Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-27
BEHIND A TROTTER.
How Noted Reinsmen Got the 6eSt
Work Out of Their Flyers.
SOME WIZARDS OF THE SULKY.
Rules for the Guidance of Beginners Laid
Down by an Expert.
A GOOD DRIVER MAKES A GOOD HORSE
WRITTEN FOR THE p1sPAToH.I

Walker, %Veritas,'' of the Horseman, the
other day. Mr.. Walker is not only an edu-
Gated man and o talented writer on equine
topics, but he is also one of the best drivers
in this country, and so when he began to
talk on his favorite topic, 1 was willing
enough to sit back and listen.
Mr.. Walker was formerly in the marine
insurance business in Boston, but failing
health induced him to settle in Southern
Michigan, where he bought a few horses
and started a stud and training stable on a
moderate scale. He had always had a taste
for horsefesh, and his new employment
proved so congenial to him that he said
goodby forever to insurance matters, and
has since then devoted himself to training
and driving horses and writing about them.
had always been fond of road driv-
ing" said Mr.. Walker, "and had been con-
sidered a good driver on the boulevards,
but had never thought of driving on the
track. 1 was first drawn into it bv seeing
that horses whose training had supervised
and which L knew to be capable OF great
speed, often come in last in the race, be-
cause they were not properly handled. Then
i said to myself Well, have never
driven for money, but can do better than
and started in race. will admit that 1
felt considerable trepidation at first, but 1
determined instantly to concentrate
my thoughts on the business in
hand. So i dismissed all uneasi-
ness and thought of nothing but the
best way to get all the speed possible out Of
the horse. l succeeded so well that from
that time have driven my own horses or
those of nv friends whenever occasion
offered. You probably heard of my friend
j. F. Dingee's fast mare, Miss Alice?
Well, got her last spring, 5-year-old who
had never been in the trainers hands or on
the track. 1 took hold of her, made
study of her gait, her disposition and other
peculiarities and then taught her to race.
This summer she has started in nine stake
and purse races and won four of them, be-
sides taking a large share OF the purse
money in most of the others. She made a
record of 2:2O6 in the fourth heat of the
fourth race she ever trotted.
AN OLD SAYING REVERSED.
"There is an old saying that Good horses
make good drivers. but think it ought to
be Good drivers make good horses Some
men are born good drivers; others achieve
distinction by persistent efforts, and others
literally have distinction thrust upon them
by reason Of their success with some partlcu-
lar horse. For example, W. W. Blair was
never prominent as driver until he took
bold of Maud S. He accustomed himself to
her ways, and she to his, and it was he who
gave her the unparalleled record of 2OSsl.
The most notable instance of inherited
talent with the reins that I know of is that
OF the Vanderbilt family. The old Commo-
dore was a fearless and, indeed almost, a
reckless driver, and gained reputation on
Harlem lane and the uptown avenues which
people talk about to this day. He was q
master mind, and impressed his individuali-
ty on his horses as well as the men with
whom he was brought into contact. His son,
William H., inherited that, as he did other
paternal qualities, in a conservative way,
and was, up to the dav OF his death, a re-
markably good driver. He was particularly
fond OF driving two horses, which
is an art far more difficult
than that of driving one. 1t was he who
beat the record of 2153z, made by Ma1y
Cobb and Meta Medium, to q skeleton
wagon driven by the expert, John Murphy.
Mr.. Vanderbilt drove Maud S and Aldine
to top wagon, with bis own weight added
in 215% at Fleetwood Park 1t is. in NV
Judgment, an achievement that will stand
unbeaten for many year. Now, there are
plenty of rich men in New York who own
fast teams, but there are very few OF them
who possess the Vanderbilt talent for driv-
ing them, and in order to get the best work
out of them they have always had to hire
drivers such as Mace and Hickok. One of
the chief reasons for Mr.. Vanderbilt's sue
cess was that he always studied the DISPOSE
tion Of his horses and let their powers have
full play. He allowed them to exercise
their natural rivalry to get ahead of one
another. In short VIM. Il. Vanderbilt was
born horseman, and not merely a man
who happened to be rich enough to own fast
animals. He would unbend more readily
with a man who could talk horse we'll than
he would with anyone else.
THE CoMMODoRE's VIEWS.
81 remember his saying to me once.
There's very little use In trying to drive a
mismated pair of horses. They are like
other ill-assorted couples. The sooner they
separate, the better. That's the reason l
bought Small Hopes, Leander, Lysander,
Early Rose, Aldine and others. and tried
them all in pairs until found two who
agreed well together. There was Maud S.
She did not want to be bothered by her mate
In starting of, and soon found that Aldine
was always ready to 90 off with her. and it
was that that made them such good team
All OF the present generation of Wander
bilts are fond of horses, but Fred Wander
bilt is the light-harness man of the family.
1t was be who inherited Early Rose and
Aldire and all the rest of his fathers ayers.
Maud S, as you will probably remember.
was sold 10 Mr.. Robert Bonner for yery
much smaller price than had been previously
offered for the mare. Mr.. Vanderbilt did
that because he wished the animal to
fall into good hands, and did not
want her hippodromed around the
country. That shows how Mr., Vanderbilt
regarded Mr. Bonner as lover of the trot-
ting horse, and his Judgment was not mis-
placed. Roberts brother David is a great
authority on breeding and ali matters re.
latlng to horse flesh. Robert has made a
life study of horses from the foot up, and
Maud lowered her record twice during
his ownership of her. He has not come be-
lore the public as a reinsman, but he has
driven his horses at his private track in
IarrytoWn in wonderfully fast time on
many occasions. So also have his sons
Alley and Fred. The latter drove Lucy
Cuyler at Fleetwood to a road wagon half
q mile in LOS. Another illustration of the
gift for driving that some men possess, even
if they are rich, was given by John Shep-
ard, the well-known Boston merchant, who
drove his team, Mill Boy and Blondine, in
2:22, the fastest mile ever travelled
by 8 team in New England. Like
Commodore Vanderbilt, he is we'll
known as a fearless and even reckless
driver. In fact, men of determination are
the only ones who drive well. A timid
man should not attempt to drive a pair of
horses fast, nor be caught in hot company
with a single one
PROUD DISTINCTION.
"Mr c. j Hamlin- of RnffaIn Is another