New-York tribune., 1920-09-22

Pilgrim, won the inaugural OF the
soamer Handicap. which was at mile
fss three--ear-old and upward. He
took the measure Of Johnny Dundee 3
Var Mask, a four-year-ol the Red
ssoss Stables three-year-old Neddam,
Sam Hildreth's Lord Brighton md A.
Y Macomber's tive-year-old geldinp,
noyce Roofs. that finished in the order
named. Pilgrim raced the mile in the
remarkably good time Of 1887 3-5 (the
rack record for Che distance was set
5by Emil Herz's Short Grass at 1885 2-5,
,ynly /, 19le), but at the end was less
than a length in front of Royce Rools.
which finished last
Crowd in Frenzy
The Ave courageous thoroughbreds
which constituted the field thundered
through the last furlong in cavalry
front under whip and spur in the most
furious drive this banner season of
1920 has seen. and at the end an
ichelon of heads had the frenzied crowd
Bordering on the state of apoplcxy un-
ul the official placing numbers had
been hung up.
Roamer in his day-and his star did
no. set until the year before last-was
the most renowned thoroughbred Of
he present generation. Unfortunately
hs was gelded; otherwise he might
hsve taken his place among the front
rank of American sires. Year after
year he went to the races as honest a
thoroughbred as ever looked through a
hridle. Roamer was a little thorough
bred, and about as 'hcmely and unpre-
possessing es anybody could imagine
But he was all horse" as they say
in the vernacular. AS with Man O.
War, weight meant nothing TO him.
The Handicapped piled it on and piled
Il on, but still Roamer went about, win
ming most Of his starts and almost
without exception scored in spite of
cdds as the favorite of the field. The
crowning achievement of his brilliant
career Roamer showed a. the age of
seven, towa~i the close Of the August
meeting at Samoa in 1913.
On that oc,as;on Rosmer, in O trial
against tine. racI 70 a new worlds
record for ! H,:'e, nhen, without pace
che start. nnder the able rating of
Andy Schu-tiHcar, Poamer stepped the
mile in Is: i L-4er 10 pounds, and
he steppe. II cut - The Saratoga chute,
which entails threc tur2s. He thereby
broke the v'pr.6 .ecord for the dis
tance, which had been set by Salvador,
under equal weight, at Monmouth Park.
n. j., on August %, 1890. Salvador
raced over a straight course.
2oamer was the pride and joy of the
heart of Andrew Miller. steward of
the Jockey Club and pillar of the
American turf. The day that Mr..
Miller died, last winter. Roamer suf-
fered a fractured leg at Mr.. Miller's
Red Bank On, J.) farm and had to be
destroyed. Yesterdays racing feature
was named in honor Of the thorough
bred. A richer stake honors the de-
parted owner.
Tosburgh a Wizard
A. S. Vosburgh, the official handi
eap2er of the Jockey Club, is the
wizard Of his line. No one in racing
better can bring big field together on
TIE proposition that weight, properly
assigned, can make all thoroughbreds
equal at the end of any distance. Mr..
sosourgh delivered the masterpiece Of
MS ofl!liant career in the assignment
OF weights for the Roamer Handicap.
Az will be noted by the wonderful
hhisn the race might have gone to any
one OF the five contestants. That Pill
srim won was as much due to luck as
70 class. The start found the five awav
n n fair order, though Neddam and
Aeyee Roofs, the rank outsider, were
not quite on their toes.
koyce Roofs, a great stake horse
year ago, but which had not been at his
Oess this season, had been heavily sup
ported. He was right as he ever was