The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1889-11-30
THE HORSE.
The Bouners on the Thoroughbred rrot-
ting Horse Tho California Wonders.

The Bouners on the Thoroughbred rrot-
ting Horse The California Wonders.
Mr.. Frederick Bonner one OF the
sons of Robert Bouner, the famous
purchaserof the turf stars, in an inter
view on the modern trotter as con-
traSted with the trOtter OF the past,
laid much stress on the effect and
value OF Thorough breeding" in the
development OF trotters, making the
following suggestion:
more than twenty years ago Dexter
was credited with quarter mile in 81
seconds. This is at the rate of 2:O4 10
the mile. His fastest full mile was
made in 2:l7t. Maud 5. has trotted IA
mile in BOT seconds and her time for a
mile Is 2:0Si. Now IL is Il matter to be
carefully noted that. while the rate of
speed per quarter has increased only 3
seconds to the mile, the mile rate has
increased s! seconds. What does this
illustrate? 1t shows that the ratio
of increased speed is greater in mile
than in quarter. 1t shows, too, that
the infusion of the thoroughbred blood
! in trotter does not carry with it an
| increase in speed SO much as the
ability TO sustain high rate of speed
during a prolonged effort. In other
words, ii gives endurance and bottom
AS to the wonderful California
horses, to which attention has been
drawn by the performances of AXtell,
Palo Alto and Sunol, Il horse his father
purchased he said:
"The present furOre over California
horses and the recent feats OF Sunol,
Palo Alto and AXtell has drawn atten-
| ton to the great question whether the
East or the West is destined to pro-
duce the trotting wondero the future
1t is not to he doubted that California
produces the fastest young trotterS IN
the world. But will she produce the
fastest maturcd horse? Three or four
year-Olds that trot fast are as thick as
blackberries. You can find them any
where, but particularly in California,
where all the advantages of climate
and training are in their favor. Colts
are dropped earlier and have "a much
longer period of development as colts
in the mild climate of the state.
There is Wildflower, "A 2-year-old,
belonging to Ex-Governor Stanford,
which was the greatest colt wonder OF
her day: yet we hear nothing OF her
now. What enables California to pro-
duce so many young trotters? They
begin with the colt when he is from
four to six months old. He is chased
round in "A ring, with nothing what
ever upon him. There are, perhaps, a
score of these youngsters in hand, and
those that show action are picked out
and trained, while the Others are prac-
tically cast away. The difficulty with
young colts is that when worked hard,
nineteen out of twenty break down.
But the California principle is to de-
StrOy ninety-nine pei cent, II neceS-
Sary, to produce phenomenon. There
are more wrecks of this sort in the
State of California than you could
count, and this is all done, as | have
said. to produce colt or two that will
show a record that may attract atten-
ton. This may be a very good plan
for man who is able to do it, but,
looked at in a commercial way, it will
DESTROY more property than it will
accumulate riches. There is humane
side to the matter. too, of which it is
hardly necessary to speak"
Mr.. Robert Rouner denies emphati-
cally the charge of the California
Breeder that ne does not train his
horses after purchase. He cites the
example of Maud s., whose time was
reduced to 2:0Sf under his training;
Rarus, time reduced from 2:l3t to
2:ll!: Edwin Forrest. 2:l4t to Lii
Music, from DBL! to 2:lSa and so ON;
all having made better time under his
training than they ever made before
he owned them Besides that, he has
bred a large number of horses with
records i'm the ncighbOrhOOd of 30.