The New York herald., 1922-11-26
NOTABLE NEW BOOK
BY W. S. VOSBURGH
First Hand Turf History From
the Civil War to the
Present Day.
SKETCHES OF CHAMPIONS
Authoritative Pen Pictures of
Succeeding Generations Of
Famous Racers.
SKETCHES OF CHAMPIONS

is likely to be of unusual interest to
horsemen. And when the author has
for a generation acted as official handi-
capper of the metropolitan racetracks,
where his duties inspired the closest
observation and study of horses and
their owners, trainers and jockeys,
the publication of such a work is an
event OF the first Importance.
Pacing in America. 1S66-1921." il;
the title of the handsomely printed
ouarto volume of 249 pages by Walter
5. Vosbursh, which has just been pub
lished, or, as its title page informs
the reader. privately printed by the
Jockey Club" When his father went
10 the front as Colonel of the Seventy
first New York Volunteers in the
first days of the civil war, the
author was a schooIboy at the
village of Fordham, in the imme-
diate vicinity of the Bathgate Farm,
where the celebrated racehorse Medoc,
by American Eclipse, was foaled, and
where Barefoot, the St. Leger winner
of 100 years ago and imported Trus-
tee had been kept in the stud. On this
historic ground he saw Jerome Park
come the most fashionable racetrack
in America and to introduce the Eng
lish system of dash races, which in
time supplanted the American system
Of heats and revolutioniZed the char
acter, of American racehorses. Long
before the old racetrack was closed
in 1894, Mr.. Nosburgh had become
widely known as the brilliant racing
critic of the Spirit of the Times. an
when in 1891 representatives of the
leading tracks in the vicinity of New
York formed the Board of Control for
the general government of racing
hereabouts. he was chosen secretary
of this pioneer organizations.
No One So Well Equipped.
now living Is so well equipped as he is
to tell the story of racing since the civil
war. and it would puzzle Ed. Wenrick
himself to name another turf historian
who at any period was so long and in
timately identified with racing. To
write of the leading horses. horsemen
and events of fifty years and more. al
ways with first hand knowledge, has
fallen to the lot of few if any others.
and this should make the book for all
time authoritative.
To adequately cover fifty-fve years
OF racing In Il 900 or Is 900 words is,
however. beyond the power of even Mr.
Nosburgh. whose best history of large
part of this period is still TO be found
in. the weekly reviews written by him
ff.t he Cpf. ~ he ka a
caGo Horscmon. Doubtless these con-
temporaneous reviews refreshed the au-
thor's memory for many of the descrip-
tions and sketches OF the turf and stud
careers OF celebrated race horses. THESE
all too brief sketches fiji almost 200 OF
the 249 pages of the book. and they are
the cream OF the authors work. coming
as they do from turfman who knew the
horses as few besides their owners and
trainers knew them.
In the remaining part of the book Mr..
Nosburgh has given condensed record
OF the revival of racing in 1866 under
the auspices Of the American Jockey
Club at Jerome Park the leading racing
associations and racetracks of the
country and their officials The illus
trations of the volume will be disap-
pointment to racing men. There are
upward Of Atty full page pictures of
noted winners from the days of Norfolk
and Kentucky to those of Man o. War
and Norwich. but for the m part they
are devoid of individuality and are poor
ly made from fancifu drawings or paint
ings or from photographs retouched
almost beyond recognition.
Man o. Wars Family.
As showing how Mr.. vosburgh's
Sketches Of celebrated horses enable the
tyro or the turfman of to-day to trace
the character of racing family 70.
generations some excerpts from these
chapters may be interesting and inform
ing. Man o. War he describes as q
red chestnut. marked with a star and
an indistinct short gray stripe in hi:
forehead He had a straight profile
large nostrils. stout neck and was
rather broad across the chest--rnore 81
than we like to see. His back was
rather longer than the average. and nc
cut away slightly behind the Group. His
legs wore straight and his pasterns none
too long. His feet were OF fair size
He had the size and power of n sprinter
with the conformation of "A slayer.
Man O. War retired tho champion
racc horse OF his era. He did not enter
the great spring events Of the all aged
class that brought greater renown I,
aysonby and Friar Rock nor did he re.
main long enough in training TO mee
the best horses of different years, a.
did Hanover Henry Of Navarro am
Cudgel Yet he was manifestly bet
ter horse than any he met and has
been proclaimed the greatest racer o.
all time. But we have heard tha
claimed for every great horse OF th'
last hfty years There rs no method by
which race horses of different periods
can be compared. We can only speal
of a horse as being the best OF thi'
period. and such Man o. War gave every
evidence Of being"
or Man O. wars sire tho author hat
this 90 say: Fair PLAY was not
large horse, but plenty big enough a.
his trainer. Joyner, used TO say. III
was very stylish colt. and when h'
appeared in England the trainers sal,
he reminded them Of Hermit, the Derb,
winner OF 1867 A bright chestnut. witt
a narrow baze. he was a son OF Hast
irgs and Fairy Gold by Bend Or. As
two-year-old Fair Play started In ter
races. winning the Montauk stakes ant
the Flash. As three-year-old he woi
the Dwyer. Realization. Jockey Club
First Special Municipal Handicap C12'
pounds). Jerome Handicap (t25 pounds)
lie was sent to England IN the autumn
OF 1908. Shortly before going abroad
Fair Play had begun do show temper
in his races In England. during 1909
he became worse. He started I'm sil
races and was unplaced in each. sucl
,~ ths Eatnnfon Itthfieo HaudicaD Man,