The herald., 1893-02-05
UUK HUkSt dUSSIT JU[UIVIH'
What Was the Best American
Three-Y Year-Old?
Who Selected Dame Winnie for the
Farm at the Tall PineS
MIR. Graves Mckinney Youngstsrs and
His Echo Mares-Waltsr Maben at the
Agricultural T ark Ready for Work
Was stockwelI u GUTTER?

An interview published in the New
York Sun, alleged to have taken place
at Marcus Daly's ranch in Montana,
early in December, quotes Mr.. Matthew
Byrnes as saying that Salvador was the
best horse he ever handled. That may
be, SO far as the all-aged division is con-
cerned, but not as applied to the year
o. d division. My own idea is that
Iroquois was the greatest of all American
3-year-olds, with Hindoo, Foxhall,
Luke Blackburn and Tammany oil
crowding each other pretty closely for
second place. Any one of the quartette
was better than Salvador at years old,
even if he did win the Realization. 1t
was not till he was years old and won
the Suburban, with l27 pounds in the
eaddle, that Salvador showed his real
quality.
Hindoo's victories in 1881 included
the Kentucky derby Of that year, the
Clark stakes and score of others, while
his year.old victories included the
Coney Island cup and other equally
classic events. When beaten head by
Crickmore, whom he had previously
defeated four times, he was conceding
him eight pounds of weight; and ao-
cording to the best English estimates OF
the last 100 years, seven pounds is equal
to distance. In his con Hanover this
great horse, Hindoo, furnished the
world magnificent example of the
male line of Glencoe; aud, while Han
over was great horse, incline to the
belief that Hindoo was the better of the
twain. Indeed, there is doubt in my
mind if Salvador was his superior, if his
equal, at 4 years of age.
x**
Luke Blackburn WAS a horse that
stood both tests, the English test of
weight and the American test by the
watch. At 2 years old he was only re-
garded as fairly good, but at he could
give 10 pounds and a walloping to any
horse of his age in America. He won rs
races out OF 81 starts in all and was only
beaten once in his 3-yesr-old form, in
which he fell down. 1t was the Ken
tucky Derby wen By Fonso. In that
came year the Dwyers bought him and
matched him to run a mile and quar-
ter against Uncas, then just returned
from England, with los pounds On
each. AS Luke was and Uncas 5, it
was equivalent to conceding him IA
pounds, or double-distance by English
rating. Judge of Mr.. Lorillard's aston
ishment, after wagering $4,000 on the
race, to find that Luke had the old
horse in trouble at half mile and beat
him, hands down.
KY
OF Foxhall, it only remains to be said
that he not only won the Grand Prix de
Paris and the Grand Duke Michael
stakes for horses of his own age but also
won the Cesarewitch and the Cam
bridgeshlre, the latter with the greatest
weight ever carried to victory by 8.
year-old in that race, 1875 lbs. This was
three pounds more than was carried by
Sterling (sire of Isonomy) and IL more
than Fernandez, own brother to Isono-
my; and Is pounds more than Belphebe,
winner OF the One Thousand Guineas,
none of which could get better than
second place. 1t was said by William
Day, who made great coup in the
Cessrewitch with Dulcibella, ,(grand dam
of Sir Modred, by the way and who also
won the Two Thousand Guineas and
Goodwood cup OF 1859 with The
Promised Land) that Foxhall was 10 lbs.
better than the latter and Is lbs. better
than the former. Nor must the fact be
forgotten that Foxhall won the Ascot
gold cup of 1882 with 126 lbs., beating
Tristan, Scobell and Fiddler in canter.
x*x
But "t,ie proof of the pudding" lies in
favor of Iroquois. he being the only
American horse that ever won the Der
by, st. Leger, st. James Palace stakes at
Ascot and Prince OF Wales stakes, in the
latter of which he carried 129 pounds
and won away off. Until some other
American horse, therefore, goes "across
the pond" and wins those four events in
one season, l must be compelled to re-
gard Iroquois as the best 3-year-
old ever foaled on American soil.
The stubborn fact confronts me every
hour in the day. Again, it is
notorious that he was badly ridden in
the Two Thousand of that year, won by
Peregrine, whom he afterwards defeated
in the Derby. Now sppposing he had
won the Two Thou, that would have put
him abreast of Ormonde, West Austria
lian, Lord Lyon and Donovan, and
ahead of Surplice, Blair Athol, Flying
Dutchman, Voltigeur, Silvie, Macaroni,
Melton, and host of others that won
the Derby and st. Leger only.
x*x
Hence 1 put Iroquois ahead of both
Longfellow and Enquirer at that age,
though / shall always doubt whether
he could nave defeated The son of Nan
tura at years with 130 on each, at any
distance over mile and half. Now
right here 1 run up against another
snag, for Enquirer distanced the sire of
Thora the only time they ever metl I
tell you this thing Of comparisons is
just turning my hair the color OF green
cheese. Still, the stubborn fact stares
me in the face that, outside OF IroquIis,
the only two American 3year-olds that
could run 1928 in the English classical
events were Brown Prince, who was
second to CLAIMANT for the Two Thou
sand of 1877, and Sachem, who was a
bad third for the Derby of 1882, won by
Shotover. That WAS in the "mares'
year." when Dutch Oven won the
Leger, beating Geheimiss and Shotover.
x*x
/ have heard men claim that Hindoo
could have beaten Iroquois and Foxhall
both had he been taken to England that
year, but 81 don't want any of that in
mine" have heard some people say
that Luke Blackburn could have won
either the Derby or Ledger had he been
sent over to Albion. Had he been foaled
in 1875 or '76 that was possible, for Sef-
ton was no great horse and Sir Bevys
was q miserable brute. But Black burn,