The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-07
GOSSIP OF THE RUNNERS.
,,ospECrs OF THE CANDIDATES
Fnnon TuE BROOKLYN HANDICAP.

-. u.,st,ve Qualities OF Ben tsross sse Orns-
-, a Dimruit Matter TO Decide = Ben
uoi,aday IL n DhnHeresn lsr-ret Use
.'..,,o, ueuch and westohester statess
,,,houUh II will he several months before the
ling NJ the racing season In this vicinity,
p"a, workers are keenly alive to the sport, and
..o,ois already a healthy interest IN the big
t"sin@ handicap. The appearances OF Handi-
.Snnsr yosburg's allotments for the Brooklyn,
Shich ia to be decided on May -, has set the
s,nsw.rs of form to consulting the guides with
. y,ev to measuring accurately the merits OF
the nominations ,.p
.nr.,.h, in view OF the many superb perform
tOp".at hat stout horse last year as a four
nV~oId and It was also In the line Of public
y'a. - award second place in the roll Of honor
49, ,,.rllng son OF Order, Ornament, whose
v..omsnal campaign last year as a threo-year-
Iii Ionp be remembered. embracing az It
!. .x.rv racecourse Of prominence In the coun-
~ A, betveen Ben Brush and Ornament IL IL
-, ~ draw n comparison. The former did
". h,ve ANYTHING like the campaign Mr.. Pat
-, rave Ornament, and ho was, compare
49, ,naaking, a fresher horse than the son OF
~, vh,n they met In tho Twin City Handi-
~ -hicb was won by tho Western champion
- rh.nomepal time. Yet It cannot DO denied
.h., the race for the Brighton Cup took away q
=. -, Rem Brush's speed. The latter was q
- horse the day no won tho Suburban, and IL
snroh.ble that he and Ornament did not meet
go last year when they were both at top
notch.
,ot h, in this country when the Brooklyn or
suhprban is run for; that he will be shipped to
rrol,nd AZ soon as tho weather becomes mild
enough to warrant . smooth and comfortable
h.ssaao to Britain's shores. 1t 10 to DO hoped
that Mr.. Keene, who owns the great performer.
vill give TO the American public another chance
IN see their idol-for no horse has q stronger
hold on tho affections Of the racing public.
Ben Brush has no engagements in England
that will call for his being there before July
or August. 1t would. however. tako some time
"a prepare him for these, and as he 10 such
a hard horse to at there is no doubt wisdom
IN the policy OF being on the ground carly.
NJ. +. Dryer is authority for the statement that
Ran Brush Is one Of the most difficult horses to
rat ready for q hard race that no over had in
his stable. He will eat everything that comes
nj, way, and in q couple OF weeks on board ship
viii nick up q lot Of flesh. This would rave to
be taken OF again by steady work, for he 10 .
horse that must not DO hurried in his prepare
tion.
But this is getting away from the Brooklyn
Handicap. After Ben Brush and Ornament
ZONES Ben Holiday, at 121 pounds. This Eve
year-old, BIZ Hanover out Of Mollio l., was un-
ouestionably the best horse In America over Q
distance Of ground the day he broke the mile
and three-quarter record In tho Municipal Han.
dicap at Morris Park last fall, and those who
saw him run then will never forget tho way he
left his field In the last furlong after running
the mile and q halt in the vicinity Of 2:35. He
was pulled double at the finish. and .Alonzo
Clayton, who rode him, says nobody will ever
had not called on the big Montans-owned
some Of the best horses Of the year:
prominent racing man advised Mrs. Langtry to
buy him The latter was on the lookout for a
cup horse she bought in Australia, and the man
the price was agreed upon the horse was led out
hurt himself in bis stall over night. He was re.
3ected because OF this. and Mrs. Langtry then
Westerners who know Ben Holiday best,
most Of his races having been run over their
courses, gay that he Is not at his best ct . mile
courses last year r ali e tend to confirm this opin.
ION. He ID a rather slow beginner and must get
thoroughly on his stride, although a mile and q
history Of our big handicaps shows clearly that
unless o horse has speed enough to take a prom
tnent position early in the contest he stands o
remarkably poor chance Of victory. Lamplight-
er's race In which Diablo won proves the truth of
this assertion. The former was many pounds the
best horse IN that race. but was pooketed and
knocked out. and, having to run around his fold,
could never catch Diablo, who was placed we'll
throughout It is Ben Holidays ability to put
IN every quarter at the same notch that makes
him such q great horse over a distance Of ground,
and 1t Is 2 pity that there are not more horses Of
his type IN this country. for that is the type Of
endeayor TO perpetuate. The Splinter has be-
come the general rule and the slayer the ex.
essption, and We can thank the preponderance
was for something that could run fast at two
years old, as most of the valuable prizes were
within the last twenty years. unIii the stayers OF
81 the fingers Of one hand. 4 III iH pounds UG dsB Bea
opinion Of nine out otevery ten students of form
ne wiz be beaten by both Ben Brush and Orna-
ment II all three go to the post.
Next comes On Deck at ll9 pounds. There
are many who will not look beyond this lusty
IRS sI:y for the winner. provided that
bes SSs ss, a Ils new trainer. gets him out OF the fault
o because y, OF his size. On Deck blossomed as
won some good races. At two years Of age. al.
tnouSn ne was l6 hands / inch and still grow
iaE, ne showed as three furlongs at sheepshead
high.clAss Challenger. His young INC owner sner
tn9ueht that such a colt was worth waiting on,
ana very wisely refused to race him. although
tne son OF Whistle Jacket was kept going
stfongly enough TO know that something would
20 expected OF him later on. He shonid
nave 6eaten Scottish Chieftain for the bel.
mont Stakes at Morris Park, and had he not
Htuck himself at Saratoga both the Trayers and
Renner stakes appeared to be at his mercy.
Kramer Feakes always had trouble in %nlatin1
nln 50 that he would not bruise his ouartere.
Sna alter he passed into the hands OF BROMLEY
20 THIS trouble was aggravated. He Ia a
rery long strtder. and II pulled about during a
nee ID liable TO knock his legs to pieces. Tarai.
WHO rode the blk fellow in a humber Of his
saees. says that he is tho longest strider he ever
sSt upon and that when the rest of his aeld
spPeArea 70 be laboring On Deck was seeminRly
Sn,y ealloping; This Is a dangerous kind OF a
aolee, especially when IL is known mai he nos.
bessSs speed OF the highest quality. In the
hanus OF capable man, such as young Bauer
= snoTn himself to be. he will be- q Formidable
antagonist on May 2s.
aliGa llS pounds is. In the opinion of some
~ Judges, the best handicapped horse in the
66tuokiyh: This colt was considered. next no
IS..nameht, the best three year-old in the West
m !ear, and he gave Mr.. Patterson's redoubt.
n hHg champion the race OF his life for the Oakley
ovtnoy; Inc Turney brothers, who bred and
IGnHou THO until last fall. said that they neyer
fsass" now good he was. as he was sick more or
ms III Sear, being taken down at Oakley with
0rnssrsal tever Immediately after his race with
in ,huIehc ~ company with the other horses
ennsrat stable ne was sent to Saratoga 10 re-
Supsiate, and was taken sick again. and ne was
~ az well when he first started at Sheens-