St. Paul daily globe., 1891-12-07
AMONG The HORSES.
The Unprecedented and Sur
prising Develo oment Of
the Youngsters.
Phenomenal Progress Toward
the Front of the Fleet
Procession.
Finely Bred Colts Received at
Grattan's Farm From
Montana.
Horses and Religion as Seen
in Kentucky--Etehings
of Equines.

When the wires brought the news of
the two-year-old colt Arion's unprece-
dented mile in 2:10$l all the world won
dered, says the Spirit of the Times. 1t
SO far tranScended the most liberal esti-
mate of the speed limit of the perfectly
developed two-year Old as to leave the
experts lost in amazement. When the
three-year-old filly Sunol trOtted in
2:1012 and the three-year-Old colt AXtell
trotted in 2:12, leading horsemen de-
clared that such speed was exceptional
and phenomenal at that age and must
not be looked upon as within the reach
of ordinary breeding and intelligent de-
velopment. Only two years have
passed away since those famous three
year-old records were made, and now
we have a twO-year-Old colt which has a
record one second and a quarter faster
than that of AXtell's, and within quar-
ter of second of Sunol's three-year-old
record. To make the light of contrast
still stronger, had AriOn made the rec
ord two years ago he would have been
the all-aged stallion champion. while
just one year ago he would have tied
for the same championship. AS it is to-
day he is only two seconds behind his
stable companion Palo Alto, 2:OS3I. the
present stallion king. In comparison
with other divisions of the great trotting
family, the progress of the two-year-oIdS
towards the speed limit is noticably
phenomenal.
We pointed out recently that it took
the mares thirty-twO years to get from
Flora Temples 2:19M to the 2:0S14 of
SunOl. 1t took seventeen years for the
geldings TO travel from Dexter's famous
2:174 to the 2:1O of Jay Eye See, and
exactly the same number of years for
the stations to go from MambrinO Gifts
2:20 to the 2:0S3l Of Palo Alto. Id nine
teen years the twO-year-oldS have come
from the extreme outside of 2 2:40$I to the
front rank record of 2:10$4. 1t must be
admitted that the development Of two
year-oldS twenty years ago was the eX-
ception and not the rule, and that the
vast majority of breeders believed that
early development meant early decay.
We believe that the development of
tWO-year- Olds is a question of selection
requiring the careful judgment of a
trainer ana breeder of long experience
and keen perception. The true rule as
TO early colt development is like truth,
it lies between extremes. The breeders
Df Kentucky were the first to realize
the enormous financial advantages of
early development.
A still greater reason for early deVel-
ppment was the prestige which stall
lion Immediately attained by being the
sire of early developed speed. A Strik-
Ing illustration of this fact is the stall
lion William l., who stood at a small fee
OF $50 when the dam of AXtell was bred
to $500 when that famous colt became
The champion. With the demand for
early development came the colt stakes
and purses, which gave the breeders
additional inducements. With such a
multiplicity of reasons, it is easy to
understand why the progress of colt
development during the past years has
been more rapid than in the previous
decade.
In 1872 the two-year-old black colt
Doble. by Ericsson, $50, dam Belle, by
Davy Crockett, trOtted i'll 2:40%. This
was champion record, and was trOtted
at Lexington, KY. AS five-year-old
he trotted to a record of 2:28. a very
creditable mile for a stallion even in
1915. In 1877 the afterward FAM
gus SO So. by George Wilkes.
dam Little Ida, by Edwin Forrest,
trotted in 2:3S14. She was driven by Crit
Davis at Lexington. Exactly one month
Eater. in the same year, the late Ia
mented George Brasfield drove the
chestnut filly Orient in 2:3S, but on the
same day Crit Davis drove So So two
miles in 2:3115 and 2:31. When an
aged mare Orient entered the 2:30 list.
SO So went on from victory to victory.
When six years old she trotted in 2:1714,
and is now a matron in the stud.
In 1880 the record went to California,
and has remained there ever since. On
Sept. %, 1880. the filly Sweetheart,
driven by }. W. jonathan, at Sacra-
mentO, Cal, trOtted in 2:2615, and be-
came the twO-year-old trotting queen.
As three-year-Old she reduced her
record 10 2:2212, and was then
retired to the stud, where she has
done excellent work, as she is al
ready represented in the 2:30 list by the
two-year-old colt Red Heart, 2:264. On
Nov. 90, 1880, the reign of the Election
GERS began with the victory of the bay
gelding Fred CrOcker, who won the
honor with record OF 2:2514. He
never improved it. One year later the
bay filly Wildfower put the mark at
2:2l, and. like her predecessor. she got
no further in the fight with time. In
1888 the marvellous SunOl became the
queen with record of 2:1S. She was
driven by Charles Marvin, who has
since driven her to three and four
year-old record of 2:lO19, and a five
year-Old record of 2:OS4.
With 2:1S it looked as if the two-year-
olds would rest and be thankful, but
such has not been the case, and 1891 has
been peculiarly rich in fast two-year-
old records. Ralph Wilkes has tr0tted
in 2:1S, MOnbars in 2:1619, but all other
performances pale before those of the
imperial AriOn, 2:10%. Sept. 10, at
Sacramento, he trOtted in 2:21; at Stock
ton, Oct. 6, in 2:1534; at the same track,
Oct. n, in 2:4115. and Nov. 10. in 2:1O3l.
Arion's future will be watched with the
utmost interest by the trotting world.
He is intensely trotting bred, and his
eXaltation to the trotting throne would
be immensely popular. The progress
OF the two-year-oldS is another evidence
of the immense advances that have been
made i'll our track and speed appliances,
in the science of breeding and the art of
development.