The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-09-02
TROTTING RECORDS.

While the world at large accepts with
passing wonderment the remarkable per-
formance of Nancy Hanks and crowns
her with one accord the Queen of the
Turf, what must be the sensations of the
veteran horsemen who more than thirty
years ago thought that Flora Temple had
set a mark for all time? Though their
idols, one after the other, through all
these years have been cast into the back
ground, these TURTLES must experience
the keenest pleasure in the progress of
the breeding of the trotting horse.
Before Flora Temple was the glory of
the race track Tacomy held the worlds
record, with mark of 2.25I made in
1893. Four times Flora Temple took
seconds off this record until, in 1859, two
years before Goldsmith Maid was foaled
the little mare, on the Kalamazoo track,
made the circuit in 2194. Horsemen
were justified in their belief that the low
est notch had been reached, for eight
years passed by before any fraction of
time was clipped from Flora's record.
But on July 30th, 1867, Dexter robbed
the mare OF her supremacy by trotting
the mile in 2.19, and strangely enough.
Budd Doble, who to-day shares in no
small degree the glory of Nancy Hanks's
record of 2.074, was behind him. Two
weeks later at Buffalo, Doble again sent
Dexter for record in 2.174. His star
was IN ascendency for five years, and
then, on June 9th, 1872, Goldsmith Maid,
driven by Doble, trotted the mile on our
Mystic in 2.164
This record was equalled by the gelding
Occident, who, by the way, was the first
trotter owned by Gov. Stamford, at Sac
ramento on Sept 18th, 1873. The maid
shook off her rival the following wear.
Dob!e sending her the mile on the Mystic
track in PA. She was then seventeen
years old, and for four years longer she
reigned as the active Queen of the Turf.
In August, 1878, Splan drove Rarus to a
new record at Buffalo, beating the Maids
mark three-quarters of a second, and
then the world was startled by successive
record breaking performances. At Oak
land, California, on Oct. 25th, 1879,
Hickok gave st. Julien mark of 2. 1919.
On Aug. 18th, 1880, st. Julien and Maud
S. both circled the Rochester track in
2.114, and on Aug. 9th, st. Sulien bet
tered his mark by half second at Hart
ford. The year closed, however, with
Maud S. to the fore with record of
2.104, made at Chicago. The following
year this greatest of racing horses lower
ed her record twice, making the mile at
Pittsburg in 2.10i and at Cleveland in
2. 10t.
Maud SIS sway was not disputed until
Aug. LIST, 1884, when Bither sent Jay Eye
See under the wire at Providence in 2.i0. |
The latter glory was short lived, for on
the following day at Cleveland Maud S. |
was timed in 2.094. Later in the year
she showed that she had not reached her |
limit by trotting against time in 2.09+, |
and at Cleveland the following summer |
made the worlds record (20S4) for a
regulation track. This mark has been
the goal of all trOtters since that time un- |
til Nancy Hanks cast it into the shade. |
Sunol, Robert Bonner's great FLY, sur
passed it on kite-shaped track at Oak
and by trotting the mile in 2.0S4, and
Palo Alto equaled Maud SIS record on the
same track.
There are two remarkable facts con-
lected with the history of records from
Dexter to Nancy Hanks. One is that in
almost every instance the successive
champions have been sired by sons of
1ambletonian, Dexter being sired by
himself, and the other
hat their second dams were thorough
,red running horses
In Nancy Hanks, Mr.. j. Malcolm !