The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-01-18
FAST MILE HCRsRs.
When and Where the Record Has Been
Made.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.


From the Cincinnati Enquirer
All Of the record breaking on both the
trotting and the running turf during the
year which has just closed the inroads on
the mile mark have been most prevalent SO
far as the running horse is concerned, no
less than three performers having this sea-
/ SON snnihilated the time hung up by Ten
! Brock, which, up to June Is last, had stood
as the best on record for upward of thirteen
/ years. The California crack Racine on
that date set the ball a-rolling by
beating the dead Kentucky kings
mark a quarter OF a second, which
mark Raveloe later reduced still a
| quarter of a second over Long Branch's
| straight course. This stood the best for
| few weeks. Then the mighty Salvador went
TO beat the record, and, on that bright Au-
| gust day, amid the plaudits Of thousands, be
s ept under the wire in the phenomenal
| time Of 1:S51S-hgures which promise to re-
main unchanged for at least some time to
come; though, considering the difference in
the formation of the traces and tbs weight
carried, one being four and the other
| S-year-old, Racine's mile compares favora-
| bly, with the monarch of Haggin's ranch.
Viewed from time standpoint, however,
in which only minutes and seconds are con-
| sidered, Salvatore mile is not only the best
| ever run in America, but beats the worlds
record, no other horse, living or dead, hav-
| ing as yet publicly demonstrated he pos
sessed any hing like such a high rate of
| speed.
In Australia Frying Pans mile In 1871
| has remained the best since scOrei by that
| wonder in 1884. while in England Gladia-
| teur, Bay Middleton and Saunterer are
each said to have lvered the Rowley mile,
which is II yards over the regulation mile,
in :3S. Tradition credits Flying Childers
as having gone the distance in the startling
| time Of / 80, but in his day watches had
hardly reached perfection sufficient to &C
curately time horse going at such a rapid
| rate of speed. We are told by the Arabs OF
horses possessing the speed OF the wind, but
the introduction of such breeds of horses
both in England and this country in recent
| years prove them to be far from the equal OF
| their English and American rivals and, while
a majority OF the successful families In both
countries trace to Arabian stock, we have
| a right to as sume that the racer Of to-day
| Is the superior of any steed that cour5ed
over the Great Sahara. The Persians claim
no great amount of speed for their horses,
they being rather noted for their endur-
ance and sta ing powers, while other coun-
tries where the developed horse is popular
are too nav in the bust ess to lay claim TO
any rapid time score by their equine stars.
| OLD English authorities describe Eclipse as
the fastest horse that ever lived, but the
| only record of his speed, so far as the time
test is concerned, Is one Of the titles con-
ferred upon him at the close of his
glorious career, the motto, 'Volat
ocior euro"-he flies swifter than the
east wind. The first horse to beat LAB in
| America was Alarm, whose daughters are
breeding so we'll, which is instaaced by the
performances of his grandsons fremont
and Tournament, he covering the distance
in 1872 in 1:42s4. The year previous TO the
scoring of this record Longfellow ran a
mile In 40, but it being in a race Of two
miles and a quarter that fight IF speed was
never considered record. The pas summer
Teuton, in a nine furlong dash at Washing
| ton Park, Chicago, ran the first mile in
:3916, but he, like Longfellow, is robbed of
the honor of that performance In the racing
guide on account Of the race he won
being longer distance than mile After
| Alarm, Grey Planet was the first to further
reduce the record, he chipping quarter Of
a second off of the mark scored by the son
| Of imp. Eclipse. One brief season the gray
horse held sway, then he fell by. the wayside,
Searcher, afterward called Leander, cutting
the record three-quarters of q second.
| Though Acknowledged a fast horse, Searcner
was aided by hyiag start at the hands of
an inexperienced starter, and there Is there
fore some doub. as to his really accomplish
ing the feat lie Ias been accredited with. In
the fall Of the same year, in 1885, Kadi. in a
heat race at Hartford, Con l., stepped of q
mile in :48S%, and this remained the best
It'll May "a 1877, when Ten Brock scored
his rapid time, which menaced the stars OF
the turf for over thirteen years. Though
now ranking as the fourth great miller of
this glorious country, it 10 question
whether the son OF Pheton's equal has yet
been seen, Notwithstanding the now great
reputation of Salvador and host Of other
stars which have since his day flashed
across the turf horizon. Be this as it may,
one thing Gems certain, the marble slab at
Nantura hides the ashes OF a horse that held
the mile record for a longer period than
will doub lees fall to the lot of auy other.
In American turf history up to 1860 the
best mile was run in l AS, made by Prioress,
who afterward raced with distiction in Eng
land under Mr. Ten Broeck's colors, winning
several important events In that year a
horse called Aleudorf went mile in 1:4415
and two years later Wagram, bred by a
son of the great Commoner, Henry Clay,
Clipped quarter of a second off tlis mark.
HerZog next reduced tine record to :43G
and two years later both Salina and Fadla-
deem took marks of 1:43 The latter figure
then remained as the best until Alarm came
on the scene in 1872. CHANGING down
through this list Of champion miles we miss
many great names, and it does seem odd
that such horses as Hindoo, Falsetto, Parole,
The Ba d, Luke Blackburn, George Kinney.
Leonatus, Hanover, Firenzi and host of
like other stars do not appear at once hold
ing the record for this popular distance
Fate. however, was always against them
when essaying the task of mile dash-the
track either slow or the company not of the
kind to require the lowering of record to
win. Many of the horses named have no
turf records to compare with that of these
great performers, and yet the rapid mile
will figure in history to non-posted turf
I'D he, To-
overs and the bards Of days gone by. As
to horses that have made rapid time on two
different occasions at this distance, Badge.
who sold when a yearling for the insignif-
cant sum of $l20, stands out in bold relief,
he bearing the distinction of being the only
horse that has yet twice scored a mile in
40 or better.