The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-04-10
FARM AND GARDEN.
who IL tie Champion StaiIion!---Neverie' of
:. Bachelor.

luIOWluS upOu tHC wall, III
shadows OF climbing ivy From its am
bush of gistening green leaves, Gala lily
peeps coyly out upon the snow with. which
It seems TO vie in whitcness. The house IS
still; have laid aside my hook; and, hall
sitting, half reclining, muse. '-
My thoughts are in concert with the siivery
music of the bells as they are borne past the
tleettooted, sleek-coated trotters, for have
just spent an hour amongst them with our
honored friend, Hiram Woodruff. In my
rambles with him, my eye fell upon this re.
markable expression of Hlram's opinion OF
most wonderful horse: NO other stailion
has ever made as good race as he maze thdt
day | read on and on, and at last lay down
my book, mentally exclaiming, George III.
Patchen is champion, He is king! II is no
dream, no vision, but rather the sternest real
ity; for a stallion to come to the wire, as ne
did, race after race, forcing the Queen OF the
Turf, in mile and two-mile heats to make
lower figures upon the blackboard than had
ever been placed to the credit OF any morse.
Indeed. in a two-mile contest with Flora
Temple, Patchen placed to his credit in -.
This. with the exception of one heat trotted
bv Flora one mile time In race of mile
heats, trotted with Flora this same season
1S60), Patchen secured a record OF ":23
But let our old friend tell his story. He
saws: 1T now seemed that after the downfall
of Princess. and the way IN which Flora had
finished up her long and arduous campaign
of 1859 she would remain at ease the ac-
knowledged queen and mistress Of the trot.
ting turf. But this was not the case. 1t was
found that the Jersey stallion, Geo. NJ. Pat
chen, was an improving horse, and the spring
$1,000 The race came off on the 9th of
June. The stallion had the pole The
start was even, but Flora soon made skip,
and the stallion got the lead, but the mare
caught and, goirg on with uncommon reso-
luton, headed him, and led length at the
quarter IN 35s On the straight work she
drew away little more, but the stallion now
made great burst of speed, and she broke.
At the half mile pole in IL he had lead
of a length, and soon increased 1t TO two
lengths, but upon the turn the mare squared
herself drew up to him, and came into the
stretch with him. The struggle home was
one of fastest and closest things that ever was
seen, They came on neck and neck at an
amazing rate, and within three strides Of
home it seemed to be dead heat McMann,
at the very last struck Flora, sharply with the
whip, let go of her head, and with one des-
perate effort she was first by throat.latch in
81, the best time we had then seen on the
Island. The last half.mile had been trotted
IN 10, and was q neck and neck race all the
way.
In the second heat Flora was two lengths
ahead at the quarter pole, and Patchen, break
ing on the backstre,ch, her lead was three
lengths at the half mile. On the lower turn
he closed the daylight, and another very hard
struggle up the homestretch ended in his de-
feat only by neck in 2:4,
In the third heat they got off well together.
On the turn she led slightly, beng on the in
side, and at the quarter, in Sos, she led him
nearly q length. He now made wonderful
effort, and trotted one of the best quarters
length behind at the quarter pole, IN S6s., at
the halt.mile pole, in I'm. los, he led. There
fore, he trotted this, the second quarter in the
third heat, in better than 34s On the lower
turn he led two lengths, But the mare now
gathered herself up for one of her rushes,
and closed with him. Up the stretch it was
again close and hot but she had little the
best of it, and at the very last pinch he broke.
She won in 3 :211s. l consider this the best
race that Flora Temple ever made, and as the
stallion was so little behind her the differ
cnce could not be appreciated by timing, it
shows what a remarkable and excellent horse
he also was No other stallion has ever
made as good a race as he made that day.
WO IudlCUcS vert iuduc W lObtGu al
Suffolk Park, Philadelphia, the first, mile
heats, three in five; the second two-mile
heats The first of them was trotted July 4
Flora won the first heat by neck, in 1921
In the second heat they trotted nearly neck
and neck to the quarter, in 35l4s. Flora led
a trifle then On the backstretch he outtrot
ted her. and led half length; but just be-
fore they got to the halfmile pole she col
Jared him again, and made the pole in I'm
10l1s. Then she broke, and he took the lead
then he was SO hard pressed in his effort to-
maintain it, that he broke, AND she was once
more in advance. At the head Of the stretch
they were nearly neck and neck, and doing
their very best 1t need not he said that their
best trotting, neck and neck, at the rate of
about On. 20s. to the mile, was very fine, 1T
is Il spectacle which has been very seldom
seen, except in the races between Flora and
George NJ. Patchen, for they were the only
two that came together capable of doing it
heat after hear. There had not been another
horse that had been so close to Flora Ten.
pie herself in speed, in ability TO stay dis
lance and in apparent endurance and Capac-
ity to keep at il race after race-aS George
NJ. Patchen. The finish now was very fine;
halfway up, when she led him only a length
but he soon caught and rushed at her again
with such speed and resolution that he was
at her girths when she scored IN I'm. 2lSis.
On The 10Th Of July Flora and Patchen
trotted twomile heats at Suffolk Park. The
stallion outscored Flora, and It was some
time before they got the word He had the
best of it by length when the judges gave
the start; and going fast before Flora got
well at work he led three lengths at the quar-
ter in 30 s., ana the same distance at the
halfmile in i'm. los The stallion no" made ,
q SKIN hut was quickly and neatly caught by |
Tallman. and lost nothing. On the home
stretch the mare gained on him: bat he was
first over the score in en-. 22s. After going
by the stand he increased his lead, and at the
halfmile pole had three lengths the best oil
it. They came home in the same position,
and the stallion won the heat IN Am. 81 2s.'
which Is the best two miles IN harness that
was ever t-otted, except Flora's Am. 5o!4. |
But by this time Mr.. Waltermire had made
up his mind TO let Patchen go to the stud
do not think he could have balanced the