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We stopped off a night in Chicago on our way west this fall. James J. Mclnerney, known variously to the lads of racing everywhere as "Big Mac" and "Rough Mac," entertained us at dinner. During the repast Mclnerney mentioned the name of an old-time character of racing, a man now living in Chicago. In the days of Garfield and Washington Parks and Hawthorne this man trained a few horses with considerable success but for a limited period only. Thereafter he had many chances, but neer a winner could he saddle. In discussing his case we remarked that his short-lived success as a trainer must have been due solely to luck. "Due to luclc and nothing else," said Mclnerney. "Few men ever trained a thoroughbred that knew less about one than he did. He ivas simply dumb. He was so dumb he recently went to see that motion picture. "The Iron Horse, thinking it was a screen story of the life of Blitzen." Which remark caused us later to ponder the passing of the so-called "iron horse" from racing. Yet, if Blitzen, with his fifty-eight starts in one season, was an "iron horse," what then is Little Ed made of steel and concrete? For that eight-year-old plater ran eighty times in the first ten months of this year, 1924. Eighty starts in forty-five weeks! Nearly twice a Aveek. But Blitzen won twenty-three of his fifty-eight starts as a three-year-old, while Little Ed has won but four of his eighty starts this year. And in that contrast may lay the reason for Blitzens fame as an iron horse. Everyone knew and loved Blitzen, while Little Ed is known only to his immediate connections and the lads who fear they will not have a ticket on him the day he gets down in front at "box-car figures." Blitzen was apt to win five days successively. Little Ed is more apt to be saluting the eighth pole five times in as many days. The world loves a winner and is solicitous for his welfare. Let him accomplish noteworthy things in close succession and hes told he ought to take a rest hell kill himself if he doesnt. But let him fail time after time then hes told to keep on trying, that it took the British S00 years to capture Jerusalem. Scores of horses those days were raced oftener and harder than either Blitzen or Logan. But that pair were winners, wherefore they became the "iron horses" of racings Hall of Fame. Our commoner horses of today are raced full as frequently as their kind were campaigned in the past But our two-year-olds that show the. slightest promise of quality are not raced as hard as they were in the 00s. So fleet a filly as Maid Marian, at two, j was racing a mile in the mud in mid-July against aged horses. Site beat all aged fields at six furlongs and twice at a mile on a Thursday, Saturday and Monday. What would be said of Mr. Bradley if ha had raced Blue Warbler in that fashion? It Avould seem, after all, that the day of the first-class iron-horse has passed. We well may hope so, for the good of the sport
