Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-12-14

re New Trotting Wonder.
The trotting season Of 1878, which 10
rapidly drawing to . close. has been
tine most brilliant in the annals Of the
American tart. We presume, from
tue marvellous improvement that 10
made in the tr0tting stock Of the coun-
try from year To year, that the same a.
serti0n will lse made next fall OF the
season Of 1879, but 80 far ~ this year
IL concerned there can he no manner Of
doubt. Thousands of men without
even tinge Of gray in their locks can
remember when ''2:l0 ON the Shell
road was regarded rs almost lightning
speed, and can recall the successive
shocks Of araaxement they experienced
when Flora Temple first beat ~, when
Dexter trottsi Ia 2:l7k, and whe n
both Goldsmith Maid and American
Girl trotted up to Flora's time when
ever they pleased. Last year Was .
pretty fair year itself for trottsrs, and
some Of the fastest Of them materially
reduced their records, until Flora
Temples 2:l9ts was simply an ancient
landmark. held in but little more re-
pute than the still more ancient Shell
road record.
Goldsmith Maid. the Queen of the
Trotting Turf, trot,ed in the almost in
credible time Of Ala, and the oldest
hands at the ribbons threw mp their
arms and exclaimed, ''That settles it,
no horse will ever beat that time. 4"
And yet along comes the imperial
Rarus this year and nonchAlantly trots
in 2:lSE and 2:13k, with every sign Of
ability to 60 still faster. Aud Edwin
Forest gets down to half . mile in
l:OS, and full mile in 2:l4E; along
comes Hopeful with his 2. lax, and Ri-
ward and Croxie, and Lucille and Pro-
teine, and several others gracefully de-
scend into the "free-for all" class which
always means . good deal better than
70 when they go for blood"
The performances Of the young trot.
ters were remarkable last year, but they
have been still more so this season. A.
two-yesr old last year, So So trotted
mile in 2:3lA, which it was thought,
like Goldsmith Maids 2:14, would
never be beaten. On his way to Lex.
ington, to attend the recent trotting
meeting there, an experienced New
York turfman, Mr.. J. d. Walton, said
to reporter for the Commercial: Its
hard to believe that two year old ever
trotted that fast, but it's record, and
must be accepted. Id like to bet
something pretty, however, that the
like is not done again in the next five
years" An hour later, at the finish Of
q heat, he put his timing watch to his
ear, and, with q startled expression,
it with that of friend. The
agreed, and recorded that
Col. r. s, Strader's beautiful
two-year old FLY. had trorted mile il
2:3O. Mr.. Walton. astonished by the
performance, thought his watch must
have stopped. It would require more
space than we have to spare to enumer-
ate all the brilliant things that have
been done by trotters, old and young,
this year, but an event occurred at Lex.
ington yesterday which calls for more
than passing notice. That event was
that Maud S., the magnificent four
year old FLY of Capt. George N. Stone,
Of this city ,trotted mile over the track |
of the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breed
ers'- Association. in tina altogether nm !
precedented and unexpected time of
PITY.
Maud s. was known to be extremely
fast, and her owner has not for some !
time doubted her ability to beat 20,
but he was by no means sanguine of
her trotting in any such time as she
made yesterday. The FLY has been at
Lexington some three weeks, and in
of the bad weather, that
has spoiled all of these weeks for turf
exercise, was very "short of work"
EARLY in the week she was given "go'
in the face of u strong piercing wind,
that drove all but the most robust men
from the track, and trotted mile in
2:22A, repetition of her performance
several Sundays ago at Chester Park. |
Capt. Stone was for bringing her home
after that performance; but Mr.. w. w.
Bair, her jealous and enthusiastic
trainer, pleaded hard for few days
more in the Blue Grass region, express
ing the utmost confidence in his ability
TO brighten the people of Kentucky
with the mare, if he could only strike
''good day and . good track" The
Captain reluctantly consented to his
the rest Of the week, and yes
terday beirg the last day Of grace, an
other Ego" was given the mare. The
conditions were not the best possible
for trial of speed, there being con-
siderable wind, and the track being
somewhat "cuppy." Still it was de-
cided to let Maud show what she could
do. There were probably hundred
men on the track. many Of whom held
on the mare. The gentlemen
who specially "held on her" in the
Judges stand were Gen. James F. Rob-
inson, DR.. L. Herr, Col. r. =. Stra-
der and Col. Ferguson. The trial took
place at 1880 O'Clock in the morning,
and after Jogging the mare around the
course two miles, Bair nodded to the
timers to let them 20, and away they
went in earnest. Without skip or
false movement of any kind, but going
1t her work like IN old horse, the won
derful ally went to the quarter pole in
33A seconds. to the half-mile pole in
minute and 6 seconds, to the three
quarter pole in minute and Al seconds,
and finished the mile in 2:17H!
The timers in the judges stand as we'll
= HI,a <,xhop sv>aotakO es nov,1A hardly ho. |