The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1890-10-24
KINGS OFTHE SULKY.
Interesting Gossip About Remarkable
Trotters of the Past and Present.

The question, What show would
the horses of twenty years ago have
with those of the present day?" was
put to Doble.
Il consider Dexter and George M.
Patchen the equal of any horse now
diving. if we take into consideration
the tracks, vehicles. and manner OF
handling then in vogue"
Yes" said Splan, 1.-The blanketing,
drawing fine. and work which George
M. Patchen had to undergo was terri
bile. At one time, matched to go
under saddle. he was reduced forty
pounds in one week, and on the day of
the race did not have as much flesh as
canary bird carries. You rode him in
that race. Bud; he was drawn SO fine
that his sides were glued together. He
was on fire at the end of the first heat
and much distressed, but he had Won
derful recuperative powers.
He and Dexter were as game as
any animal that ever lived, and what
horse of the present time could stand
the gruelling they were given?" asked
Doble.
The triumphs of queen Maud S. were
then touched upon. II knew of no
animal possessing her stamina" said
Kickoff. well, often thought Blair's
handling was injudicious, but after /
got to know her l believed that in
ninety-nine out of hundred cases
killing work was just what she needed.
In the warming up before she accom-
plished the feat which hung her shoe
over the entrance to Cleveland's track
Bair gave her mile in PIP 1-2 and a
repeat in 2:11 81. and l would have
given but little for her chance. In the
drive when passing the three-quarter
pole she swerved. and Bair, reaching
for the whalebone, gave it to her. l
thought all was up, and that she would
20 into the fence. but her nearness to
the fence is what saved her. Summon
ing up all her powers into one mighty
effort she went straight and true. You
all know the result.
..She made me hold my breath with
painful anxiety the time she started
against the present record" continued
Kickok II had quite a little wager
up that she would not beat her record,
and when she went the three-quarters
in 1:35. runners gait, | made up
my mind that my money was burned
up. but break settled it in my favor"
The prospects of the 200 horse were
discussed. Doble had not much faith
in his coming, although he had driven
Johnston a quarter in u 1-2 seconds.
Hickok, while he had seen Johnston 90
in 80 seconds and St. Julien in the
same time. said they were the only ones
in his experience, and thought the time
was yet far distant. Splan was more
sanguine, and considered that when
you got horse with the perfect gait of
Axtell and the endurance of Maud S.
doing quarters in % 1-2 to 20 seconds.
the 200 trotter was a fact. Il con-
slider Axtell to be the best-gaited horse
living; his gait is the poetry of trotting
action. The man who could ever
watch the bend of his knee, the fold of
his fetlocks, without being awakened
to Il sense of perfection of movement
unsurpassed has no perception of the
beauty in art or nature" mused Splan.
His gait is of that smooth and
frictionless sort SO hard to describe
and judge the rate of pace" stated
Doble, land while first thought he
was going away from the wire when
he made his record better than a 2:30
rate. it is barely possible that he was
going as fast as 2:25 but surely no
faster n-Ihe HOrsenann