The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-11-14
ne Horse of the Future To Trot inside of
Two Minutes.

Professor william II Brewer, Yale Col.
lege, has made the evolution of the Ameri
can trotting horse the subject of much care.
tul research and study. Professor Brewer
owns the most complete collection of an.
cient and modern books relating. TO horse
flesh In all its forms TO be found in New
England Recently the Professor gave an
interesting review Of the progress Of trott
ing In America.
ut Is not known exactly,"h he said, "when
horses began to trot against time. Eng
lishmen had always run their horses, and
had trained them for that. SO the En-.
glish 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 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 ex-
tremely 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 bya watch
This is purely American discovery. AT
ter while the horse laws were so modified
as to allow trials of speed as they We're
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 Cononel Boyd, of Maryland, bet
Major Jones, of Long Island, $1,000 that
no horse could be produced that could trot
mile in less than three minutes Boston
Blue was produced and covered the mile in
lust three minutes. This was held 10 be a
wonderful feat in those times, and Boston
Blue was taken to England and eX-
hibited there. In 1925 the New
York Trottmg Club was organized
and built a course at Jamaica, l., L., which
was probably the fastest Totting track inthe
world. From that time trOtting became "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 40, in the same year by The TreaGWell
mare in "a, in 1870 by Buster in , 30 and
in 1874 by Edwin Forrest, in 2:3lls Ii
took nine years t. lower the last record,
which was done in 1913 by Lady Suffolk in
, ;2S and next year 10y the same horse in
2:2Gla Bat it was lett to Flora Temple to
astonIoh the country when she made her
celebrated time, 2:lg'l in 1856. Flora
hold word Ladies wore Flora Temple
Oonnet,, boys smoked Flora Temple cigars,
politicians drank Flora Temple whisky.
1t is not prohnhle that any one trouer viii
ever again create sdcu 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
1 l., .l !.
ter of million dollars, Then RaruS, St
Julien and Maud :, whose recent perform
ance of 2:OS ;, stands before the world
without an equal.
Thus, you perceive the great lowering
of records since trotting was inaugurated,
in 1918 During jhe past decade records
have steadily been lowering, and Mr., Bon
ner is authority for the statement that he
expects Maud ; will surpass her time of
day or two ago before tire summer closes
1t is my opinion, based on many years of
deep study Of the evolution of the uOtting
horse that before another generation pass
es we shall hear of trOttlng horses who can
make Il mile under two minutes. Horses
are bred nowadays for the single purpose
of bringing out their trotting qualities just
rs in England they are bred solely with
reference to running. Now, If II lot of
thoroughbred horses are bred within them
selves, without admitting any mongrel
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.
MIR. Robert Bonner, who owns Maud 5,
ridicules such an idea, and he may think
this an impossible result am aware. as
he says, that trotting is an acquired
gait for horse, and that running is his
natural gait. But still my theory holds,
and if the thoroughbred trotter is carried
through one generation after another, we
shall one day have horse which can trot
in two minutes