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Here and There on the Turf j Man o War Had Toothache j I His Handlers Become Worried i I J Mr. Bones Belies His Breeding j j Comes to Hand Late and Is j j Stayer. j Man o War, now in his nineteenth year and past the average middle-age of a thoroughbred, gave the Glen Riddle people considerable apprehension recently when he turned away from his feed-box. As horses cant talk, handlers must use other means to determine the slate of their health and when an animal doesnt display his usual appetite, an examination is made immediately to learn the cause, if possible. Several days went by before the attendants of Man o War were satisfied the ailment of the horse, generally considered as the greatest this country ever has produced, was not serious and they ceased to worry. It developed the great thoroughbreds teeth were giving him trouble and after being worked on by a veterinarian his mouth ceased to bother Man o War, and now hes getting away with as much hay and oats as ever and hes an equine gourmand. The son of Fair Play and Mahubah never has had anything seriously wrong with him even when he raced, although he probably gave trainer Louis Fcustal enough scares. All good horses do that. But, with such a good horse as Man o War, which has proven one of the countrys greatest sires as well as being a champion racer, getting along in years, a minor trouble develops more easily into something serious unless checked in time. Needless to say, a thoroughbred of the value of Man o War gets the very best of attention and is watched closely from day to day, not only by his groom but by the stud manager, who now is the capable Harrie B. Scott. Formerly that person was Miss Elizabeth Daingerfield, whose fame with thoroughbreds is worldwide. It may interest .yearling buyers to know they will have, their first opportunity to hand-pick a Man 6 War crop of foals this coming August at Saratoga. Walter H. Vosburgh, whom we say again, even though we were one of his severest critics, should be honored by naming an important stake for him in New York, once wrote that a thoroughbred reached the peak of his development at a certain age and he couldnt be expected to be any better when older through any conservation efforts beforehand. In other words, it was Vosburghs observation that a precocious two-year-old wouldnt prove any better as a three-year-old even if he had spent the previous season in taking matters easy. It is Vosburghs contention that trainers will do well to get as much as possible out of a precocious youngster because he will not prove any better the following year whether he has raced or not Naturally, there are exceptions. One of the best means of improving the class of older horses thereafter appears to be to breed away from precocity. Occasionally a horse having a preponder- jiContinued on nineteenth page." HERE AND THERE ON THE TURF Continued from second page. ance of staying blood in his pedigree will be an early horse and a sprinter and at other times the reverse is true, as in the case of Mr. Bones. The son of Royal Minstrel and Rinkey, by Pennant, apparently is bred for speed and to come to hand early, but Mr. Bones is a colt of considerable length and size and although possessed of an admirable turn of early foot, he was not a ranking two-year-old. However, he imparted enough to his trainer, James W. Hcaly, to cause him to have faith in the Royal Minstrel colt during the off-season. Contrary to his breeding but more in keeping with his physical structure, Mr. Bones has blossomed out into one of the top members of the current three-year-old division. A comparison of races has him within a pound or two, no more, of Bold Venture, conqueror of Brevity in the Kentucky Derby and Granville in the Preakness. The latter defeated Mr. Bones in the Belmont Stakes by inches. In the case of Mr. Bones his type is contrary to the characteristics generally expected in horses bred for speed although he is very much like his sire. Royal Minstrel is by Tetratema, a son of The Tetrarch and grandson of Roi Herode, and appears very much a member of this line. He was a fast horse in his native England and won over distances which in this country are regarded as those for stayers. Other stallions of this male family, notably Stefan the Great, have been brought to America to achieve average success or less, but Royal Minstrel, whose dam is Harpsichord, by Louvois, seems well on his way to greater things. He has sired many speedy horses including Singing Wood, holder of numerous sprint records at various tracks and winner of the Belmont Futurity. In First Minstrel, he produced a colt that Vosburgh considered the best of his two-year-olds in his experimental ratings, but unsoundness prevented the. Greentree Stable colt from disputing the triumphs of Cavalcade and Discovery as three-year-olds. Mr. Bones lacked the precocity of Singing Wood, but he is fulfilling the three-year-old promise of First Minstrel.
