Daily globe., 1883-08-20
Leonatus Broken Dolcl,.


ment in the breakdown of their great colt,
Leonatus. Just how the breakdown &C.
Cured "vigilant' in the Spirit tells in the
following:
The breaking down of Leonatus, which we
forest allowed in .sPost and Paddock last week,
has since materialized The Derby winner actu-
allv broke down on the morning of Friday, 10th,
after g gallop 1t was the first news that met US
when we reached Monmouth on Saturday, and,
seeking out Mr.. Jack Chinn, his owner, eI-
pressed our regret.
''Yes, sir" said MIR. Chlnn, Leonatus Is
done for.'
How did it happen?'' we asked. 1--WE had
heard he hadn't beoD seen out for several morn
ings."
ssOh! that wasn't the real trouble. The morn
ing he ran away he st aimed his shoulder little,
and we had to let him up. But he was all right
Thursday, and Ike Murphy came down from
Saratoga to ride him in his work. He rode him
at exercise. and the colt moved like bird. But
in pulling up he hit his off fore leg. No one
thought much about 1.-THE mark wasn't bigger
than pimple, but in the afternoon it began to
swell, and we found his back tendon was gone"
SITS not only to be deplored for your sake
personally, but it destroys much of the interest
felt in the Omnibus stakes on the 18th. to have
60 great race horse an absentee from the post"
his piercing black eyes snapped with enthusi-
asm. "Why, sir, you and have never seen his
equal. Maybe we never will. That colt ran
mile in u for us at home, and with his shoes
on"
''With what weight"
Zone hucdred and ten lbs, sir, and 30 lbs. OF
it was lead The way it came about was this:
We had put our little boy up and told him to
give the colt good move, III about l:44, as we
thought that was asking good deal; but the
boy was no Judge of pace, and sent the colt
along as hard as he could. There were
three or four watches on the trial, held by men
who knew the value of what they saw, but any
one of them will tell yOu now that it's all out
there's no further need of secrecy"
''Then, Mr.. Chinn, [ suppose you considered
the Omnibus stakes as good as in your pocket"
''Of course I did, and new tried to throw
anyone off when they asked me,' answered the
Kentuckian, with that frank, off-hand dash that
rendered him great favorite since he has been
among u.s. But let me tell you about Isaac
Ike Murphy, you KNOW he resumed, hls en-
thusiasm kindling with the subject. ''Isaac
came down from Saratoga, and after he had
ridden him in his gallop, thought I'd just
draw him out.''
.'Isaac," ssys 1, ".ow juat tell us what you
think about him?"
''Mist'r Chinn," says ho--you know how Isaac
talzs-"Mist'r @hinn, dye see dat ere place down
three-quarter pole"
Yes says ~
"'Well, sab, says Isaac. when we gets
| down dar, I'll have ole Barnes SO dead beat, he
done gone jump t. fence"
''What is the future, then of the colt?"
"Oh, the stud, of course. We've got fifteen
mares, and don't know any stallion in America
who has better right to succeed than Nat
| He's as well bred as any of them. He's got all
the best crosses - Longfellow, bennington,
Pheton, Lexington and Glencoe-you can't
beat that.''
"And the offer of $4,000 was bona fde and
| unconditional
| 'Yes. 1 suppose ought to have taken it;
but that's just the luck of poor devil like me
have him break down."
The following history of the colt, and
description of performances, is from the
Breeders Gazette:
When the news came last Saturday from Mon
| mouth Park, N. J., that the great three-year-old
colt Leonatus had hopelessly broken down in
his work, there Was a feeling or genuine regret.
| even among those for whom the running turf
has no special attractions, for Leonatus, aside
from being confessedly the champion of ali the
| -yesr-olds this season, was essentially {
western horse, and as he had gone east to dc
battle, almost alone, against the cracks of al
the other stables, it natural that he shoulc
be regarded with something more than friendly
eve by the people of this part of the
country They remembered how, decade ago
his sire, the great LongfellOw, had gone from
Kentucky to New York TO meet Harry Basset
and, after winning one glorious victory, haC
bro ken down in his second race; and how, al
though crippled and manned, he had bravel,
struggled on to the goal, finishing on three leg
in the indomitabe, game-coch style that
) characteristic of well-bred horse in any con
test.
Leonatus was essentially a sensational horse
AS two-year old he ran but once, inishin
second to Cardinal McCloskey, and beating
large field of youngsters that had shown thea
selves by previous performances to be goo
ones. He was then purchased by his preser
owners, Chinn & Morgan, who paid the roun
sum of SIS, 900 for the son of Longfellow an
Semper Felix. During the winter the bettin
! on the Kentucky Derby, to be decided at tt
Louisville May meeting, was even hveler tha
usual Ascender was the favOrite from the tin
6 the books opened in December until the ha
fell for the start in May. He had run numb
of exceptionally good races as a two-year-ol
: and when sold with the balance of MiltC
Young's stable to Mr.. R. C, Pate, he fell in
t the hands of man who always wants his hOrs
S to win, and backs them every time they star
r This fact naturally tended to make Ascender
greater favorite than even his performanc
would warrant and 1t was not long until Il
books on him were practically closed. But
the early spring months Drake Carter, anoth
J Derby candidate, began winning races at Ne
e Orleans and Memphis in the most hollow styl
: and he continued to go on well that, on publ
D form, the Derby seemed almost a certainty f
J. him. Leonatus had hardly been heard from
) this time But at the Nashville meeting, t
- third week in May, he started in the Blue Ri
= bon Stakes, dash of mile and half, and We
u under strong pull in z:3815, the rest being t
IL lengths away. This showed him to be real
'e frst-class colt, fit to go in any company; but
a. spite of it Ascender sold first choice when t
D. day for running the Derby arrived; but he W
unplaced, LeOnatus winning, in a big gall
over heavy track, in 2:4S.
By this time it was seon that Leonatus was
y giant among his fellows, and the remainder
Oh his career was succession of brilliant victori
ID He won the Tobacco Stakes, mile heats, at t
N Louisville meeting in 1:46A, 1:4714, absolute
d. cantering under the wire at the finish of ca
Ie. mile; and three days later captured the Woo
Iv burn Stakes, mile and an eighth, In 200.
:. From Louisville the colt was sent to Laton
IL where, on the opening day, he won the Hind
Stakes, a mile and half, in 2:404, givi
ur Drake Carter and Lord Raglan, his princiE
opponents in the Kentucky Derby, a seco
to beating. The Ripple Stakes, a mile and qu
to ter, he captured four days later in canter fro
he Markland and two others, and two days la
W. ran for and won the Himyar Stakes, c
= and three eighth miles.
:" Chicago was the next point, and here Leo