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Were You at Morris Park The day that Bowling Brook galloped the mighty Hamburg dizzy in the first mile of the Belmont Stakes! a mile and three far-longs over the hill, in those days. And the "all scarlet" was carried by a whole cavalcade of other good horses, beginning as far back as J867, when Ruthless took the first running of the Belmont. Alfred Hennen Morris, a descendant, was one of the stewards at Empire City. He and his brother David are the third generation of Morrisscs that hare raced first class horses in the scarlet jacket and cap. Francis Morris owned Ruthless, Remorseless and others that made the Barbarity Stable famous. Then came John A. Morris, who built beautiful Morris Tark, and raced Dr. Hasbrouck, Correction, Russell, ct al. In the late nineties Bowling Brook, The Friar and FIIHgrane kept the scarlet silks to the fore in the big stakes. Racing folk of thor.e days were a long time forgiving A. IE. and D. H. Morris for christening some of their horses with such monstrosities in nomenclature as rrcstidlgltatrice, Prestidigator and Caoutchouc. Wonder what those racing folks would have said if thered been a Crypto-chonchoidphysostigmata in the stable! A bally Britisher once raced a plater by that cognomen. SARATOGA SPRINGS, N. Y., Aug. 25. Trainers, breeders, horsemen qualified to express an opinion on the appearance of a horse, are a unit in praise of Epinard. . "Looks fit to race tomorrow," said James Fitzsimmons, trainer of Priscilla Jtuley. "Looks and acts the part of a great horse," was the opinion voiced by John E. Madden. "Weve got our hands full trying to beat that horse," stated Col. Phil T. Chinn. "Gene Leigh deserves more praise than you could print in your whole volumn for the fine physical condition of Epinard," said a clocker of forty years experience with a watch. "I dont believe the American turf has ever seen - greater horses than Sysonby and Man o War," said Fred Burlew at Saratoga recently, when we sought his opinion of great horses. Fred, you know, is the man who presided over the racing destinies of such flyers as Beldame, Morvich and Inchcape. "Of course I didnt see Hindoo and Luke Blackburn race, but I have studied over their records carefully and I failed to find anything in them that I couldnt match in the records of the two horses I have named. And next to that pair I prefer Grey Lag. That son of Star Shoot was a truly great horse." Man o War now leads in our contest to learn the name of a great horse that ever beat a good one. Well take up that phase of the matter when the opinions are all in. Bob Smith, who trains Lightship, By His-self and Florence Nightingale, and who developed a hatful of good ones before taking charge of the Jeffords string, used to race a small stable at Upson Downs. Nigger Baby won a selling- race for him at the course by the canal one night. When Judge Blinkiron described Nigger Baby he asked for bids. "Hose entered for fo hundred," singsonged the major. "Any advance fo hundred?" "Fo hundred an fo," mimicked Smith. Ignoring other bids, Blinkiron promptly knocked Nigger Baby down to Smith. "Just pass me up that fo dollahs, Mr. Smith. Ive invited several friends to join me after this race in a mint julep, and your fo dollahs will just about fit the situation. Thank you, Robt. Dont you join us? Im glad. Come along Robt, and meet my frienus." Louis Feustel, who trains Ordinance and Ladkin for the chairman of the Jockey Club, naturally tninks Man o War the greatest of all thoroughbreds. As we asked Louis to name the best three, in his opinion, we wont stop to argufy with him which was best. He likes Grey Lay and Hourless next. Showing tuat Louis, who is comparatively a young man, is not disposed to take the say-so of the veterans who have seen and known intimately the best of all our horses since Longfellow, at any rate. Feustel doesnt think there is any reason to believe early day champions were any better than those of the present day. When at length we get down to trying to prove what great horse ever beat a good one, Louis may prove as near right as the rest of the lads. Incidentally, Feustel states that the fastest flight of speed "the big train" ever showed him was three furlongs at Saratoga one morning as a two-year-old. He turned in the three-eighths in 33 seconds flat.
