The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-09-02
TO TROT IN TWO MINUTES.
An Expert on TrOtting Horses Thinks This
Time Will be Made.
New Haven News.l


Professor William H. Brewer, OF Yale
College, has made the evolution of the Amer
lean trotting horse the subject of much care
full research and study. Professor Brewer
owns the most complete collection of ancient
and modern books relating to horsefesh in
all its forms to be found in New England.
Yesterday the Professor gave an interesting
1i,w OF the progress OF trotting in America.
III is not known exactly" he said. :" when
horses began to trot against time. English
men had always run their horses, and had
trained them for that. So the English horse
is seldom if ever put 20 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 a mile in two minutes and
fifty-nine seconds, which at that time was
without precedent. Laws against horse races
that Is to say running horses, were in colonial
times extremely stringent. In the early
part OF this century they got around the
laws against horse races by trotting their
horses alone and timing their speed by a
watch. This was purely American dis
covery. After while the horse laws were
so modified as TO allow trials of speed" as
they were termed, TO be given at certain
periods of the year with impunity. 1t was
not until 1918 that the first trot for money
was given, when Colonel Boyd, of Maryland.
bet Major Jones, of Long Island, $1,000 that
no horse could be produced that could trOt
Il Illlle III less Iildll three boston
Blue was produced and covered the mile in
Just three minutes. This was held TO be a
wonderful feat in those times, and Boston
Blue was taken to England and exhibited
there. In 1925 the New York Trotting Club
was organized and built a course at Jamaica,
l.. l., which was probably the fastest trotting
track in the world. From that time trotting
became 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 $40. in the same year by the Treadwell
mare in 2:34, in 1880 by Burster in 2:32,
and in 1884 by Edwin Forrest in 2:31%. 1t
took nine years 10 lower the last record
which was done in 1S43 by Lady Suffolk in
DDS, and in the next year by the same horse
in 2:26%. But il was left to Flora Temple
to astonish the country when she made her
celebrated time, 2:19H, in 1889. Flora Tenn
pie from that time became a household
word. Ladies wore Flora Temple bonnets.
boys smoked Flora Temple cigars. politicians
drank Flora Temple whisky. 1t is not prob
able that any one trotter will ever again Gre
ate such enthusiasm. Her winnings were
very large indeed. Then came Dexter low
ering the record twice before retiring from
the turf. Then Goldsmith Maid, whose
speed and fame are said to have brought heI
owners quarter Of million dollars. Then
Rarus, st. Julien and Maud ;, whose recent
performance of 2:0SA stands before the
world without an equal.
Thus, you perceive the great lowering oil
records since trotting was inaugurated in
1918. During the past decade records have
steadily been lowered, and Mr.. Bonner i:
authority for the statement that he expects
Maud S will surpass her time of 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 trotting horse, that
before another generation passes we shall
| hear of trotting horses who can make mile
under two minutes. Horses are bred nova
| days for the single purpose of bringing Out
their trotting qualities, just as in England
they are bred solely with reference to run
ming. Now, if lot of thoroughbred horse:
| are bred within themselves, without admit
ting any mongrel blood, and if they are
trained solely for trotting there is no ques
ton that man can bring the record down tc
| two minutes and under.
''Mr. Robert Bonner, who owns Maud :
| ridicules such idea, and he may think
this an impossible result. / am aware, as hi
says, that trotting is an acquired gait for {
| horse and that running is his natural gait
| But still my theory holds, and if the thor
| oughbred trotter is carried through one gen
Grafton after another, we shall one day see &
| horse which can trot in two minutes"