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How We Race Our Two -Year -Olds Part II. irr SAI.VATOR. In a recent issue of Daily Racing Form I presented a statistical resume, drawn from the returns in the "American Racing Manual" for 1924. which Mast rated the excessive amount of racing lhat our two-year-olds are now being required to do. This was principally devoted to an exposition of those which had started twenty times or more during the past year — there were eighty-eight in that category — supplemented by another embracing the number that had tun unplaced ten or more times — there were 214 of them. The performers included in these exhibits were, naturally, for the most part, members of the equine hoi polloi, though here and SIKES OF FIVE OR MORE TWO -YEAR -OLDS IN 1923. Number of Money K.icrs Starts Av. Starts Winners. Won. Won. Made. Per Horse « » « » Hallo*. ,„ Voter ?"**? Kdcn » -j4 " !£ Sir Martin, by Wra.k. by Kobert le Diable ., !,. , 7. ,- 5 Black Toney. by Peter Pau J "*»*g ;" "*■ H =T.«2 » Ml M H.ion II.. by Anl Patrick UtM Mcate. by Ii.ton •=».£» » -* «*•** ■ » Sun Bnar. by Sundricifre J JJ *- Pieton --f -[ «2 Colonel Vennie, by Wlnsk Broom II., by Broo...,ti. k * - J.--- • «j « » « *• MM, by Ben Brush •;.•» g ■ *U M7 - 1.M • Commando Peter Qellll. by Spanish Prince II.. by Igly » -*•"• ,» J g Transvaal, by Commando » «•»• » "■ « lltimus, by Transvaal ■ |- -•» - • Vulcain. by Uoek Sand » - " ™ ™ ■ M Ml DM Finnell. by Kin,; Kric gUJ* • ■ •"•-•« " ™ * Fair Play, by Hastings ■ ".«« 11 W . Jim Caffney. by Colden barter Marathon, by Martagon ■ 3J.«M f. "J ™ ■ » » Pennant, by Peter Pan *g* £ ■ »•«■ « ■ Sell,, by Adam "g ■ » "• ■ Voter The Manager, by •£• ■ 19 1-4 » Theo. look, by Ben Bmsh SMJI ■ ".»» HI H inele. by Star Shoot Boots and Saddle, by Voter I ::.. "J S ,, Beck Sand » ■•«« ■ ■ "■ Friar Rock, by » ■ • ■ H.gh Time, by Vltimus I M 11 14 Master Bobert, by Mar.agan JWK Omar Khayyam, by Marco « - . "■ |; Sweep, by Ben Brush • »., ■, • ulgel. by Broomstick « JJgJ g ■* « » ■ * - 8,-a King, by Persimmon J-•-■• ; Short ira.s by I-veno ■ " g g g 1 • Superman, by Commando ; .g g g Trap Rock, by M Sand « «* %I »«- 0 U H Athelimc II.. by Desmond g * • ■ Brush -• »« Broomstick. by Ben g Campf.re. by Olambala • •«.* »J g [ »- * ■ ■ » Kverest. by Ben Brush Klittergold. by Hastings ■ "J" g g g ■ ■ «• » ;,-eat Britain, by The Commoner J1.MJ Uoneyw,,d Horron, by IS M -tiee Rolymelus VZ.V.ZV. I ■ t» J It S U Meridian, by isroomstick ■ ?«S 2* .J North Star III .. by Suns.ar ■ Mg • g » ■ ■ Peter Pan, by Commando. ? ; - g » Trompe la Mort. by Verwood M.-IUH Trompe There are forty-eight sires in the above I 1 table and it accounts for all the leaders of 1923 with the exception of Ambassador IV., which furnished the premier money-winning two-year-old of the season, St. James, whose credit was 9,385. The son of Dark Ronald just failed to qualify for inclusion in the table because of the fact that he had only , three winners besides St. James, but because of that grand colt his two-year-olds won a total of 3,20r ; which, in this regard, placed him third on the roster, only Black Toney, with 15,725, and Ballot, with 02,186, surpassing him. We may say. therefore, that the table is an exhibit of what the best two-year-olds of 1923 were asked to do by their trainers and owners. All told, the forty-eight sires listed were credited with 377 winners of 829 races, in order to accomplish which feat they were obliged to start 4,652 times. Figuring averages it shows that each two-year-old started 11.2 races and won 2.2 times. l An average of two wins in eleven starts is certainly a low one ; just as an average of eleven starts is, considered separately and alone, a high one — for a two-year-old. The interesting feature of the exhibit is, however, ; that of the forty-eight sires tabulated, twenty-five, or over 50 per cent, show a starting average above the average for the whole • corpus." That is to say, one of twelve or more races each. I I SETJTS BUST JUVENILES. i The highest average attained by the get of j any sire goes to the two-year-olds by Seth. There were eight winners by that son of I | Adam and they started on the average no less than nineteen times ! We must credit this tribe with abnormal capacity to "stand grief." but there was not an atom of real •class" among them — as one might suspect. The entire amount of money credited to Seths eight two-year-old winners is but 5,- , 740, albeit they account for no less than twenty-three tirst moneys, twenty-two sec- . onds and twenty-four thirds — a total of sixty- j nine times "in the money." Needless to say, there were no stake-winners in the bunch. I The lowest average number of starts by the get of any s.re is six, credited to the ten two-year-old winners by Whisk Broom II. ■ and the five winners by Trompe la MorL