The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-07-23

The Breeders Gazette speaking
the races at Pittsburg, after giving
description Of the grounds, the horse
men and horses present, has the fol-
lowing concerning the a:a3 class:
With all the best horses and drivers
in the country assembled, and with
these views extant, it is little wonder
that the Pittsburgers were treated
during last week TO series OF sur,
prises, the first one being ON the
opening day, when that PAIR of re-
narkably astute young men, "Coun.
sellor Crawford and John Splan, con-
ce:ved and executed one Of Tie e0upS
for which they were famous in the
days gone by when both were active
Knights of the Sulky. In those days,
as now, there was no better driver in
the land than Splan andCrawford was
the far seeing well posted man upon
whom that Nestor of the trotting turf,
"old man" Dobble, father Of Bubb, So
apply bestowed the title of Counsel
lor." Many were the races III which,
by the reinmanship of Splan and the
generalship of Crawford, they turned
up winner in a horse that'no Que but
themselves had deemed capable Of
making even a respectable showing
But ill health forced Crawford 10
abandon the sulky for period OF
three years, and without bis aid Splan
was not the Splan of old. Now
Crawford is again in the thick of the
fray, and the results are already seel
Among the horses IN his stable is
Charlie Hilton, gelding concerning
which little is known. even by horse
men. Last season Peter Johnson
took this horse, then green six year
old gelding that had in 1884 troted
4 half mile track in Michigan in 2:2S
after barely thirty days training, and
before Peter had driven him a dozen
times he was confident that in Hilton
he had race horse. In his verv first
race he met Judge Lindsay, a five
year old, and the pair had one of the
most desperate five heat duels on
record, Lindsay getting record Of
2:21I and Hilton one of 2:22I.
After this race Hilton went lame,
taking no part in the campaign which
followed, but in the fall Johnson
worked him little, and after driving
him quarter in 321a seconds one
morning very naturally conclude d
that he would have sure enough
2:I6 horse in 1886. But the disper-
sal Of his stable was made necessary
by his assuming the superinlendancy
of the Indian Hill Farm of MIR. r. S.
Veech, and Crawford secured Hilton
for this season. His management of
the horse thus far has been most artiS-
tic. Going from Cleveland to Albany
with him in June he wisely RETAINED
fro making his first hard one, and
as his performances there and else
where such as to inspire anything
but confidence in the public mind, he
started in the 2:23 race at Pittsburgh
as an unconsidered factor.
Nor was this overlooking of Hilton
to be wondered at, because there was
opposed 10 him remarkably strong
field, chef among which were the
Kentucky gelding J. O., that has done
public trial in 2:I9; Tom Rogers,
one of the speediest sons of George
Wilkes; Kitty Kilbourn; Centella, and
Orange Boy, all winners this year, not
to mention Spoford, Alroy, and
Prince Edward. But Splan and
Crawford had their plans well laid,
and did not fail in their execution.
In the first and second, won respect
lively by Tom Rogers and ]. @. in
a:2o, a:Io1-2, Charlie Hilton was just
inside the distance flag. Kitty Kill
bourn took the third heat in 2:22,
Hilton sixth, and when she won the
fourth in 2.aI he was only fifth. But
in the fifth heat there was wonder
full change in Hilton. He scored in
the front rank, and at the finish won
handily in 2:22. Then he took the
sixth and seventh heats in 2:22I 2,
2:26, and the agony was over almost
before The astounded hackers of Kitty
Kilbourn, Tom Rogers, and ]. Q,
who had been putting up money all
the Afternoon on the chances of these
horses, could begin TO recover from
the surprise. 1t was genuine "kill
ing" and from the manner in which
1t was done there was no occasion for
even the most captious person TO find
fault. 1t was a surprise which the
pubic like to see, because there was
no pulling of a lot OF good horses in
order that second class one might
win, but a crafty and allowable con
cealment Of the real merits Of an ami
nal until his competitors had taken
a good deal out of themselves, and
then winning in hollow style. That
Hilton has shown his managers trial
a good deal better than 2:2o is highly
probable, because were not this the
case they would hardly have held of
until the fifth heat before trying to