St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-02-01
TRAINING THREE-YEAR-oLDs.
The Opinion Given That it is Time
TO Hold up ON Fast Work.

n
The Breeders Gazette sounds the follow
ing note of warning against the excessive
training of three ear-olds. AS Minnesota
breeders are about entering on the three
year-old business. we lay it before them fol
their consideration:
There has been a great deal said in these
columns OF late on the subject of whether or
not the policy OF training two and three-yeRr-
old trotters for races Of mile heats is the
proper one TO be pursued. That the methods
of training aud driving colts have undergone
a remarkable change in the past ten years,
/ and especially in the last FIVE, is unqueStioa-
| ably true, and that the point at which pro-
gress must cease has been nearly, if not quite
reached is also apparent, but as to the ulti-
mate result OF the policy now being pursued
| there is q wide difference of opinion.
1t is not so many years ago that Lady Stout,
| the first trotter 10 beat 2:30 as a three-year-
! old. placed that mark 10 her credit, the per-
Torrance taking place at Lexington Oct. L,
1874, and from that date the systematic train
ing of young tTotters may be said TO have
begun. DIR. Herr, the breeder of Lady
Stout. was one of the pioneers among the ad-
vocates of early development, and being in a
position 70 test his theories in the most COM
plete manner IL is TO his credit that he has
always praeticed what he preached, although
he cannot be said TO have met with great
measure of success.
LADY STOUT
was the first phenomenally fast young trot-
ter, and although her race as three-year-old
was the one which brought her into promln-
ence she had been trained a year previous TO
that winning a race at Lexington i'm the fall
OF 1873, at which time she went 2 mile in
2:4S14. That Lady Stout never made material
Improvement over her three-year-old form Is
well known, and she is but one of many trot-
tiers the promise of whose youth has never
been fulfilled. while on the other hand the
two fastest representatives OF that class of
horses-Maud S. and Jay Eye See-were placed
in training at a very early age, both being
able TO beat 2:30 as three-year-olds and both
beating 2:29 at the age OF four years. the
performance OF Maud S in 2:l735, although
not a technical record. being public trial so
well authenticated as to leave no doubt of its
genuineness. But although both these star
performers trained on it cannot truthfully be
said that they were not injured by the severe
strain to which their physical organizations
were subjected at an age when neither the
bones nor muscles were fully developed, and
the argument that they would have done bet
ter if handled more moderately in their youth
is one deserving of the careful attention of
breeders. That Maud s has always been
troubled with an ailing leg is well known. Mr..
Robert Bonner, who owns the mare. is free 10
acknowledge the fact, but attributes her for
mer lameness ana consequent inability 10
stand severe races to the false methods en-
ployed In shoeing her, and that under his
treatment both her speed and soundness have
improved is beyond doubt true. Jay Eye See
did not last as long as Maud s. and although
there is the usual talk about his appearing
on the turf next season in better form than
ever, II is doubtful il such an event occurs.
That
THE LITTLE BLACK GELDISG
always nodded when being logged is known
TO all who have noticed him closely, and al
though when anything of that kind occurs
there are never wanting people TO assert that
IL is only habit or a trick il Is noticeable
that horses having the habit of ''nodding''
one season generally go lame the following
one.
That phenomenal amount Of speed can be
developed in a trotter at >, 3 and Yeas of
age is well known. but, although Maud and
Jay Eye See have trained on in a manner that
must be highly gratifying TO the advocates of
the forcing process. there are scores of others
that have not done so well, and even when
their cases are placed in the most favorable
light it can only be said that they
reached the limit of their speed at a
much earlier age than is ordinarily
the case, and that therefore nothing more was
TO be expected of them. This is especially
true of the colts raised at the Palo Alto farm
of ex-Gov. Sanford of California Hindo
Rose heads the list of fast yearlings with her
2;36IS. and at three years of age she went in
2:l91s, which figures have never been lowered
by a trotter of that age, but in her four and
f1ve-year-old form she did not show any in
crease of speed. Wildhower's 2:sl, made
when she was two years old is still the best,
but Wildhower never trotted in 2:21 again.
although several seasons have come and gone
sidce the news of her wonderful work was
flashed across the continent. Instances of
this kind could be multiplied almost indefi-
nitely, but there is no lack of evidence going
to show that in many instances the early
training Of trotters is productive of evils
which viii in time become constitutional and
therefore hereditary. And il is at this point
that the breeder must stop and think.