Next comes 1ltimus. whose nine winners averaged eight starts each, as did seven by High Time, while eight by Jim Gaffney, and five each by Honey wood. North Star HI. and Peter Pan average nine starts. It will be observed by a study of the "top of the tree" that the leading sires of two-year-old w inners. for 1923 with but two exceptions, owe their prominence to quantity, -not quality. The two exceptions are Ballot, the leader, with 15 winners, that are credited with 02, ISO, and Black IN ney, ranked fifth, with 11 winners, are credited with 15,745. As go-getters" the Black Toney tribe ap-piopiiate the honors, for in 144 starts they WOO, as stated, 15,745, whereas it required It2 struts by the Ballots to account for 02,- j I 186. while there were f«,ur less of the Toneys | - 11 against 15. They also won 7 more races .7 aa against "i». Bat of the 8 other sires u 10 or more winning two-year-olds in 1923, not one reached the 0,000 mark in money-earnings and only two, Sun Briar, with eleven winners of 8,608 and Polymelian, with twelve winners of 2,304. passed the 0,000 mark. The others all linger along a the twenty-thousands. OT QlAI.ITY BUT QUANTITY. We may calculate, therefore, that It was not real class that gave these two-year-olds j and their sires the prominence they enjoy, so much as the enormous volume of races for two-year-olds that is the order of the present day. Something or other necessarily had to "get the money" in these thousands of events f r the age. As a matter of cognate Interest, the appended ; table shows the two-year-olds of 1923 that won 0,000 or more each, with details ; regarding tlia number of starts made, races I I won, etc 1 there was to be observed a stake winner — for occasionally among these overtasked babies one capable of stake success will develop. It has seemed to me. however, that farther light upon the situation might be thrown by a survey from a different angle, so I have provided one by the following tabular statement, in which all sires of five or more two-yt ar-old winners for 1923 are shown ace rding to the rank assigned them in the "Manual" fpp. 551-557 in that section of it devoted exclusively to them. The object is to exhibit the amount of racing that their representatives were called upon to do. I 1 , l ; I I i j I | , . j I ■ TWO -YEAR-OLD WINNERS OF 0,000 OR MORE IN 1923 Money Horses. Sts. Wins. Won. St. Jtmes. by Ambassador IV « 3 S89.3S.~i Wise Counsellor, by Mentor 5 4 M.HlO Beau Butler, by Bl.uk Toney 8 4 57.981 Diogenes, by Ballot 7 2 48.7-!T Sarazen. by High Time 10 10 :i7.sso Iiord Baltimore II, by Trap Rock.. 28 7 26.305 Peter King, by Peter Quince 12 S 21,382 Worthmore. by Thunderer 11 •" 21.989 Anna Marrone II . by "ilencaim 17 7 21.001 Big Blaze, bv Canipfire 10 3 20.580 Black tiold. bV Black Toney M 9 19.103 Fluvanna, by Cudgel 14 4 1S.00S Bracadale. by lair Ilay 22 5 17.1590 Transmute, by Broomstick 15 2 lij,ti. i» Tre loo. by lltimus 13 4 16 135 Mm V.." by filial Squirrel It 7 ICSM Sue Donovim. by RIaek Toney It 7 Hi. 010 ;iide. by Manager Wiite 19 7 14.02-4 Ru»tie. by Transvaal 7 2 13 900 S-.inayr. by Sun Briar 16 I 13.1H Nellie Morse, by I.uke Mclrflke 22 4 12.515 Stanwix. by Ballot 12 4 12.075 Buster Kenton, by Aiheling II 5 4 11.940 Idle Thoughts, by Dick Fiunell 32 8 11.450 Chilhowee. by Ballot 14 4 11.241 Fast Mick, by Marathon 21 7 ll. "0 Sun-p »ro, bv Sun Briar 15 2 10.925 Sun Pal. bv Sun Briar IS 3 lO.s.iS Hnmor-tte, by Short Crass IS 3 10.S40 Mr. Mutt, by Ballot 19 1 10.55. June Flower, by Theo. Cook ~ I 10.000 There are thirty-one two-year-olds in th.s table and in order to win positions in it they had to start no less than 436 times, which is an average for each of them oT no less than fourteen races. This confirms the observa- tion made above — that it was not class, but keeping them everlastingly at it that "put them over." We cannot relate "class" to a performer that can win but once in nineteen times, twice in fifteen times, or thrice in eighteen times, et id genus omne. On the other hand — just take a slant at the first four colts in the table, three of which won over 0,000 while the fourth won 8,725. The largest number of starts made by any of them was eight and the entire quartette sported silk hut twenty-six times, an average of but about six races each. "What a difference in the morning." Suppose these four colts had suffered the fate of most of the others — had been raced early and often and whenever they were thought to have a chance." Would they have accomplished anything like what they did? We may feel as certain as we ever have a right to of anything not an established fact, that they would not. The moral of the whole story is that we would have both better two-year-olds and better racing if our two-year-olds were not raced so severely. There is no escape from this conclusion.
