Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-11-13
TIE NEW 7ROTTING WONDER
DETAILS OF THAT UNPRECEDENTED PER
TORRANCE Ar LEXINGTON.

sertion will be made next fall of tho
season OF 1879, but 80 far as this year
is concerned therc can be no manner
Of doubt.
Thousands Of men without even
tinge Of gray in their locks can remem-
Der when '2;i0 on the shell road" was
regarded as almost ligh,pipe speed,
aud can recall the successive shocks OF
amazement they experienced when
Flora Temple first beat 20, when Dex-
ter trotted in 2;l73, and when both
Goldsmith Maid and American Girl
lrotted up to Flon's time whenever
tLey pleased. Last year was a pretty
fair year itself for trotters, and some Of
the fastest OF them materially reduced
their records, until Flora Temples
2:l9l was simply an ancient landmark,
held IN but little mere rcpute than the
still more ancient shell road record
Goldsmith Maid, the queen Of the
lrotting turf, trotted in the almost in
credible time of 2l4, and the Oldest
hands at the ribbons threw up their
arms and exclaimed, THAT settles it |
No horse will ever beat that time p
And yet along comes the imperial Ra-
rus this year and nonchalantly trots in
2l3l and 213i, with every sign OF
ability to 90 still faster And Edwin
Forrest gctsdown 10 half milei Ia l:04,
and full mile in 2;l4l..; along comes
Hopeful with his 2:l4S, and Edward
and Croxie, and Lucille and Proteinc,
and several others gracefully descend
into the ''lrec.for-all" class, which al
ways means a good deal bettor than 90
when they 60 Tor ''blood'
The performances of the young trot.
ters were remarkable last year, but
they have been still more so this sea
son. As a two year old last year So
So trotted mile in 2:3ll, which, it
was thought, like Goldsmith Maids
2:l4, would never be beaten On his
way TO Lexington, to attend the recent
trotting meeting there, an experienced
New York turiman, Mr.. J. ID. Walton,
said to reporter for the Commercial
It's hard to believe that a two year
old ever trotted that fast, but it's a rec.
ord, and must be accepted. I'd like to
bet something pretty, however, that
the like is not done again in the next
five years" An hour later, at the
finish ofa heat, he put his timing watch
to his ear, and, with startled expires
SION, compared it with that Of friend,
The timepieces agreed, and recorded
that Memento, Col. r. S. Strader's beau
tiiul two year old FLY, had trotted .
mile in 2.30.
Mr. Walton, astonished by the per-
formance, thought that his watch must
have stopped. 1t would require more
space than we have to spare to enum-
crate all the brilliant things that have
been done by trotters, old and young,
this year but an event occurred at
Lexington yesterday which calls for
more than passing notice. That
event was that Maud S., the magniii.
cent four year old flly of Capt. Geo.
n. Stone, Of this city, trotted mile
over the track Of the Kentucky Trotting
Horse Breeders association in the al
together unprecedented and unexpect-
cd time of 2;l7l.
Maud s. was known TO be extreme.
ly fast, and her owner has not for some
time doubted her ability TO beat 30,
but he was by no means sanguine Of
her trotting IN any such time as she
made yesterday. The filly has been at
Lexington some three weeks, and in
consequence 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 a
''go" in the face of strong, piercing
wind, that drove all but the most ro.
bust men from the track, and trotted
mile in 2;22s, a repetition of her per.
lormance several Sundays ago at Ches.
ter park.
Captain Stone was for bringing her
home after that performance; but Mr..
W. W. Blair, her jealous and enthusi.
astic trainer, pleaded hard for few
days more in the Blue Glass region,
expressing the utmost confidence in his
ability to frighten the people Of Ken.
lucky with the mare if he could strike
good day and a good track"
The captain reluctantly consented TO
bis remaining the rest of the week,
and yesterday being the last day of
grace, another "go' was given tho
mare. The conditions were not the
best possible for trial of speed there
being considerable wind, and the track
being somewhat "cuppy." Still 1t was
decided TO let Maud show what she
could do. There were probably hun
dred men on the track, many of whom
held watches on the mare. The gen.
tlemen who specially "held on her. in
the judges stand, were Gen. james I.
Robinson, DIR. l.. Herr, Col. r. S. Strad-
er and Col. Ferguson.
The trial took place at half past
eleven o'clock in the morning, and ai-
ter jogging the mare around the course
two miles, Bair nodded to the timers to
let them go, and away they went in
earnest. Without a skip or false move.
ment of any kind, but going at her
work like an old horse, the wonderful
flly went TO the quarter pole in 33l
seconds, TO the halt mile pole in ! min
ute and G seconds, to the three quarter
pole l.. minute and Al seconds, and
finished the mile in 2:l7l.
The timers in the judges stand, us
well as the other spectators, could
hardly believe their watches, but there
they stood, and among the four gentle.
men named above there was not the
variation of a fraction Of a second.
The 2;l7l is, Of course, not record,
not having been made in race or trial
for consideration, but il beats all the
iouryear private trials ever made,
the next being that Of the stallion Gov.
ernor Sprague, 2:2ll.
Maud S. is q beautiful golden chest
nut tily, without white, fifteen hands
three inches high, by Harold, out of
Miss Russell, by Pilot, jr She has
graceful, easy, yet determined way Of
going, and ii she trots in 2.l7l at four
years old, the Lord only knows how
fast she will go in the time to come
Cincinnati Commercial.
A LADY's NAME or NO CONSEQUENCE