The New York herald., 1921-01-09

to all the best ones OF his age in the
Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, the
Withers and the Belmont Stakes won in
quick succession in the spring Of 1919.
To some of the younger generation Of
turfmen IL may be interesting to COM
pare this campaign with that of Luke
Blackburn, the crack three-year-old ol
1880. Trained by James Rowe and rid
den by James Mclaughlin. the little son
of imported Bonnie Scotland-he was
under 15.g hands high-started in TWEEN
ty-four races betwsen May and Sep.
2S. winning twenty-five of them. In one
Of his two losing races he stumbled and
fell. The other was the first race OF
the year.
Luke Blackburn's Campaign.
Luke Blackburn's winning races were
nearly all alike and were very like those
Of Man o. War. Boiling over with am
bition he rushed away at the start and
had everything beaten before he had
run a quarter of n mile. Besides win
ming all the great stakes for three
year-olds he ran in handicaps, matches
and sweepstakes races with the best
horses of all ages, beating with ease
such good ones as Glenmore, Monitor,
Uncas One Dime, Duke of Montrose
and Checlmate.
In the Grand Union Hotel Stakes. a
handicap at mile and three-quarters,
at Saratoga, he conceded twenty pounds
on the scale to Glenmore. n flve-year-old
then credited with the fastest time on
record for the distance twenty-five to
One Dime, one of the best four-year-old
of the season, and still more to each OF
the other starters, all of which the little
nonpareil beat In a gallop. This was
only two days after he had won the
United States Hotel Stakes at one mile
and a half. and five days before he won
the kenner. al two miles.
Less than a week after this race he
was at Long Branch, winning the clas-
sic Champion Stakes from Monitor.
Uncas and other older horses in the
fastest time on record for a mile and
a half and in what was called incom-
parably the best race ever run at the
distance in the United States. He re-
peated this victory over the same for
midable field at the same distance,
fortnight later in the Great Challenge
Stakes at Sheepshead Bay, and shortly
afterward made a show of Pierre Loril-
lard's great four-year-old Uncas, in a
match race at even weights over the
same course and distance. Soon after
this defeat Uncas won the fastest race
longs. From Sheepshead Bay Luke
Blackburn travelled to Louisville to win
the Kentucky st, Leger. at two miles,
and the Great American Stallion Stakes,
at one mile and three-quarters. This
last event put an end to his wonderful
campaign and virtually closed his turf
career. In pulling up he injured one
of his feet, and later had violent at
tack of epizootic. Though he started
twice the next year he was never him
self again.
where Man o. War Excels.
II is when the time test is applied
to Man o. War that he stands out
and of all time.
In winning the Withers at Belmont
Park as early as May 20 he ran a mile
IN / :35 As with 11S pounds UP and
without being ridden out. This was
new record for the distance in a race,
and no horse Of any age has ever
equalled' it against time with the same
weight up.
Carrying 126 pounds in the race for
the Belmont Stakes on June IL at Bel
mont Park. Man o. War ran one mile
and three-eights In . IA 1-5. or a little
more than 3 seconds faster than the
made by Sir Barton in winning the same
race under the same weight in 1919.
Both colts were easy winners. but Man
o" War was plainly able to beat his
record if his one competitor, Donna
coma. had been able to make him do It.
At Aqueduct on July IL Man o. War
gave about the best proof of his career
that he was a very great colt. With
126 pounds on his back to only los for
John Z. Grier he ran g. mile and
furlong in :43 l-5 in winning the
Dwyer Stakes. The first half-in 46
flat--was the fastest he ever ran and
faster than the best time on record for
the distance. The three-quarters, too.
in 09 3-5 eclipsed the record for that
distance. and the mile in :36 was
faster than he or any other horse had
run it under the same weight. Man 0
War was all out and under the whip
about this time, but he fought on like