New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-09
HARNESS RACING GOSSIP.
A LONG LIST OF RECORD-MAKERS
COMPARISON or TINE AND RACE PERFORM
ANCEs-PLANS AND PROSPECTS OF
TIE COMING SEASON.


about 10000 horses took part In the light harness
contests OF 1892 about seventy five per cent OF them
being trotters The Of premiums for which
this big herd competed Is estimated at $1,000 900.
The number OF horses now enrolled In what Is known
the fast list shows how marked has been the gen
cra Improvement in speed since breeding and devel-
opment have been looked after carefully. The
trotters that have made records Of . 30 better
since Lady Suffolk set the example nearly forty Weight
years ago, added to the PAGERS that have scored as
good As 20, make total close TO 10000. During
1902 this list augmented By l,j56 trotterS and
| 4lj PAGERS.
In the early days OF trottng little value was
attached 10 records unless they made In race.
and up to the appearance of Flora Temple most Of
the champions had their laurels in races. After
that the special exhibition more into vogue, and
| since Goldsmith Maid trotted heat in . IA "a at
Rochester In 1874, reducing her previous best mark
| Of 2:5 IL made ut Buffalo Just week before, not
one Of the worlds records at the trot has been OBJ
| tanned In contest between horses. The relative
merits of the two performances may be estimated by
the difference In the figures that has generally eA-
i,tcd When Maud scored = :OS "a at Cleveland III
1850 the record > :l3 >, also 10 the chest
! nut mares credit made In match with Trihhet at
Chicago five years before. The stallion Palo Alto
| got this down . :l3 when he defeated Jack at
Chicago, In the second of the two matches between
| thrs, cracks In the season OF 1890 Then cam"
| Nancy Hanks, and her first champion feat was 10
| lower the rnce record on the kite track at hide
| pcndcncc where she won stake for fve-year-olds
Mler,on and Margaret s.. troting the hrst ana
third heats in IL. This still more than three
seconds slower than the fastest mile against the
watch and the approach nearer at one time last
season, when Martha Wilkes put In her three famous
heats the third IN = 90 II. Nancy Hanks had Sc
cured the crown few days before at Washington
Park Chicago by turning the track there III va Il.
so that the race and time records nearer together
than they had been for many years. Before a week
had passed the new queen Of the sulky had "dehcd
the breach By her flight over the elastic soil OF the
magnet shaped in :OJ II. and the s"nsa'ioha
year closed with the actual difference the same uour
! aud IL quarter seconds when the stables i'l'
! Ind, pcndcncc Wien Nancy lIanks accomplished her
supreme feat at I, laute the chr n0Sraph had an
| advan,a.. Of fv" and half seconds the con
test list the day following the memorable mile IN
= Oi Martha likes again reduced the race record al
Evansville Indiana when she landed the free iorall
class in = :Os Ii. There has been some diScrcdit
thrown on this last record but it was not subjected
To the same scrutiny some other contests of last
year. and stands n the best mark in a race.
While much stress has been laid 10y certain classes
Of breeders and dealers the ability Of the trott"r
or PAGER to 60 singc mile, the earning capacity OF
the harness racer +, stu determined by more
severe test, namely, that Of sustaining the effort Tor
a number of heats according to the conditions There
ar, many progressive urfncn who believe that dash
races viii prove more popular than the more pro-
ractrd contest. hut at present the three-heas pan
remains In fashion. 4 few Of the Important tracks
tried the shorter style of Fac. last season with some
measure success. but unit! there is more general
adopiiOn OF the trainer Will not take kindly 10
the Innovation, as 1t requires different sort OF
preparation to fit the horse for the dash than Is now
employed for the battle Of heats
The Kentucky breeders meeting at Lexington III
the IA; Il i.gl ti.d the plan Of sending all horse,
tyin hpaf In
worked capitaly, and the patronage was larger
throughout the week than at any meeting ever held
In the Blue Grass country. strange to say, the
association did not stand By tho change The return
last October 10 the old rule was accompanied 10y n
great falling or in CAT" receipts. On the other hand
the Cumberland Fair and Racing Association AT NaSh'
,ilc having introduced TWO dash contests IN its pro-
cramm, last season and found them acceptable TO
its patrons. has taken a more emphatic step this
wear Thirteen stakes worth from $1,000 to $1,000,
were arranged with tha announcement that all would
be- two in three heats except that for yearngs which
+, "A mile dash Nominations for these closed on
February l. and every one filled with subscriptions
from stock farms and trainers all over the country.
