New-York tribune., 1905-10-23
PRAISE FOR CROW WING.
Hunting Men Think Clark Cup
Winner an Ideal Type.

| So far as insuring the permanent success o.
its undertaking is concerned there was no more
satisfactory evidence afforded at the opening o.
| the United Hunts Racing Association meet al
| Belmont Park on Saturday than the amount OF
available material at hand. The most potent
argument Of those who opposed the experiment
of giving a race meet devoted almost wholly to
| steeplechasing was that there would not be
| enough horses to go around and that it would
| be impossible to fill the various stake fixtures
Not only however, did the management hno
| that there was plenty of quantity but quality
| as WELL and fields for a majority or the con-
| tests both purses and stakes filed Unexpectedly
we'll Drafts from the professional racing sta
bles were few and far between, and, with the
exception of Knight of Elway, the success or
the professionals in competition with the anna
teurs was not conspicuous
In the fields restricted wholly to qualified hunt
ers there was a noticeable absence not only or
the performers that generally make up the com
but of the old fashioned type OF cold ploooeo
hunters which generally predominant IN a hunt-
ing field In this latter respect there Is to be
found plenty of proof of the ever increasing pop
ulerity of the thoroughbred as the type OF the
In the clark Cup a majority OF the starters
had enough infusion of thoroughbred blood TO
entitle them to be catalogued as blood hunters,
and Crow Wing. the winner, in conformation
and in performance was generally admitted oy
hunting men to be an ideal type. He is son
Of Praether, out OF an unknown mare anc Is
set up like thoroughored, with 6eautlIul dl
full quarters. In speed and courage he gave
abundant proof of the hot blood that flows IN
his veins. Crow Wing is owned by r. A Straw
bridge a member of the RadnOr Hunt, OF Phila-
delphia.
The stone wall and the post and rail, which
took the places of the water jump and the Liver
pool, proved great success in putting to gen
uine test the qualities which bona fide hunter
must possess to be of any to his owner IN
riding to hounds. Horses that have been schooled
over the regular steeplechase jumps. and which
are occasionally entered in the hunt races given
at Belmont Park and Sheepshead Bay, would
almost inevitably have come to grief at them
had they not previously been schooled over them.
With one or two exceptions 1t cannot be said
that the horsemanship displayed by the
teurs on Saturday compared favOrably with that
Of the gentlemen Jockeys who rode in the time
of Jack Cheever, Harry Harwood and Fox
hall P Keene. The latter, by the way. was
one of the few well known hunting men who
preferred Jamaica to Morris Park on Saturday
Many Of the Jockeys on Saturday showed in
experience in race riding and a total lack Of any
knowledge of pace
Most of the faults Of the afternoon were due
more to the riders than to the horses them
selves. similar number Of English amateurs
OF the present day could probably have easily
excelIed those who rode here on Saturday. There
were exceptions, however. and noticeably those
Of Mr.. Devereaux and of Mr.. Evans. The latter
showed particularly good judgment on LifPey
Bank in the Clark Cup, and it was to his pa
tience and Cooiheadedness that the latter was
able to finish second to Crow Wing, after trail
ing his field for nearly two-thirds of the journey.
Another striking evidence OF the present pop
ularity of steeplechasing was to be had from
the crowd that filed the field inclosure
and came because Of fondness for the sport
rather than because IL was tho fashionable thing
to do. It was expected that this stand would be
wholly deserted, and at first it not thought
worth while to open 1t. 1t was comfortably well
filed, however, and its patrons were the most
enthusiastic the course.
The meet will be continued Wednesday ard
of this week On the former day the
will be the Upland Steeplechase, for
bona fde hunters; the Brandywine Steeplechaso
for three-year-old the Middlesex Cup, for
qualified hunters and the Rose Tree Steeple-
chase On Saturday there will be decided the
Military Steepechase, the United Hunts Steep1e-
chase Handicap, the Hunt Cup Handicap the
Getaway Steeplechase, selling. and the Mount
Kisco Dash. In addition there will be two fat
races each day.