Los Angeles herald., 1892-07-17
THE LIGHT HARNESS HORSE,
Strictly Speaking, an Ameri-
can Production.
Review of Performances from 1849
to the Present Writing.
What Los Angeles County Has Had to
DO With the Reduction of the
Records Since Our Cen
tennial Year.

LII was some Time IN Amerlca'b most
eventful year, 1S49, that che irst trot-
ting horse entered the 2:30 list. This
was Lady Suffolk, owned by David Bry-
ant, and she got record of 2:26 under
the saddle. 1t was believed that both
Pelham and Lady Moscow had trotted
below the 2 80 mark in private, but nei-
ther of them had reached it in race.
Up to 1860 there were but sixty.eight
horses that had got into the list, and
twenty-five of them barely made it in
2:30. Now the progress OF the trotting
horse has become so steady and 80 uni
form that 2 80 horse is just about tit
for gentleman's roadster, and not then
If the owners worldly possessions reach
up into the seventh figure.
SOMETHING OVER FOUR THOUSAND
Are now rated in the 2:3O list, of which
over $500 have entered the charmed cir
Gle within the past two years. In 1850
Lady Suffolk and Rifle trotted mile in
double harness in 2 Al, which remained
the record for twelve years, when it was
beaten by California team, Sh-.. au>.
Rainbow, owned by Stephen B. Whip
pie of San Francisco. They got mark
of .3634, but from that day the double
team record was doomed. About seven
years ago an Oregon team came to San
Francisco composed of Palatina and
Jane L. They were matched against
Conde and Arab. the latter team win
ming in 2:184. This has since been cut
down to 2l2 fiat by G. J. Hamlin's
team, Belle Hamlin, and Globe, both
bred by that gentleman himself.
IT IS A LONG REACH
from 2:30 down to 2:15, and the first
horse to get below the latter figure was
Goldsm'tr Maid, who got mark of 2 IA
N 1874 at Rochester, New York. Since
then dozen or more have beaten 2:15,
four of whin- wele pred at Palo Alto by
Sena.or stanford. 1t is conceded that
while the mare Sunol has by half a Sec
ond the faster record against time, Palo
Alto, 2 :082, can beat her at any time
in bona fide race. Both are by the
same sire, Electioneer, who is the only
stallion having two with records below
2.10. The 2 10 list includes also Nancy
Hauks, Allerton and Jay Eye See among
trotters, and Direct. Hal Pointer and
Johnston among the side-wheelers, as
the PAGERS are frequently called.
THE COLTS AND THE LIST.
The first horse Of years old3to trot
in 2 :39 or better was colt by Hamble-
tonian, called Bruno, owned by John
J. Harker OF New York. He got mark
of 2:29L in 1865. In 1878 Messenger
Duroc's daughter Elaine came out and
drove the 4-year old pegs down to
2:2S1a; and in 1879 the bay mare
Trinket, now owned at San Mateo by
the Hobart estate, electrified the world
by making her mile in 2:191a. Jay Eye
See cut it down to 2:19 in in 1882, which
was reduced to 2:18A by Bonita and to
2:l734 in 1884 by Sally Benton. 1t was
in 1886 that Manzanita, by st. Clair,
lowered the 4-year old record to 2:16,
and Edgemark tied it two years later.
In 1890 the flying filly Sunol cut the
black out of it and got mark of 2:10s4,
at which figure the 4-year old record
still remains.
THE THREE-YEAR-OLDS
did not take as long to get down from
-2:3O to Q 2:1O1s as did the4year-olds, but
this phenomenon is accounted for by
the way the art of balancing horses
feet has progressed in the past ten years.
It was in 1874 that Lady Stout pioneered
the 3.year-olds into the 2:30 list. Five
wears later Jewett lowered the 3-year-old
mark to 2:231a. Then came Phil
Thompson and cut it down to 2:21. In
1883. Hinda Rose, by Electioneer, out OF
Beautiful Bells (bred by L. J. Rose oil
this city), explored the twenties with q
record of 2:191S, and then came Sable
Wilkes, whose granddam was also bred
by Mr., Rose, and reduced it to 2:18. In
1889 new star flashed out ON the turf.
His name was Axtell, and he got rec
ord of 2:l2, which he held for just one
wear. being dethroned in the same yeal
bv Governor Stanford's flly Sunol, who
trotted in 2:101a where the record still
stands.
THE Two-YEAR-oLD RECORDS
have been almost monopoly in the
hands of Senator Stanford. Up to 1885,
mo 2.vear-old had beaten 2:30, but il
that year Sweetheart (own sister to AL
cazarl cot mark of 2 :201s but scarcely
was the shouting over when out came
Fred Crocker and cut it down to 2 rs y
Then came big jump in 1881, wher
Wildflower. by Electioneer, cut it dowr
to 2.21. where itremained unbeaten ant
nntied for seven years, when Sumo
lowered il to 2:18. Just as everybody
began to think that figure an invincibl'
one ont came Arion in 1891 and lowered
II to 2:103l. He is likewise by Elec'
tioneer. who was by long odds the
Greatest sire of juvenile performers
This is the colt which Senator Stamford
sold to J. M. Forbes. of Boston, for the
Unparalleled sum OF 5000. The re
cent attempt to throw.
CLOUD ON HIS ANCESTRY
By Mr.. J. w. Knox, at one time thu
owner OF Nutwood, fell fiat, state ant
improbable" upon Mr.. Forbes WIN
wrote back to the obnoxious Mr.. Kno,
that 2 :1O34 at two years old is prett.
good pedigree in itself. Knox wrot
Forbes that he would be in Boston OF
a certain day, and Forbes declined t
make an appointment with him. 1t i
said Senator Stamford wrote to Forbes
AZ soon as he heard of Krox's revela
t;on. and offered to refund the none
and take the colt back. Forbes evi
IDENTIFY thought it was better to have al
horse and no pedigree than all pedigre
and no horse, for the unbeaten Ariol
still remains his property. And thi
brings us down to
THE YEARLING RECORDS
which have been appropriated by tn
California breeders with the exceptio