The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-09-19
TO TROT In TWO MINUTES.
An Expert TrOtting Horses Thinks
This Time VIII BE Made.

This Time VIII BE Made.
Professor William II. Brewer, of Yale
College, has made the evolution of the
American trotting horse the subject of
much careful research and study Pro
fessor Brewer owns the most complete
collection of ancient and modern books
relating to horsehesh in all its forms to
be found in New England Yesterday
4 the Professor gave an interesting re-
view of the progress of trotting in
/ America.
1T is not known exactly" he said.
when horses began to trot against time.
Englishmen had always run their
horses, and had trained them for that.
So the English horse is seldom, if ever,
put to the trOt ON trials of speed 1t
was in the year 1906 that the New York
Spectator made mention of a horse
which had trotted mile in two minutes
and fifty-nine seconds, which at that
/time was without a precedent. Laws
against horse races, that is to say run
ming horses were in colonial times
extremely stringent. In the early part
+ iof this century they got around the laws
against horse races by trOttng their
horses alone and timing their
speed by a watch. This was a
purely American discovery. After
a while the horse laws were so modified
as to allow trials of speed" as they
were termed, to be given at certain
I periods of the year with impunty 1t
I was not until 1918 that the first trot for
/ money was given, when Colonel BOYD,
/ of Maryland, bet Major Jones, of Long
/ Island 81 600 that nc horse could be pro-
/ duced that could trot mile in less than
/ three minutes Boston Blue was pro
| duced and covered the mile in lust
three minutes This was held to be
wonderful feat in those times. and Bos-
ton Blue was taken to England and cX-
,hibited there. in 1925 the New York
trotting club was organized and built
course at Jamaica, l.. l., which was
probably the fastest trotting track in
the world. From that time trOtting be-
came a general sport and was adopted
by the mass of the people who owned
horses, and that very thing guaranteed
its progress. The record in 1918 of
Boston Blue, of three minutes, was
broken in 1924 by Top Gallant in 2;4O,
in the same year by the TreadWell mare
in 2:34, in 1880 by Curster in 232, and
in 1884 by Edwin Forrest in 2:315.
1t took nine years to lower the last
record, which was done in 1S43 by Lady
Suffolk in 2:2S, and the next year by the
same horse in 2:269. But it was left to
Flora Temple to astonish the country
when she made her celebrated time.
2:19S, in 1859. Flora Temple from that
time became household word. Ladies
wore Flora Temple bonnets, boys
smoked Flora Temple cigars, politicians
drank Flora Temple whisky. Ii is not
probable that any one trotter will ever
again create such enthusiasm Her
winnings were very large indeed. Then
came Dexter, lowering the record twice
before retiring from the turf. Then
Goldsmith Maid, whose speed and fame
are said to have brought her owners a
quarter of a million dollars. Then
Rarus, St Julien, and Maud S., whose
recent performance of 2:0S3, stands be-
fore the world without an equal.
Thus, you perceive the great lower
i ings of records since trotting was in
augurated in 1918. During the past
decade records have steadily been low
cred, and Mr.. Bonner is authority for
The statement that he expects Maud S.
> will surpass her time of a day or two
ago before the summer closes. 1t is my
firm opinion. based on many years of
deep study of the evolution of the trot-
ting horse, that before another gener-
alton passes we shall hear of trotting
horses who can make mile under two
minutes. Horses are bred NOWADAYS
for the single purpose of bringing out
their trotting qualities. just as in En-
gland they are bred solely with refer
ience to running. Now, if a lot of
thoroughbred horses are bred within
; themselves, without admitting any
imongrel blood, and if they are trained
| solely for trotting, there is no question
that man can bring the record down to
two minutes and under.
/ ''Mr Robert Bonner, who owns
= Maud S., ridicules such an idea, and he
} may think this an impossible result.
am aware, as he says, that trotting is
an acquired gait for a horse and that
: running is his natural gait. But still
: my theory holds, and if the thorough
=, bred trotter is carried through one gen
} Grafton after another, we shall one day
} see a horse which can trot in two min
utes.-NeU HuUen NcWS