, 1879-02-23
4 DISASTROUS ARGUMENT.


There has been considerable talk OF late re-
garding the influence Of thoroughbred blood in
trolters, one class assuming that a dash OF the
same cannot fail to improve even brcd-to-ortler
trottez, nnd the o1er maintaining that of all the
horses having records OF 3:20 or better, not one
is descended from thoroughbred sire or dam.
i, Tie 1Hrf, which is always ready with q vast
array Of so-called arguments upon any subject
that may be presented, has gone into this latest
discussion with its usual Tlgor although it ca1l-
not be said to have odT4uccd any thoughts Of
particular value regarding the questions at issue.
Its latest hobby is concerning the dams OF trot
tiers, and in some way it has conceived notion
that all frst-class trotters must have dams ln
whose veins runs considerable proportion OF
the blood Of the thoroughbred.
But it il peculjaritE Of the 7urf that, when
ever 1t starts out on any tack, it is almost always
certain to be brought up standing bY running
1oui OF some Of its own arguments on an oppo-
site side Of the question it Is discussing. This
vas the difficulty encountered when it tried to
prove that SmuEgler was game horse, aud that
Rarus could NOT trot fast. In its more recent
Shoot it is meeting the same kind OF driftwood.
The ISSUE Of Feb Il contains an editorial article
on Endurance in the Trotter,' u in which several
instances showing the ralue OF thoroughbred
blood in the trotter are giyen, and then OCCURS
the following: awe could furnish other EXAM
Dies showing how thoroughbred crosses give en-
DURANGO to horses in races long drawn out, but
forbcar. These cases may DoI be familiar to
more booS-worms, bur they are within the
knowledge of those who for years have made
the rounds Of thc circuits. Ask Charley Green
and Dan Mace what they think of tile matter.
At Cleveland, in July last We saw little AIDE
lalde, whose form approaches that OF the
thoroughbred, pulled nearly double in the sixth
neat to keep from uistancng, in the slow time
OF o:31, two horses able to trot a mile below
40. 4 close thoroughbred cross in the dam
Of each one OF these horses would, it is rcason-
abie to SUPPOSE, have kept the white feather in
the background.''
Now, the writer of that paragraph probably
did not know that he was committing the rank
est k1nd OF AcresF when be penned those words,
but such is tho fact The ''two horses able to
trot mile below 3:o0'' were Prospcroa and Mid
Eisht. The latter, although having record OF
1:lo14, IS so well known as quittcr that no
on one would be surprised we're he to be beaten in
2:41. With rrospero, however, the case is dif-
1ctent- He is one Of tile InrJ's particular
nets, and his sjrc-NcsseDger Duroc-is an
other Perhaps no horse iu the country has
been more oycrrat ed than the latter. Backed
br the wealth OF his owner, and bred for about
ten years to the best mares in the country, be
las succeeded III getting three animals that have
beaten $50. These are ProsDero, Dame Trot-
and Eiotne. But the peculiar part OF the matter
nes IN tue fact that these three horses are out o.
The same dam. q mare by Harry Clay. Now. II
with all his opportunities Messenger Duroc has
been able to sire but three colts that have beaten
ESQ in race, and all these have a com
mon dam, the conclusion is Irresistible that
Of the sire, that gave them speed. Prospero
and Dame Trot will quit. OF this there is no
aouot, but it is hardly fair for the 1Nrf to lay
the blame Of this unfortunate quality on the
dan-even ii it belongs therc-without also
ewing her the credit OF imparting the speed
Which hes enabled one of them to trot in . 20
In order to show how Prospero and Midnight |
qnlt IN the race above alluded to, the following
summary Of it is given:
class.
y. T. Gibson's biz. T. Midnight 5 / 633
= - 1at@s olk: 6. Prospero -.-----..--.l