The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-24
KEEN CONTEST FOR
RACING LAURELS
Exterminator, Cudgel and
Naturalist Enter Fight in
Handicap Division.
SUN BRIAR BACK TO FORM
Is Working Better Than Ever
Purchase Also in the
Running.
SUN BRIAR BACK TO FORM

SARATOGA, Aug. ga big change has
developed in the race for championship
honors since the thoroughbreds arrived
here three weeks ago. Until recently
Il seemed almost certain that three
year-oid would surely be crowned king
Of the handicap division. Now there
are four older horses in the fight and
each seems to have an edge on the
great three-year-olda The older fel.
lows are Willis Sharpe Kllmer's Sun
Briar and Exterminator, Commander ].
X. L. Rosss Cudgel and Joseph E
widener's Naturalist.
These old fellows have shown Inn
provement since their arrival here and
II seems likely that they will take the
measure of the renowned three-year-
oids, Purchase and Sir Barton, at equal
weights.
Sun Briar is back to the form that
won him world wide fame last year and
as a two-year-old. He has run two
races and each of them has been of the
record breaking kind. In his recent
trials he has been working better than
ever and II would not be surprising to
see him come forth before the end OF the
meeting and hang UP records for several
classic distances.
But. great as has been his Improve
ment, It is not nearly as great as that
Of his stable mate. Extermlnator. This
gelding is fifty pounds better than he
ever was In his life and there are
host Of practical horsemen who firmly
believe that he is superior to the more
renowned Sun Briar.
Exterminator Improved.
In his last race Exterminator was
beaten by Sun Briar by a length and a
f..IA l..A 1..N ~ g.. ~
winner was due solely to the fact that
Johnny Lotus. who rode him, had In.
structions to keep him behind Sun Briar
II the latter was able to win A ma
jority Of the thousands who saw the
race and watched LOTUS Juggling on Ex-
terminator's reins during the last fur
long OF the contest are certain he would
have won II allowed to do his best all
the way.
With these two great horses Mr.. Kill
mer holds the whip hand in the cham
pionship fight. and only surprising inn
provement by their rivals will take the
honors away from him.
Cudgel, which was a keen contender
Tor Che crown last year and in 1917.
seems to be back to his best form. In
his one start here he showed the speed
and stamina and courage Of real king.
On a heavy track, to which he is not
ging in the heavy going during the early
stage Of the contest he came on in the
final run and ran over a big field of
real high class horses, most of which
have q fondnesa- for heavy or cuppy
tracks. Guy Bedwell his trainer. says
the great horse is at his best and that
only horses capable OF breaking records
will beat him In the tests to come later
IN the season.
Naturalist a Great Horse.
whether he Is beaten or not later in the
season he will be placed among the few
great handicap horses of the year. From
q sour tempered, erratic fellow he has
developed into one OF the most con-
sistent thoroughbreds In training. In
his last nine starts he has finished first
seven times and was second twice. On
each occasion he performed exception
ally we'll. He can run as fast as any
sprinter. can carry handicap weight,
can travel a mile and an eighth at a
record breaking clip and can run as well
over a heavy or sloppy track as he can
over a lightning fast one. In his last
race he did something he never did
before. He came from behind and ran
over his opponents in the homestretch.
Usually he takes the track at the start
or soon after the webbing goes up and
steps along In front until he tires from
fatigue. He is a big. strapping fellow
and can handle 1875 pounds without
showing the least signs OF distress
That he is not put on top in the
handicap as well as the sprinting di.
vision is because he has never travelled
more than a mile and a furlong. and II
Is assumed that the cup distance Of a
mile and a quarter Is too far for him.
In his last race he was cut down at
the barrier and thrown out OF training.
Tom Welsh. his trainer. says the cut
which is on his rear of leg is not serious
and that he will come back to the races
at the Belmont Park meeting.
Although Sun Briar. Exterminator,
Naturalist and Cudgel have most friends
IN the fight for the title. the three-year-
olds are not out OF the race by any
means. Until last Wednesday Purchase
was considered as good as any of them.
On that day he won the Saranac handi-
cap. but his race was not an impressive
one. and there are thousands who say
he Is beginning to taper Off and that
when the crucial test comes he will be
found wanting. Scoring the victory in
the Saranac he beat only the inslgnih-
cant Passing Shower and The Trump.
and to do that 1t was necessary for
Willie Knapp to ride him hard from
the middle of the bend to the final six
teenth pole. There Passing Shower quit
and Purchase was e9sed up to win
easily by a length and a half. His time
for the race, which was at one mile, was
= below mediocre. over the heavy course
he',>stepped the distance In 1:421-6,
nearly two seconds slower than Over
There and Woodtrap travelled the same
distance the same day.
No "HOIe" in Purchase.
Despite this ordinary race James
Rowe, the dean of the trainers. declares
ne Is the best horse In the country, He
says the great son Of Ormondaie has
all the qualifications OF great horse
and that there is not a single "hole'' in
him.
Sir Barton has not been out here. He
went into retirement after his defeat by
Purchase at Aqueduct Three weeks
ago he was put in training. In his work
he is doing as we'll as he did early this
year when he earned the reputation of
being the greatest thoroughbred in
America. His victories in the Kentucky
Derby. the Preakness. the Belmont and
the Withers earned him high place on
the championship ladder and even his
defeat by Purchase did not knock him
down many steps. The rest he received
Is likely to do him a lot OF good and
there Is reason to believe he will come
back to the races before the end OF
the meeting and give even the mighty
Purchase a hot battle for the honors
or his class and a good account Of him
self In the battle for the handicap