The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-04-17

001dA0 Ot6hlOIQ az AlS IHmOuS FalO
Alto rancho in the Santa Clara Valley.
California, and was foaled in 1856.
Senator Stanford is an enthusiastic
lover of the trotting horse and he is
more than that. He has not followed
beaten paths, either in breeding or
training, but has departed boldly from
conventional conceptions and old time
methods and has eminently succeeded.
On training the trotting horse Sena-
tor Stanford'S views are radical. He
inaugursted, and his trainer, Charles
Marvin, the most skillful man of his
profession, carried out and perfected,
what is now known as the Palo Alto sys-
TEN of training trotters. The worlds
records for yearlings, two-year-olds,
three-year- olds, four-year-olds and five-
year-olds and the stallion record are all
held at Palo Alto, and that fact speaks
eloquently for this system of training
Sunol is stately bay mare, consider
ably higher at the quarters than at the
wither, and was q phchomenon from her
first days training. Her besetting sin
has been an irritable disposition, an
extremely nervous organization, and her
early training was pursued under diff
ficulties which only man of Maryin's
unequalled skill and remarkable pa
tience could overcome. Sunol was
sired by Elec tioneer, and her dam,
Waxana, who was sired by General
Benton. Her second dam, Waxy, was
thoroughbred daughter of Lexington,
who was son of Boston. In 1881 an
other Palo Alto bred marc Wildflower
had made record as two-year-old of
2:2l and that had not since been ap-
preached, but Senator Stanford's aim is
to breed early speed and when Sunol
promised so we'll as two-year- old it
was determined to lower the two-year-
old record if possible.
In her first attempt against the rec
ord at San Francisco she trotted in
2:20}G, and week later she covered tho
mile without falter in her gait in PTS.
a performance unequaled until last fall,
when 1T was beaten by the colt Arion
who made record as a two-year-o in
2:lOM. AS three year.old Sunol was
star on the Pacific coast and so un-
expectedly brilliant were her perfor-
mances that even the triumphs CT her
two ear-old year form were dlmmed by
comparison.
1t was a duel throughout the season
between tho three-y earold horse Axtell
pionship. First, Axtell lowered the
three year-old record to 2.16% at Min.
neapolis, July 2, and August at Cleve-
land, Ohio. at Chicago. August 10, he
reduced the record to fla. At Sacra-
mento, Cal, Septembe H. Sunol trotted
in 2.13M, and divided the II citing horse
world into rival camps on the question
of three-yeaI- old supremacy.
The next sensation cane from Terre
Haute, Ind, where Axtcll trotted in
2:l2, lowering the stallion record as
well as the three-year old time. This
was October ii and then the East felt
h0t I'm Lot ffr Nr4 ri. i
on this side Of the Rockies. But not so,
for at Bay District track, San Fran
cisco, November Q Sunol, in a perform
ance that was regarded as phenomenal,
trotted in 2:1O55.
Sunoi was then purchased for a sum
approximating $4,000, by Robert Bon
ner, OF New York, but was still trained
by her old trainer, Marvin. In her four
year old form Sunol was campa gned in
the East, but was never quite on the
fine edge shown by her in her three
year old form.
At Chicago in August, 1890, she low
cred the four-year-old record of
the world to 2:114 and October
90, 1891. at Stockton, Col. She beat the
best time of Maud S. by half second,
trotting mile in 2:0s4. Thus she
holds the worlds record. Sunol is now
in Mr.. Bonner's stables in New York
and is being driven on the road by him.
Mr.. Marvin is now at Miller and
Sibley's stock farm in Pennsylvania and
will probably have the mare this season
and it is thought by many that she will
still be able to lower the record
Wonderful have been the changes
wrought in our national sport of racing
within the last twenty years SO much
SO that our older turf habi.ueS are fairly
n ind off fhnf lorr III
to realize the new state of things, as
compared with the old. Sixteen thou
sand, eight hundred and fifty-eisht
horses started in trotting and pacing
races in the United States and Canada
last year. GEO. L. FLOYD.
ITO be continued.l