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■ GREAT RECORD BREAKERS i Man o War Stands Out as Notable Time Smasher. ♦ Sparkling Displays of Speed By Two Popular Favorites — Iron Mask and Roseben.- a The present day generation of AmerjeJUM demand speed, superlative ■peed, the ability to annihilate distance, to lower existing records. The wail is for speed. « . iven what they wish, they idolize the record shatterer and his or her name becomes a household word from the Atlantics broad readies to the great Pacific. The present day comparison is Nurini. However, horses and American track records is the theme of this article. Speed in particular is demanded of the thoroughbred horse. A satisfying animal in this respect was the great Man o War, hailed as the "horse of a century." His fame reached to the farthest corners of the earth. Probably no horse in the annals of the American turf, was better known to the public at larg« than the wonderful son of Pair Play. The answer to the above and the reason columns and reams of newspaper articles were written of Samuel P. Riddles champion, lies in the one word — speed. His flashing speed, ability to carry weight and still win his races, his great stride measuring some twenty-five feet, filled the public mind and when he was matched with Sir P.arton for a stake of 00.nim. the race to be run at Kenilworth, situaed in Windsor1, Canada, a tremendous crowd jammed their way into the Kenilworth Jockey Clubs plant to see this great pair meet. The result of that race is history and needs no recounting. Man o War holds three American track records. In respect to numbers he leads all others. Chilhowee has two. so has the great sprinter Iron Mask. Great names are enrolled in the table of record holders, names to conjure with — Roseben, Roamer. Pan Zareta. Kingston. Sir Barton. Exterminator, Ten Rroeck, Raliot and Whisk I.room II. How the public of today would take Iron Mask and Roseben is easily imagined. The idols of their day. Iron Mask, the scintillating, flashing son of Disguise, which raced in many countries. The holder of the five and a half furlong and three-quarter mile records which stand today. As a sprinter, few were his superior. As a weight carrier he stood shoulder to shoulder with the best. RECORD OF LONG STANDING. Roseben. affectionately called "The Rig Train." the cynosure of all eyes when he appeared. The weight carrier supreme. Honest as the day was long. How would the public of today take these two great horses? Roseben holds the seven furlong record made nearly twenty years ago. It stands today with no equaled record alongside. Neither is there an equaled record with those established by Iron Mask. Roseben carried 126 pounds when he lowered the seven-eighths mark to 1 :22. Iron Mask carried the enormous impost of 150 pounds when he established his record for live and a half furlongs. There is probably only one better record than this in the table. It is Whisk Broom II. s much disputed one mile and a quarter record of 2 :00 flat. Whisk Broom II. carried 139 pounds when he made that mark. There is quite a difference in the distance of the two races and if Whisk Broom II. s record was a true one, then it is deserving of more praise than that of Iron Mask. Iron Mask made his three-quarter mile record of 1 :09 January 4, 1914, at Juarez, Mexico. The time which he lowered that day was his own of 1 :10*f., made in the opening race at Douglas Park. Ijouisville, Ky., September 23, 1913, with 127 pounds in the saddle. The Jockey Club of Juarez arranged a special race with the object in view of lowering the standing record. Three horses were named in the overnight entries. Pan Zareta, the famous mare, noted for her speed over sprint distances and Fseeit dam of Black Gold, were the other two besides Iron Mask. DAZZLING BURST OF SPFED. Useeit was scratched, leaving only Iron Mask and Tan Zareta to fight it out. Iron Mask had up 115 pounds, Loftus being his pilot, while Pan Zareta carried 110 and had jockey Kirchbaum in the saddle. The remarkably liberal odds of 1 to 2 were laid on Iron Mask, while Pan Zareta was loyally supported at 3 to 2. It was only in the early stages of the race that the two contenders ran close together. Pan Zareta was first away from the barrier and, setting a sizzling pace, led for the first sixteenth. Then Iron Mask settled into his stride, moved up past the flying daughter of Abe Frank at the end of the first quarter, steadily drew away and finally won easing up. The fractional time of the race gives a good idea of the wonderfully fast pace that marked the early running. The first eighth was run in 11--. the quarter in 21%, three-eighths in 33. the half in 43 and five-eighths in 56«t;, leaving lt% for the last eighth, during which Iron Mask was being eased up. Iron Mask ran throughout like a well-oiled piece of machinery and was never fully extended. It is evident that he could have run the distance in 1 :09 or better, had it been necessary. Iron Mask at that time was a six-year-old. A month or more later, over the same course, he established his record of 1 :03~; for five and a half furlongs with l..o pounds up. No special effort was made that day to lower the American mark, the time being hung up in competition. Six horses started and naturally, with the enormous weight of 1M pounds up, Iron Mask was conceding chunks of weight to his opponents. Nevertheless ],.■ was a prohibitive favorite. When the start came Taplin took the son of Disguise under restraint and did not let him loose until after the, first quarter, which was run in 22Vs-At the end Taplin took no chance and rode Iron Mask out and finished the five and a half furlongs in 1:03%, his winning margin being seven lengths. Jefferson Livingston purchased Iron Mask from Harry Payne Whitney as a five-year-i oM in 1913. Iron Mask was raced in England by Harry Payne Whitney, where he was in the first rank as a sprinter. He turned roarer and was brought back to this country. Certain it is that no horse in this country ever ran three-quarters of a mile over a cir- Continued on twelUb page.