Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-02-18
D0BLE TALKS
OF TROTTERS.
THE PREMIER REINSMAN EXPECTS TO SEE
THE RECORD LOWERED.
Horses that Nay Succeed = Dirsctum, AriOn and
SambOul Likely to Reduce Nancy hanks
Wonderful Nile.

lifelong experience.
"How was the stock looking when
you left Terre Haute?" asked.
"Splendid; we never had an easier
winter with our horses so far as IL has
gone.
Nancy Hanks, STEAMBOAT and Pixley
never were better. Stamboul partlcu-
larly is in great shape. Sam Gamble,
who was Mr.. Hobart's superintendent,
and fitted STEAMBOAT for the many fast
miles he went against the watch in 1892,
came over to see his old favorite last
fall, and he complimented US on the stall
lions appearance"
And yet Stamboul did not do any
thing notable last season." 1 inter-
jected.
HE did all that 1 expected" replied
Doble, "and l want to say right here
that think the mile STEAMBOAT trotted
last, summer in 2:O9%, against the
watch, was, all things considered, one
of the very best miles of last season.
He had been strung out TO the last
ounce late in 1892, in that game OF see
saw with Kremlin. Then he made the
long and trying journey in the midwin-
lbT W Iu6 4NdM- lOl odlG WIN Abo "a
treme changes Of climate, back again
to Terre Haute, and then as the spring
advanced and he began to pick up, he
went into the stud. Even when we
left Terre Haute 10 go on the circuit
mares were shipped to Stamboul, fol-
lowing him through Michigan to De-
troit, to Cleveland and as far as Buffalo,
Yet, in the face Of all this; and necessa-
rily without being on edge, he steps off
q mile without distress in what / con-
slider remarkable time.
sTAMBOUL SHOULD IMPROVE.
SIN 1894 he will be better than In
1898, for l believe in building horse
up slowly, and especially one like SIAM
bou, who Is twelve years old now and
has had as a race horse and sire de-
mands on his vitality for nine or ten
years"
"How about Nancy Hanks? Do you
expect to pull the lines over herGgain
in fast mie?"
mo, | do not" answered Doble.
'She is through, as far as / know, with
her racing career. She has had an easy
time since the end of last season and
will soon leave Terre Haute for Mr..
Forbes farm to be bred, as l am told, to
Arion."
"What is your opinion about the trot-
ting record, Mr.. Dobe? Do you ex-
pect TO see it lowered this year?"
Eyes, do" replied the driver OF the
champion, without the slightest hesIta-
ton. ITO mention one or two that &C.
cur to me just now would not be at all
surprised TO see Dlrectum trot below
2:O4; indeed, expected him TO get
there. Then there is Arion; he has an
undoubted chance. But besides these
there may be some that no one talks
about now that will come 10 the front
and do the trick"
1t was just on the heels of the last
statement that Doble talked about
STEAMBOAT and the great merits OF his
one fast mile last year, but though the
master trainer and driver didsnot say so
the probabilities are that the capacity
of STEAMBOAT in 1894 was present in his
mind when he spoke so decidedly about
reduction of the record.
"Of course you have seen newspaper
comments on the relative speed OF the
trotter to the high wheel sulky and to
the bicycle sulky, and that it is still
claimed that the 2:0S& OF Maud 5. has
never yet been equalled in merit What
is your opinion on thisP" / asked
Doble paused few seconds, and then
said very slowly: 81 think | will leave
horsemen generally to settle that mat
ter. But / will say this, that l have
driven Nancy Hanks much faster.
NANCY HANKS MILE AT RICHMOND.
"Then there is that mile in 2:O9 she
trotted at Richmond, Ind, in October,
1892, TO the old fashioned sulky. Al
the time she was far from being In
shape, in fact have never-if my mem
ory serves me right-asked her Tor a
record breaking effort when she has
been so ill-fitted to accomplish II; and
yet withal the time was only the merest
fraction slower than that OF the old
queen, Maud S"
what do you think about the two
main questions that are to be dealt
with at the coming biennial congress OF
the National Trotting Association, to
be held in this city on the l4th instr
mean the proposed shortening OF the
distance and the adoption Of the amend
ed rules governing time records, as ac-
cepted by the American Trotting Reg
istration Association and the American
Trotting Association.
ITO answer the last question first: as
I understand 1t, that there shall be no
more time records accepted that are not
made at bona fide regular meetings and
before a properly constituted stand OF
iudges. I think the amendment is right.
The only hardship l see Ia the matter
Is that this rule could not be made In
some sense retrospective, seeing that so
many horses have got in the list through
the back door
"As TO a shorter distance, 100 yards
in place Of $50 and 70 Instead OF the
usual 100. heartily lndorse the change.
There IS no doubt that the whole OF the
trotting interest rests mainly on the
amount of support the public give to
racing. If the shortening OF the dis
tance will tend TO shorten each race,
nv ALI means let US have II. The public
are quite right to complain when they
see some horse just dropping inside the
hundred yard flag. heat after heat, and
then, comparatively fresh as regards
the others who have fought out those
heats. cutting loose and winning the
money. have done this very thing
mapya time-with Ed AMMAN, for In
stance-and the only excuse / have 10
offer is that drove the race under the
conditions as / found them.
OPPOSED TO THE AMENDMENTS.
81 know that many drivers oppose
these amendments, giving as their rea-
SONS that they may happen 10 get away
s,- - -,a-v start and cannot get