II might be expected that meeting rs important
"A the one projected Chicago TO occupy two weeks
next september would be III the line of progress. VI
the five stakes, including the one OF $1,000 Tor the
open tIotting class. only those for two ana three
wear Odds are to he decided by the winning OF two
has come to be- drag wheel on what Is otherwise Il
delightful pastmc.
The spirit Of enterprise has, however. entered the
Grand Circuit, not only in the way OF giving more
stakes than have ever before been offered by the
members Of that old series, but In the departure
from ancient usage In conducting some parts OF the
programme as we'll. For the week at Detroit, whose
driving club Is for the first time member OF the
Grand Circuit. there is among number Of purses
on. for what IS called novelty race This Is
open TO 20 trotcrs and l. worth $1,000. divided
In the usual four moneys. but Instead OF requiring
horse get three heats TO secure first money, the
two horses that stand first and second in the sum
mary of the first three heats go to the stables with
the Hons share Of the purse. Two more heats end
the contest, the winner Of the fourth rcrcs With
third money. and the fourth share Of the premium
goes to the horse that takes the fifth heat
The outlook for the early campaign. especially
Along the Atlantic coast IS unusually bright. For
three years II circuit that extends from Baltimore TO
Boston has furnished good qualty OF sport through
May ana .unr at Ia" sam, ur Tr,s'g r OUT many many
organization Is different. but the route for the
more circuit starts the sukIcs Point Breeze.
the Quaker city, I'm the third week IN May, and In
short distance OF iiiiaaclphm has progIamnl" Idcn
teal with lis neIghbor AT Point Breeze aud then the
stables 20 10 baltimore. where they remain for two
weeks. ifmllco Driving club has opened two stakes
Of ~ 200 each for .::I and 2:4o trotters and the
all classes of horscmen For the first Of these
called the Pimllco stake. thirty horses have
been named aud for the Hotel Rennert stake, open
the slower class, there twenty seven sIbSCrip
lions. Among these youngsters from such large
breeding establishments iage, Jrwrtt and Lang
Farms. Buffalo: Abdallah Park. Cynthiann, Ky.
l'nrkvIllc Farm. Long Island, where John II. SHUTS
has immense string In training, and Round Top
Farm. BcIfnrisvlllc. y. j.. owned by +. i. OlcOtt,
multi mlliOnarcs In the metropolis who
has invested literally In well bred stock.
After the Pimlco meeting comes one At the Gentle |
mans Driving Park which adjolns the older track at
Baltimore. At the time the Eastern Circuit
begins Siugts, Mass. and continues through the
month OF June at Mystic Park. Boston Narragans
Park. Providence. and Charter oak Park. Hartford.
There is another meeting In this connection arranged
for the first week I'm Iuy at Old Orchard, Maine, |
the kite track by that time the summer cam |
plgn IS well under way and the best stables In the
East likely 10 return 10 Philadelphia, /
where there Is an attractive programme pre-
lininary to the Grand Circuit. which begins at Pitts
burg July IL and lasts for ten weeks.
NEWSPAPER WOMEN AND THE PRESS CLUB FAIR.
The newspaper women working hard to make |
their booth Of the most attractive at the Press
Club Fair. This Is entirely separate and distinct from
III. fsl,t.hn nnhf h.