Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-05-20
MIR. BONNER ON TROTTERS.
What They Have Done and VIII Do.
HIS OPINION OF POOL-SELLING-THE LIMIT OF
TROrTING SPEED-MAUD

HIS OPINION OF POOL-SELLING-THE LIMIT OF
TROrTING SPEED-MAUD s.
From the \. Y. Tribune.
Robert Bonner, sitting in his office in The
Ledger building, is surrounded by the pictures
of score of horses that have won renown.
Lying around promiscuously are horseshoes
with histories of fast miles to tell, and when
Mr.. Bonner writes he dips pen into an ink
stand made of the upper jaw of horse. The
trottfng horse is a favorite theme with MIR.
Bonner, and when not overwhelmed by busi-
ness cares he is always ready to talk upon 1t.
In conversation with Tribune reporter yester-
day he said:
II think it would be a benefit to the horse In
terests of this country If pool-selling on races
were stopped. and personally should be pleased
Gambling degrades the sport. The great objec-
ton to horse-racing has always been the gam
bling. better class would patronize the races
If there were no pool-selling and the sport would
be elevated. 1t IS not necessary for the success
OF racing that there should be any such thing.
It is folly for an association to think that their
financial success depends upon their percentage
from fro, the Pool-box; Take it way back In s23.
when Eclipse and Henry ran their great race
over the Union course. There was no pool-sell-
ing then. it had never been heard Of yet 80 900
people went to see the race. and among the num-
Der there were such men as Martin Van Buren,
and John Randolph. At that time our popula-
ton was not one-quarter whatit is now. So If
there should be an attendance of 800, 900 people
at first-claSS race under present circumstances.
Trots between weli-known horses such as Flora
Temple and George NJ. Patchen always drew a
large crowd. but there was no pool-box then.
Buffalo made its reputation as great trotting
center before the innovation.
I'm trottfng pool.selling is particularly bad.
1T gives the drivers an opportunity to make
combinations and do what they call working
there is hardly a race that has not a faint of
fraud about 1t, and 1t is seldom that we hear of
aes oest wnnns Even il the race is not
to fix the betting. Why,I told one of our best
known drivers only the other day that they
were killing tl,e goose that lays the golden egg.
Pool-box manipulation is killing trotting, there
is no mistake about it. The pool business is
run In the interest of a few men. and they are
about racing being ruined if it is stopped. What
surprises me is that SO many gentlemen favor
1t; II II Is so, and racing cannot be successfully
the love for true sport has died out and been
Supplanted by love for gambling. The st.
ever. would indicate otherwise The day was
bad, and everything was unfavorable YET look
al the crowd that attended! No one believes that
the great majority went there to gamble-no,
they went there to see genuine contest be-
tween two great horses; such race will always
draw. The outlook for the owners of trotters
for the coming season is good, and they can put
trottlng on solid basis If they will only leave
the pOol-boX alone.
"There is bright future for the breeders of
tfottin@ horses. The prices at the spring sales
IN kentucky were never higher than they were
inns year. In Orange county they were not SO
good however, because the great demand is for
Kentucky -bred horses, and / will tell YOU why.
There has always been desire on the part of
purchasers to get the best there is in the mar
ket, and a dash of thoroughbred blood has been
appreciated. Thirty years ago Maine was in
the lead. as Maine Messengers progeny was
widely sought after and they were considered
the nest. Then Vermont came to the fore, and
for n number of years had things her own way;
mere were some sons OF old Messenger taken to
We, mo Then Orange county began rroduc-
ing the best stock and we all looked to it for our
frotters and roadsters. Kentucky breeders came
TO orange county, purchased some of the best
sons OF Hambletonian. and taking them west,
crossed them on mares with strong infusions of
thoroughbred blood, and now they carry off the
palm. They got all the action that we had and
the thoroughbred blood in the dams give the
colts the stamina to keep it up. When Dexter
was king. we all thought he was the acme of
breeding, but we see ii can be improved. No
one believes that Maud ). or Iay-Eye-See could
trot as fast as they do were it not that their
CANADIANS were thoroughbreds. Maud's is by
Boston and Jay-Eye-see's by Lexington, the two
greatest four-miiers of their day. Jay-Eye-See
is by brother of Dexter, and Maud by another
son OF old Hambletonian, Harold. III wanted
to get performer would not breed trotter to
Thoroughbred mare, hut if 1 wanted to get a
brood mare I would.
I'm speaking of Dexter it recalls to my mind
that when bought him he had the best re-
cord. 2:17l.. l paid $50, 900 for him. Then
some years after / purchased Rarus for
$40, 900; he headed the list at that time with
i
$4,000 for, has record of 2:O9t.. You see
tnere Is Just four seconds difference in the re-
How fast do think trotter will COZ That
Is hard question to answer. Before Flora
Iemple trotted in 2:193l did not believe 300
would ever be beaten. Then 1 thought when
Dexter made his performance that the limit
had been reached. Old Hiram Woodruff the
smartest of all the horsemen, used to tell me
that perhaps 2:05 may be reached How about
Maud >, how fast will she go? Bair tells me,
and think myself, that she ought to trot some
MY opinion of double-team trOtting is that If
you get two horses that are rightly gated and
tempered that they can trot together several
seconds faster than either can singy. They
divide the load and encourage one another In
trotting single they draw forty-pound sulky
you can get a skeleton wagon weighing 100
pounds which ma kes with driver load for the
two OF $50 pounds for q team, 125 each, or
siXty-five pounds less than the single horse
DIR TVS iXty-ftve pounds makes q great differ
ence when you are going almost at running
horses clip. The performance of Maud s. and
Aldine, mile over Fleetwood, drawing VIM
II. Vanderbilt, toa top wagon in 2:15te, was a
wonderful feat Everybody knows that Aldne
single in 2:1S. am after the greatest amount
of speed that can be gotten from a trotter, but
what my Intentions or plans are for double
teams will not say at present."
Mr.. Bonner receives daily reports from Rair
on Maud 5. progress at Belmont Park Phia-
delphia. AS yet She has not been moved a fast
mile, but Bair is enthusiastic over her. and
says she never promised SO well. Mr.. Bonner
says: "She is all right since l have had her
shod as she ought to be shod. She has Inn
proved wonderfully in regard to the smooth
ness of her gait Before l bought her her
trainer did not seem to understand how she
should be shod to keep her feet level, and a
blistering was necessary every winter. This
winter, owing to the improved shoeing, it was
not needed, and she goes straight as die.
do not know what shall do with her. shall
wait until she is in perfect condition before
make up my mind"
Mr.. Bonner has raised trotters of rare merit on
his farm in Westchesterc county, Majolica whose
record in the first race he ever started in was
AZ, being among the number. That he may
vet bring out yOungster of his own breeding
that will go faster than anything he has ever
purchased is not improbable. He has a full
brother to MajOlica, that last year as a three
year-Old trotted quarters in 81 seconds. West
chester he is called. Owing to his size, IL;
hands, he has not been forced and only given
slow miles. Majoiica is a small horse, and as
Westminster is so much larger Mr.. Bonner has
great hopes of him. In order to obtain some of
the Boston fOur-miie running blood judiciously
crossed with that of the trotter Mr. Bonner pur-
chased the stallion NutbOurne, vino is out of
the same dam as Maud S. He divides with
Startle the honors of Mr.. Bonner's stud.
Latest Styles in Bracelets.