHS TRIUMPHSH H P Whitneys Joliren a bay colt by Spearmint Mineola by Meddler which fin ¬ ished fourth in the race later proved a horso of exceptional merit During the remainder of his threeyearold year the colt won a number of important races from the best horses of the year Among his conquests may be mentioned the Suburban Handicap tho Belmont Stakes and the Latonia Derby DerbyIn In the second division of the stake six of the eleven carded started Jack Hare Jr then at the top of his form carried W E Applegates colors to an easy victory The Porter whose long racing record closed last year with his retirement to the stud was beaten two lengths Kate Bright just man ¬ aged to outlast J E Wideners Trompo la Mort for third money Jack Hare Jr was a brown colt by Marathon Moonet MoonetWar War Clouds time was 1 53 and Jack Hare Jr a 1 153s 53s The first division of the stake was worth 12250 and tho second because of the smaller number of starters 11250 11250Tho Tho 1919 Prealaiess attracted a still better field The added money was increased to 25000 and twelve horses started including Sir Barton Eternal Sweep On Over There Dunboyno and King Plaudit Sir Barton fresh from his maiden victory in tho Ken ¬ tucky Derby a few days previous won in a canter by four lengths from Eternal with Sweep On in third place placeSir Sir Barton chestnut colt by Star Shoot Lady Sterling was the outstanding three yearold of 1919 and even such good horses as Eternal Dunboyne and Sweep On were overshadowed in performance by the Ross crack His name on the roll of Preaknesa winners is a credit to tho stake even though his performances were doomed to fade in brilliance before the coming of a mightier champion in 1920 1920Sir Sir Barton covered the mile and an eighth in 153 cased up through the stretch Tha race was worth 24500 net netThe The Preakness of 1920 was the first big threeyearold stake of the year to fall be for the prowess of the mighty Man o War Widely heralded on the strength of his showing as a twoyearold the horso of tho century went to tho post an oddson choice in the mutuels But eight other horses paraded for the race a number of owners not wishing to pit their threeyear olds against such a redoubtable champion as the Riddle wonder horse horseThe The added money remained at the 25000 mark for the thirteenth running of the stake in 1920 There were several horses of high quality in the race but all were overshad ¬ owed by the prowess of Man o War Tho Riddle champion started away from the barrier with a rush dashed quickly into tho lead and shook off King Thrush in tho first threequarters of a mile The H P Whitney pair Upset and Wildair wore rac ¬ ing well in contention and the former ap ¬ peared with a sharp challenge in the stretch run Man o War was scarcely forced to use any of his reserve speed however to cross the finish a winner by a length and a half Upset led his stable companion in second place by five lengths lengthsMan Man o War covered the mile and an eighth in 1 51 threefifths of a second slower than Watervales track record The race was worth 23000 to the winner Man o War was a chestnut colt by Fair Play Mahu bah by Rock Sand bred by Mr August Bel ¬ mont at his Nursery Stud StudFor For the fourteenth running of the Preak ¬ ness in 1921 the added money was increased to 10000 and the conditions changed to make the race for entire colts and fillies Fourteen horses of good class started Tha Whitney entry of Broomspun and Tryster enjoyed evenmoney favoritism in the mu ¬ tuels tuelsThe The Whitney hopes were pinned largely upon Tryster in spite of his failure to figure seriously in the Kentucky Derby won by Behave Yourself Brocmspun had been so lightly considered that he was started in a purse race on Derby Day and had he gone to the post alone in the Preakness would probably have been at good odds oddsTrysters Trysters nonstaying qualities however began to manifest themselves in the final eighth After racing into contention he tired and dropped back beaten Broomspun meanwhile rushed up on the outside of his opponents and took the lead on the turn into the stretch Under hard riding he re ¬ tained a winning margin of three parts of a length over Polly Ann with Jeg third thirdBroomspun Broomspun a bay colt by Broomstick Spun Glass by Rock Sand did not long survive his great victory He met with in ¬ juries a short time later and had to bo destroyed His Preakress time was 154 and its value to the winner 45000 45000The The 1922 running of the Preakness will have an added value of 50000 The raco will be run May 13 the same day as tho Kentucky Derby
