New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-07-11

Il
tSs way he won that impressed the
5000 horse lovers. Lucky indeed was
4. Who can say he saw Man o. War
= July 10, 1920. He saw the greatest
ace Of turf history won by the great
at horse that every has been bred
THIS race will be chronicled as the
fawysr Stakes of 1920. It was, to all
intents and purposes a match race be-
tween the greatest three-year-olds OF
iii time and one of the greatest None
Int Jimmy Rowe, the veteran trainer
ef Harry Payne Whitney's stable. be-
Jieved there was horse in training
anywhere close to Man O. War. None
INIT Rowe would accept the challenge
from this champion of champions.
Games but Futile Effort
Rowe. who in vain had sent the
promising Wildair against this marvel
steed. gambled his trump card in John
p Cricr Grier ran race that yould
have beaten any horse but Man o. War.
r. was one Of the most wonderful efforts
ever shown by thoroughbred. It
failed. but no stigma attached to the
defeat
There never was a more picturesque
setting for a turf classic. More than
thirty thousand sport-mad thorough
bred lovers damned every possible
vantage point at the Aqueduct track.
The clubhouse lawn and upper varanda
were . riot of gay colors, merging the
smart gowns and hats Of the fair of
the smart set. The grandstand was a
twentieth century version of the Black
Hole Of Calcutta. There wasn't cubic
inch unoccupied anywhere.
Aisles, steps and seats were loaded
To OVERLOOKING, and still the lawn be-
tween the stand and track fence was
hacked so closely that not another
soul could have been dropped down
there without falling on somebody's
straw hat. AS the race Of history was
being run the occupants of the grand
stand benches stood up on their seats,
and then the great press of humanity.
fighting for a vantage point, swarmed
in and stood in the bench runways be-
fore their more favored standees.
Such an ovation was rendered Man
o. War as never before was rendered q
thoroughbred. 1t began as the bugle
heralded the black and yellow silks of
the Glen Riddle Farm, and--save dur
ing the actual running of the race--did
not die down till the conquerlng hero
Of the equine world had been led out
Of sight at the conclusion of his great
est triumph of brilliant career.
No Cheer During Race
There was no cheering through the
running Of this race. One doesn't cheer
at the foot of Niagara's cataract. The
awesomeness of the occasion (if you
held the soul in thrall Perhaps there
wasn't stop watch to a thousand But
even the tyro could feel in the running
of those two great horses that turf
history was being made.
But for this super-horse Harry
Payne Whitney's John P. Grier might
to-day be heralded the equine cham
pion of the age. He ran race that
would have beaten any horse that ever
looked through bridle-except Man O.
War Cold fgures-better than SIM
les-illustrate John P. Grier's classic
effort, failure though it proved. From
start to finish every post of the jour
ney was passed in record time. And
until almost the very end--until just
out the sixteenth pole, in fact-it
seemed that Grier might win.
For the first time in his racing
career, the sleek chestnut sides OF
Man o War felt the cut Of the
whip. Inside the eighth pole, the
Whitney chestnut that had raced
W tliC OclUC Va kNio ShlibA pkoA Va
champions all the way, actually had
the great Man O. War headed. Hummer
piled the lash with right good will. And
Man O. War, reused to the idea that
something vital was at stake, re-
sponded as the great race horse that
he is. He pulled himself together,
charged at his rival with all the power
Of his marvellous frame, and simply
broke the heart of as game three
year-cld as this country will see in
many day
Man o War Wins Eased Up
1t wasn't close at the end. Man O.
War won by two lengths, and won
eased up plainly through the last hun
dred yards or so. The resolute John
P. Grier went as courageously as he
could quite as far as he could. Be-
tween the furlong and sixteenth poles
ne was a half length in front. That is
when Hummer piled the lash on Man
o War with right good will. But John
T. Grier had reached the end of his
resources. Leg weary and blown,
drunk and dizzy from the killing pace,
ne folded up like an accordion and
stopped like a horse that was short.
Until that psychological pinch John
Z: Grier looked the winner. When the
Whitney colt raced head to head with
the champion of champions, furlong
after furlong, there was but one. opin-
lon--that Man O. War must crack first
under his killing impost of 1875 pounds
II was a matter Of racing tradition.
Weight must tell at the end. But Man
o War is horse that defies tradition
and law. Under the lash he straight
ened his arched neck, crunched the BIT
and heightened his stride. 1t was 9
response we'll calculated to break the
heart of less courageous opponent
and little wonder John p. Grier re-
allied then he was against the in
evitable.
Man O. War broke every known dis.
lance for the course up to the mile ant
furiong, the distance of the Dwyer
ana practically for the mile and six
;senth John P. Grier shared the honors
ha was racing Man o. War. head &C
cad and nose to nose. Here IS the
o'nclal fractional time by furlongs
o:l2 "a, 0:23 2-5, 0:3A rs, 0:46
o:67 2-6, 1:09 3-5, 1923, 1885, 1:49 Id
No horse needs further recommen
cation. The record for six furlong:
= Aqueduct was established by Harr,
rayne Whitney's Thunderer on July .
1915, at I'LL. Man o. War and GRIEF
numbered the first three-quarters OF
alle In l:09 3-5a second and two
ntshs faster than any horse had evel
Travelled over the Aqueduct course be
ttere Thunderer carried 116 pounds;
Aan q War packed 126.
Srier was almost half length II
1font at the end Of mile He coy
sfed this distance in 1885 fiat Th'