Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-11
RACING AND TROTT|NG TOPICS,
should Not the 2:30 Standard Be
Lowered to 2:05?
The Bicycle Sulky and Its Share in
Reducing the Records.
stamboul's Departure for the East and
Also the Grand Moor-Ruling on
of f"Little Dicky' Ward-Queer
Racing at the Bay.

trOttlng horses. Fixed as 1t is at z:5V,
the kite track and bicycle sulky are
making the 2 80 horse twice as common
as the 2 40 horse was in 1860. 1t might
seem like too big a jump to fix it at
2:25 to wagon or 2 20 to sulky, but that
is no more of a premature move than
2: 80 was when established in 1874, nor
even as much. When that figure was
fixed upon as the "dead line," the board
of censols were openly accused of doing
SO in the interest of the Woodburn
(Alexander) farm, which had at that
time more 2-year-olds and 3-year-olds
capable of trotting below 2:S0 than any
other three trotting stock farms in Amer
lea. Now it is barely fifth on the list,
being eclipsed not only by the great Palo
Alto farm at Menlo Park, in this state,
but by the Hamlin farm at Buffalo and
the Allen at Pitts6e]d, Mass, with a
very strong doubt in favor of Miller &
Sibley against the home of Belmont and
Pilot ia.
Mr.. Rose said to me one day: 81
would rather own one great horse than
30 good ones." This is the animating
spirit which pervades the operation OF
most of our great trotuing breeders. 1t
is the ambition OF Stanford, of Salisbury,
of Page and of Shippee; and it would
have been the guiding star of the genial
Hobart had he lived to the present
hour of writing. Nearly two years ago
l addressed circular letters to all the
trotting breeders of this coast, asking
their opinion as to the propriety of low
ering the time standard in order to raise
the quality of the horse. The only an
swer in its favor that l received was
from man whose stallion had not a
single one of bis get below 2:22. That
man was Jay Beach OF Vancouver, WASH,
whose horse, Altamont, has now about
20 in the 2:3O list. He wrote back:
'"You cannot put the mark too low nor
the quality too high to suit me. l have
none in the 2:20 list, but l expect at
leaet three of my horses get to go below
that figure next year." Four have since
done go.
If every breeder had the same plucky
spirit as that poor, sickly fellow, it
would not take very long to settle the
question. The 2:30 mark would be
voted too slow and the racing record
taken as the only standard, the 'tin
cup" performances being disallowed al
together. With this style of breeding
horses for light-harness use, there would
be no such thing as 1900 to 1900 horses
coming into the standard lists every
year without the slightest pretensions to
genuine racing ability. The 2:40 class
purse would supersede the 8 100 purse /;
the 2 :35 class would fill the place OF the
ESQ purse, and the 2:30 purse would
stand in place of the 2:40. Nor would
there be any subdivisions by 5 till
they got below 2:30. Twenty years
hence purses for the 2:10 class will be
just as abundant as they now are adver-
tised in the Stree for all"
~.
All this goes to show that the light
harness horse is purely an American
creation, and that while the horse is but
little faster by nature than in 1870, the
mechanical aids to speed have almost
doubled his trotting powers. Pelham,
who could barely trot in 2:3O, had done
half miles in :09 long prior to 1850, but,
being of cold blood, died away like
calf in the homestretch. Shot and
Rainbow, two cold bred horses, owned
by Stephen B. Whipple of departed
worth, trotted quarter to wagon in
34% seconds at the Willows park in
1868, in the presence of thousand peo-
pie. But it is the gradual infusion of
the thoroughbred blood into the trotting
horse, year after year, that has made
the trotter stay at the top of his speed ;
and it is the frictionless axle of the BIZ
cycle sulky that has made weight sec.
ondary consideration.
x*x
Little Dickey Ward, who was pretty
bright and intelligent jockey at one
time, when he rode for Hon. L. ]. Rose,
has gone to pieces through drink and
will never be seen in the saddle again.
On Monday last he was ruled off at the
Blood Horse meeting for pulling horse !;
and, as he has no money and his friends
are all of the vicious sort, he will proba-
bly, stand down for the rest of his life.
Ward had the very best chances and
has thrown them away through vicious
associations. 1t is pity that the mel
ancholy fate OF Patsy Duffy had no in
structive warning for him.
*x*
There are now 16 stations in the 2 :12
class. The writer can we'll recollect
when George Wilkes trotted in 2 20 and
men said it would not be beaten for 20
years. Then came along the great
Wedgewood and Splan poked him down
to 2.2134, and the same day Jay Gould
did it in 2:21I. Then Mambrino Gift
did it in even 2 20 and he had scarcely
done 80 when Smuggler, six times in
two years lowered it from 2 20 to 2:17R
2:17, 2:16A, 2:1534 2:154, at which it
stood eight years. The first entire
horse to go below 2:15 was Phallas,
2:1334, and the next was Maxey Cobb,
2:l3I. Director never could trot bet
ter than 2:17, and he beat the pair OF
them in races. Next came the 3year.
old Axtell and lowered the stallion
record to 2:l2 fiat. Then came the
Yankee horse, Nelson, and in three
trials in 1890 made 2:11R, 2:11A,
2:10A. Then came Allerton and got II
to 2:10, which was afterwards tied by
Nelson. Finally, along came poor, dear
old Palo Alto and got it down to 2 :0SA
at which it remained until this year
1t has since been beaten by Kremlin
2:07A, and Stamboul. 2:071a.
x*x
Edward Corrigan of Chicago is said tc
have Longfellow yearling that ran 6
quarter at Lexington last week in q
seconds. She is out of Una, by Wal
Dance, grand-dam of Mr.. Dan Miller,
fine filly Charmion. He also has one by
King Alfonso, out of Helen Wallace
and another by imported Rossington