The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-09-23
PHENOMENAL PACING.
THE GREATEST SEASON IN THE HIs
ToRH OF HARNESS RACINE.

viewed-Coupetent Judges Think that
the Geiding Caa Clip Somethine on
His Record OF 4 1-s-Horses that
Have the nest Heeords-Sos Patches,
John n. Gentry, Oniine. and Directly.
Nothing is more remarkable in connection
with the present campaign ofthe harness horses
than the way in which the PAGERS Of all ages
have bettered the best time on record, both In
races Of heats and in exhibitions against time.
While the season for record breaking Is yet
young, and the returns will not be oil In until
some time in December, when the annual period
of rain puts a stop to racing on the Pacific coast,
there is but one important best on record now
in the books, which was there at the beginning
OF the campaign. This is the yearling record Of
Belle Acton, 2:20A, which has stood since 1902,
The record is a wonderful one, but in all prob
ability II would have been swept away In the
general downfall either this year or In 1893 II
there had been any considerable number Of
yearlings on the turf to take a shot ut the mark.
Up to the present time this season, however,
there has not been a single important race for
PAGERS of this age, many OF the leading tracks,
which catered to the craze while 1t was on in
1900 O1-92, having dropped the yearllng class
from their programmes.
In popular estimation the . :o1h Of Robert j.
ovcrshadows all other records, although from a
| Ed'luB IOlhl VI NltN "a . " AhhhNO . iob y
valuable as the same PAGERS three-heat record
of ? :03M, 2:02H, 2:O4A, made at Indianapolis,
where he defeated the wonderful young horse
Joe Patchen in a closely contested match race q
fortnight ago. Turfmen require something
more than evidence of phenomenal speed for a
single mile before they class a horse as champion,
for there have been many fashy performers,
both t~ro.ters and PAGERS, with unequalled
records In exhibition efforts, which. when
.-a A. Al. A.. - .-a..l l--N 10 .----l
to be commercials. The present champion is.
however, n horse of unquestioned gameness and
stamina. In the race which first brought him
into prominence Robert J. gave Glendennis such
n bitter gruelling contest over the Fleetwood
track that the other horse died from the effects
Of 1t. and before he had been more than two
months on the turf he paced a race against the
then unbeaten Flying Jib at Buffalo, in which
the time Of the five heats averaged about 2:l2,
Robert winning the first and third rounds in
2:11 and 2:0994, then the fastest time on record
for n four-year-old.
Whether Robert ]. will be able to lower the
record to 2 100 before the close OF the season is
a question much discussed among horsemen.
He has already Clipped ~ seconds from the
2:0+ mark of Mascot and Flying Jib, and at
nearly every start against the watch thus far he
has sent the champion record down a point or
more. doing IL In n manner which seems to indi-
cate that he still has something in reserve. At
Terre Haute, when Robert made his record
of 2:0lh he moved the middle half in
591s seconds, a 1859 gait, and the
frat three quarters at almost a 300 clip.
after which IL is said Ed Geers let him come
home at ease, knowing he had beaten the mark
at which he aimed. 1t Is plain that the horse
has speed enough now to pace In 900, the only
problem being as to whether he can carry his
clip the full mile. Having moved three quarters
at the required rate OF speed thus early In the
season. 1t would seem that he ought to improve
sufficiently before the wind-up at Nashville next
month TO last it out TO the end. and a great
many competent horsemen. who have seen
Robert !: IN his fast miles this summer expect
While the son OF Hartford and Geraldine is
the present pndisnuted champion OF PAGERS.
t iSIcb are ,E,e at least ss gi two bI E1unEE oi horses crn, N ,n sight gh
laurels later on, One OF these is Joe Patchen,
the fve-year-old from the wilds of Kansas.
he has paced in 2:O4 and shown his ability to
60 Sill faster, Hs vas beaten z bare nose in
dianapolls race and in the second heat, won by
Robert ]. in a:o2h, Joe Patchen led the way
third quarter in o;@6, a 1855 gait. For a com.
paratively green horse, this is Unprecedented
OF Flying Jib in his memorable campaign. Of
ls9" 50 high an authority as Starting Judge
W viii l. S INTIMATELY Is b Sl ,hf R SPS,nlonG th ns S MsiI ps at c ass
best record the latter may be able to make.
Other equally competent critics look upon
Is another Kansas product, and he now holds
the fastest record ever made by "a fve-ycar-old
Gentry defeated Hal ,Braden., Flying Jib, and
2:Ol,4, moving the middle half in l:O0A and
campaign with a record OF 2;13, and he has
steadily imErGysd since ths date Of his first race
according To the records. than Robert i Wns mt
the same age. and he has paced a much faster
race of heats than the present champion had
Among the four,year-elds opline, a purely
t%rotting- bred colt from Nebraska, Is thus far
in a race rs long ago as the date of the Cleveland
Grand Circuit meeting, and at Dies Moines a fort
track IN a:osT, a:osta't g :oSs.. At
TeS pfF stood At q 9 :oas i fSsT mark in made lisE byy 6is5iHi
a California colt. in 1909, and the same colts
the best on record. Early in July, at Wind
f RgbeD oni@ri Ssua ihs b HsRSIgsk Sbsm fEHIroyeS mcG
heats in a;ilA. H a:OeA, and s'iot, This This
performance was quite, the sensation Of
was the fact that the handsome son
OF Baron Wilkes and Olitipa had never started
victory at the little Canadian town.
Rubenstein looked like the best young PAGER OF
Haute in August and was beaten by the older
colt In a:O6]4, goo, 2:O94. then the fastest
three heats on record for IA hve-year-Old or for a
of any age. Since the race Rubenstein
has apparently trained of in n measure. for at
Tifin, o., last week he was unable TO beat 2 10
In an attempt 20 lower the four-year-old record
of Online, 2:014.
The crack of the three-year-Old division, ac-
10 the records, Is whirligig, a brown
hlly by WilkO, son Of simmons, by George
This young PAGER has "a record OF 2:IO, '
and she has gone three heats In 2:l0, 2;ll%,
and 2;l3. Fast and creditable as these per-
A., a daughter OF Adrian Wilkes, sire o: the
famous Roy Wilkes, 2;O64, Il the fastest three
PAGER OF the year. She has been cam
paigned in the West ever since the frost was
fairly out Of the ground, and has raced for the
most part against aged horses. In her last con-
test at INDIANAPOLIS the Iowa hlly scored three
heats in 2;l04, 2:l24, and 2:l2A. pacing the
quarter Of the last heat at a l ;5S gait. She
Is said to be equal 10 . ;OB or better.
or the many phenomenal pacing records made
In 1894, that Of the twO-year-Old colt Directly,
2:07A. Is generally looked upon by hOrsemen as
The most wonderful performance OF all. When
the present season opened Online's 2;ll was