* GREAT RECORD BREAKERS Continued from second page. cular course so fast as did Iron Mask. It is admitted that weather conditions were ideal when he made the record and that the Juarez track was extremely fast, but it must be remembered that Iron Mask was being eased up in the last quarter. Iron Mask died May 9. 1916, at Lexington. Ky.. of pneumonia. He raced until he was eight years old. starting in forty-five races, winning fifteen, finishing second in twelve, third in four and unplaced in fourteen. With all his great speed he won in money only 6,392 as a result of his racing in five countries. "The Big Train" Roseben was a popular idol. He was a heavily muscled horse, which enabled him to carry high weights, and this ability, combined with great speed and eav age. made him one of the oustanding horses of his era. Such great sprinters as Voter. Kingston, Hamburg Belle and later day sprinters have had their thousands of admirers in their days of glory, but their fame pales before that of the mighty "Big Train." Not one of them could have taken up 147 pounds and run three-quarters of a mile in 1:11%. or 126 pounds and cover seven-eighths in pock riarvtlous time as 1:22. Yet Roseben did bo:h and could have run faster on tach occasion. Roseben had his well defined limit. He could run a fast mile, but no more. l*p to seven-eighths was his true distance, and to that point, when thoroughly fit, it is doubtful if his equal has ever been seen in racing. Racing secretaries everywhere loaded the big son of Ben Strome with all that the traffic would bear. Seldom, very seldom, after his two-year-old year, was he let in under 115 pounds, that figure being his lowest as a three-year-old after the spring season. On three occasions as a three-year-old he packed 140 pounds to victory. As a four-year-old his lowest weight was 126 pounds and his handicap usually scaled between 130 and upward to 147. They may rave and rant of their thoroughbreds of today, but a study of the record of this marvelous weight-carrying, space-destroying, son of Ben Strome and Roseleaf is enough to make any follower of the thoroughbred of today wonder. KOSEBENS GREATEST RACE. Even his American record for seven furlongs fades into the shadows when compared with his record. Nineteen years ago, or on October 16, 1906. Roseben made his record for seven -eighths. Fifteen thousand people were packed into the Belmont Park enclosure that afternoon. The race which produced the amazing performance on the part of Roseben was the fifth, a condition affair for which there were originally entered fourteen horses. Rosebens presence, with only 126 pounds up, scared out all save the unconsidered Beauclere. The prices were 1 to 80 Roseben and 60 to 1 Beauclere. There were few wagers, but one man bet his neighbor to win 00. The blustering weather and biting wind prevented the general public from wagering on the time proposition, but rumors from the clubhouse just before post time had it that Rosebens owner, Davy -Johnson, had wagered J50.O00 at even money that his horse would break all existing records for the distance. The start came. Shaw, who had the mount on the great sprinter, sent him off at full speed. He never gave a moments respite and amidst the greatest excitement and ex-clamaions of wonder, Roseben finished out the heartbreaking journey staggering like a drunken man. The time was hung up at 1 :22. Roseben returned to the scales with drooping head and heaving sides, while the crowd went mad. The band played "Hail to the Chief." Hail to the chief, indeed. A chief he was. His record has stood for nineteen years. The mile record is held by the Oreentree Stables Cherry Pie, now racing at the Tijuana course. Cherry Pie established his record of l:35:t5 at Belmont Park, the scene of Rosebens record-breaking performance at seven-eighths, seventeen years before. The best previous time for the one mile was that of Audacious. 1:35%. made at Belmont Park. June 1. 1921. Before Audacious the peerless Man o War had reduced it to 1:35%, his record also being made at Belmont Park. Previous to Man o War, the record was 1 36Vs. held jointly by Sun Briar and Fairy-Wand. Prior to the latter pair it was Amulfis 1:36 1-1. made over the hard surfaced trotting track at Syracuse, that was best. In 1914. three horses had joint records of 1:37%— Centre Shot, Manasseh and Vested Rights. The extremely fast Juarez course was responsible for two of these times, Manasseh and Vested Rights making their marks over the Mexican course. WIPES OPT CENTRE SHOTS MARK. Before being equaled by Vested Rights and Manasseh. Centre Shot had held the mile record alone for many years. Centre Shot wiped out the triple tie for first honors between Dick Welles. Kiamesha and Fern L. The mile record has been steadily lowered until Cherry Pies 1 :3." %. Cherry Pie made his record in the Jerome Handicap at Belmont Park, September 4. 1923. Five in all started, including Dot. who holds the record for a mile and a sixteenth. Cherry Pie carried 113 pounds and Coltiletti took him back of the pacemaker Prince of Imbria until the stretch, where he drove him to the front, and Cherry Pie just got his nose in front as they Bathed past the judges stand. Prince of Imbria was a great horse that day, setting a terrific pace, which had much to do with the lowering of the record. That the Belmont Park course is the fastest in the country goes without saying. Dot also made her record of 1 :42% for the one mile and a sixteenth over the New York course. About four days after Cherry Pie had lowered the American record for one mile. Dot turned in her record-breaking performance for the mile and a sixteenth. The excitement of Cherry Pies record had hardly died away when Dot, an imported French filly, racing for J. Byer, in competition with that wonderful racer Mad Hatter, Brainstorm and All Over, shatered Vlestas record of 1:43% by one full second. The filly had up 100 pounds and, setting a terrific pace for the entire distance, won by a length and a half from Brainstorm. Sande, who had the mount on Mad HaPer. eased him up near the end when he saw that the chase was futile. CJiilhowee holds the records for the one milo and an eighth and one mile and three-quarters, but their making being so recent, they need no recounting. Neither does the record of Altawood, which equaled that of Radio for the two miles and a Quarter.
