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THE STORY OF THE SPRINTER— XXII. By SALVATOR. • In the last chapter of this story it was pointed out that two strains of newly imported blood that is, new at that time were, above all, conspicuous when sprinting was first introduced upon American tracks in the metropolitan terrain, just following the Civil War — previous to which long distance racing had been so completely in the ascendancy that even two-year-olds were never raced at less than a mile. These strains were those introduced respectively by imported Eclipse and imported Leamington. The instances in which horses of these two lines, or that combined both of them, came to the front were so continuous, so persistent and so inevitable that it was not less than amazing. The success of the sprinting system which was, in time to come, to dominate the American turf — as it so completely does today — was largely due to the intense speed of the Eclipses and the Leamingtons, and the remarkable brilliance displayed by them. With the qualification that while very few of the Eclipses could "go on," the best of the Leamingtons were able to. This remarkable trait of the Leamingtons was never so boldly displayed as in the case of the most famous of all the get of the great progenitor — the renowned Longfellow. For, while Iroquis, by Leamington, was and is the only American-bred horse that ever won the English Derby, and Parole, Enquirer, Aristides, and others all won enduring fame, it was Longfellow that made the deepest and most lasting impression upon American turf goers and came to be held by them as marking an epoch. He was foaled in 1867 and did not race until he was three, speedily becoming the most talked of thoroughbred in this country — so great was he considered that turf writers, historians and horsemen still speak of "the greatest horse since Longfellow," thus admitting that he was a monumental figure. Longfellow possessed, in the most extraordinary degree, the double gift of the Leamingtons — the ability to go both fast and far. Most of his victories were over very long courses — he won five times at two-mile heats, and, repeatedly, dashes of two miles and a quarter and two miles and a half. But he also gave exhibitions of pure speed that were not less than phenomenal when we consider that his day was sixty-five years ago, when tracks were nothing to compare with those of today in speed, while the training system was still almost wholly that of former days, in which the effort of the trainer was concentrated upon the staying power of the horse, rather than his "foot." On July 14, 1871, Longfellow started for the Saratoga Cup— still the principal longdistance event on our racing calendar — it being his first appearance at the Spa, where he and his picturesque and eccentric owner, "Old John" Harper were the "observed of all observers." Up to that time he had never been beaten since his first race, in which, being wholly unfit, he was distanced by his paternal half brother Enquirer. Subsequent to that reserve his progress had been of unchecked conquest and after cleaning up everything in the South and West he had been taken North seeking fresh fields of glory. His first start there was in the Monmouth Cup, at old Monmouth Park, two and one-half miles, in which he beat Helmbold, Regards and Preakness in smashing style. Thence he was taken to the Spa for the Cup. So great had his prestige now become that only a single opponent dared start against him— but that was no ordinary one — being nothing less than Kingfisher, the pride of the stable of the first August Belmont and one of Lexingtons best sons, the winner of the Belmont, Travers, Champion and other great stakes. It was a singular fact that up to the day they met in that Saratoga Cup, Kingfisher, like Longfellow, had been beaten but once — and by the same horse, Enquirer. The distance of the Saratoga Cup was two and a quarter miles, and the Saratoga track was that day in good condition. There was a vast attendance and heavy betting. Longfellow was a stout favorite, but Kingfisher was well backed by the friends of Mr. Bel- | mont, who asserted that in him the Ken- ! tucky crack would meet his Waterloo. When the two horses appeared they were roundly applauded, but Longfellow towered over Kingfisher like a giant, being a full hand taller — for, while Kingfisher was of good size, being 15i hands high, Longfellow lacked but an inch of 17 hands. Besides, Longfellow was "big all over" — a colossus of a thoroughbred, with a great loping, space-devouring stride which, according to legend, covered 27 feet at a bound. Kingfisher, on the other hand, was compact, closely knit and coupled, while his stride was quick, nervous and wire-hung. The day of the Lexingtons, the last great tribe of long-distance horses of the old type, was not yet over. In fact, they were not really of the old type, such as was typified by Boston, the sire of Lexington. They were not unlike the Leamingtons in that they combined great