Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-11-09
A Veteran Driver.
SKETCH OF JACK TRoUr AID HIS SUccRss II
THE SULKY.


John Trout was born 10 Hunterden county,
New Jersey, his father being 4 farmer well
TO do.
The Trouts are among the oldest families
of New Jersey, and are descended from the
Huguenots. Major Oliver Perry Pratt Of IL
Wendell street, Boston, also Jersey man,
remembers Jack" we'll when child Major
Pratt saws he was the handsomest boy he ever
saw.
Jacks frst start on the turf vas caused by
| a falling out which he had with bis brother
over a team in which he was part owner. and
which he was privileged to use half the time
The brother monopolized the team, and one
day Jack got mad, left home and struck out
for himself On August Is. 1871. he went &c
work for Alden Goldsmith, his FIRST expert
ence as a driver being At Springfield. He
subsequently, drove Gloster q mile in IL and
gave Huntress the famous three-mile record
of 2l4. For thirty three years the record
Of Dutchman for three miles, made under tbs
saddle, 1924. had remained unbroken. Gen
eral Butler, Flora Temple, Lady Suffolk anG
others had tried in vain to lower it, but al
had been Obliged to stop At the two-mile post
tiful daughter of Volunteer, to place or
not see lowered.
In 1874. when American Girl got her
record in Albany, 2.l64, Mr.. Trout had
Camours, that speedy son of General Knox,
in the lead at the distance pole when fence
fell. causing Camours to break. thereby los.
ing the heat and very fast record. The
same day Mr.. Trout drove Camours q trial
heat in 2.l54
This famous trainers greatest success,
however. dates back less than q year, when
he took the handsome brown stallion Way
land under his charge. Wayland was q
horse of remarkable speed, of sensitive dis.
position, and seemed possessed of q desire
to get by = field of horses, At the
first stride. To do this he would break and
literally av over the ground. Half dozen
trainers had tried him without remedying
his faults, and so for year he passed from
one to the other, only to have his Jisposi-
ton made more fractions. He became a rank
puller and his mouth WAS cut out of all shape
Last winter he came to Mr.. Trout's stable.
when that gentleman at once set about cor
recting his faults. Patience and kindness
soon had their effect, and the horse began to
show marvellous bursts of speed Early
this spring the writer remembers hearing Mr..
Trout say before several gentlemen that he
expected to be able to drive Wayland in better
than 2. 80 before the summer was ever. Long
before the summer meetings commenced,
however, he was able to beat the 2.30 class,
having trotted the middle half ut Beacon
Park in 054. and making mile in a race in
22O4
While Mr.. Trout was working Wayland
one May morning, the bit broke and the stall.
lion started to run at a furious pace. Jack
climbed upon his back, and easily stopped
him by gently pulling at the over-drawn bit.
The terrific pace which he had gone must
have ruptured q blood vessel, as he bled
somewhat At Albany where he dropped
dead, he was the third horse to get away,
going strong and steady. not pulling sny and
being driven by Mr.. Trout with one hand
When he went by the quarter pole he had
passed the whole field
The story of the collapse of the great stall
lion, taken from Mr.. Trout's own words,
runs: "At the quarter pole l was we'll in
the lead with Wsyland going easy and steady.
l held the reins in one hand, when suddenly,
just after the quarter had been passed, saw
blood burst from his nostris. drew him
across the track to get out Of the wav of the
other horses and there he fell | sprung
from the sulky, raised his head, and saw
that he was dead.
Mr.. Trout deserves all the credit that can
be given trainer tor the manner in which
he made wayland the most promising trot-
ter upon the turf the past season.