speed with equal stamina — in fact, they could go even farther than the Leamingtons, taking them as a family. For they could go four miles, while the Leamingtons liked two miles and a half better. All the admirers of the Lexingtons were "down on" Kingfisher. Their prediction was that he would carry Longfellow so fast and so far that he would make him "stop" — and then go on and win. The plan with Kingfisher was to force the pace from the getaway, but in his zeal the jockey overdid it. Longfellow had drawn the rail and Kingfisher set out to take it away from him. This old John Harper had instructed the colored boy who rode his horse not to allow. The consequence was that from the moment the flag fell a speed duel began that literally caused the hair of those who witnessed it to stand on end, so far did it surpass anything else of the kind ever seen in America. Kingfisher locked Longfellow and away they went— the Belmont horse with his short, rapid, trip-hammer stroke fairly splitting the air, the Harper giant, stretched low to the ground and with mighty strides seeming to take but one step to his rivals two. The old Saratoga course of that day was just one mile in circuit, so the two had started from the head of the home stretch. They passed the wire the first time with Longfellow a neck in the lead, rounded the lower turn and sped up the back stretch to the half-mile post still clinched in mortal combat. Both were doing all they could; Kingfisher answered the calls made upon him like a hero, but always Longfellows white nose showed in front. As the timers looked at their watches they could not believe what they saw there. The six furlongs had been run in 1:12%! And up to that day no horse in America had ever run a dash of six furlongs as fast as 1:16! Now they were flying around the upper turn and completing the first mile. And now, running on the outside, Kingfisher, having to cover a lot more ground, is not quite holding his own. But his nose is at Longfellows girths as they flash by the three-quarters post, completing the first mile of the journey. Again the timers look at their watches — and again they are dum-founded. The mile had been run in 1:40% —and hitherto no horse in America had ever run a dash of a mile faster than 1:43! "Which will crack first?" was the unanimous question among the thousands who were watching the duel with breathless excitement, for a host of non-official watches had also proclaimed what was going on and the entire assemblage was seething. They turned into the home stretch and soon it was seen that Kingfisher was yielding. He kept on bravely, giving everything he had, but when they reached the wire, the remorseless Longfellow had left him two lengths arear. And from that point the race was over. The farther they went, the farther the gap between them opened. It was "all over." Kingfishers jockey stopped riding him, and when he saw this, so did Longfellows. Both horses were tired, but of the two the gigantic son of Leamington was the stronger. And pulled down almost to a canter, he crossed the line many lengths in front in 4:02 i, with ebon Bobby Swims face one broad smile and "Old John" Harpers bony hand clutching in his trousers pocket tickets that were said to have called for 0,000, Now. the most remarkable thing about this historic race is the fact that the first six furlongs were run in 1:12% — and, mark you, by two horses that had not been trained for extreme speed, but that were racing two miles and a quarter. It was, of course, a suicidal clip. Had there been a third horse in the race, rated along behind them, with little doubt he would have disposed of even the mighty Longfellow at the end of the race, much as Jim Dandy did of Gallant Fox and Whichone at Saratoga in 1930. The records show that no American thoroughbred ever ran a dash of six furlongb over a circular track as fast as 1:12% for over twenty years after the day Longfellow and Kingfisher did it at Saratoga that July day of 1871. In 1883 Force ran in 1:13, flat, over the straight six-furlong course now no longer in existence at Churchill Downs, Louisville. Over the same course, in 1888, Tom Hood also ran in 1:13. In 1889 the straightaway "toboggan slide" was opened at Morris Park, and it was run in 1:11, while in 1890, when Fides won the first running of the Toboggan Handicap, she ran it in 1:10%, which was half a second faster than the time made last Monday in the same event, when Singing Wood defeated one of the best fields ot sprinters of the present day in 1:10%. The first time that 1:13 was beaten over a circular track was in 1894. when Diggs, a two-year-old, with but eighty-three pounds up, ran at old Washington Park, Chicago, in 1:12% — exactly the same time made by the two great Cup horses in 1871. How fast could they have run over a modern posing they had been trained purely for speed, and not to go two miles and more? How fast could they have run ovre a modern "parlor" track like Arlington Park, Hialeah or Coney Island? It gives one to think! . — *
