The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-09-07
He Gives the Peerless Gelding Close
Struggle for Heat That Is De-
cided Right Under the Wire.
ALIX RECORD NOW 2:O4 3-4
She Comes Within Three-Quarters
of the Queen, Nancy Hanks.
The Three Y ear-Old PAGERS Give Re-
markable Performance, Showing
New Three-Heat Record.


Robert j., the peerless, established this
fact yesterday afternoon by pacing one
heat in 2:02ia more than second faster
than any other horse ever carried sulky
around mile track. Joe Patchen is the
greatest pacing stallion in the world, and
was just the one to furnish a royal strug-
gle with the famous gelding Indeed. many
thought the stallion gave the more re-
markable performance, for in the matter
of his own record ne Clipped off several
more seconds than the gelding, and in the
unprecedented heat he was credited with
the time of 2:032l which the Fort
Wayne record of Robert j., discarded in
yesterdays match. AT the finish of this
heat there was slightly more than length
between the winner and his rival for track
horors. The time for the three heats won
by Robert j. in this great match face
which was for a purse of 5000, was as
follows: 2:O8a4, 2:021s. 2:O4s4. This made an
average of 2d3 2-3 the best average for
three heats ever paced or trotted Again
it was the fastest series of three heats
ever made in harness, and several more
records, as horsemen keep them, were
smashed. The indianapolis track will be
known to the world as the fastest, and if
the folks over at Terre Haute want to be
up at the head Of the procession they will
have to put sails on their horses, have a
movable track like the famous sidewalk at
the world fair. do something else along
that line. 1t is bit parloneble Cor the
members of the Indianapolis Driving Club
to crow Justify, for the laurels taken from
Terre Haute yesterday were earned by per-
sistent effort. meetings having been given
in this city year after year without much
material encouragement from the public.
The doxv Wa HaSprxypur
of attendance of twenty thousand
upwards, and ii may have been a trifie
disappointing to the driving club officials
that only six thousand or so saw the
worlds record topple and fall on the good
clay whose springiness and other quail
ties helped along the speed. So much
bottled-up enthusiasm never came to the
fair grounds as that which the electric
cars brought out, packed in cases of fifty
more human beings. and when 1t was
time to flood the autumn air, there was
one terrific gas-well roar-shouts, yells.
pounding of canes and all that goes to
make a jubilee of sound. The enthusiasm
of the ancient Romans at a chariot race
was merely circumstance. 1t
crowd made restless by the sultriness of
the day, and hundreds were longing for
an occasion to relieve themselves with a
hearty cheer When starter Walker, in a
semi-deprecating way, gained by long
experience on the track, announced that
the worlds record was smashed, there was
little respect for the serenity of the grand
stand atmosphere. Basso profundo bawls
and high-keyed shrieks, good-natured yells
of appreciation and hysteric shrieks of
overjoyed women Joined in the effort to
float off the grand-stand roof. Mr.. Walker
prrita ha 10 he a dOlo1
out evidences of it. first by twinkle of
his eye, then by soft smile, and when
he turned about to President Taggart,
away from the eyes in the grand stand,
he is said to have glowed with delight.
He, too, broke his record. having started
the fastest race, and 1t may be added that
the driving club, in being proud of its
record and track belongings, is equally as
proud of it's starter, an Indianapolis man.
President Taggart jumped up and down
in a manner very unbecoming a statesman,
but he Immediately made amends by aid
ing Director Holt in holding down a third
director who gave every promise of jump
ing out Of the judges stand, so overjoyed
was he
After the second heat was won i'm phe-
noinenal time, President Taggart proposed
three cheers for Robert T., and after five
thousand took the queue he called for a.
like number for Joe Patchen and then
three for Messrs. Hamlin and Taylor. the
respective owners of the animals. Very
modestly he refrained from asking ap-
plause for the club. but a man down by
the betting ring made the suggestion, and
all those in range of the mans voice
yelled. While the match was being paced
a benevolent looking man with white
beard sat in the judges stand with his
eve on the speedy bay. He held a stop
watch in his hand and caught the quar-
ters as the horses flew around the oval
| This was r. j. Hamlin, the owner of the
! peerless. Mr.. Taylor of St. Louis, the
| owner of Joe Patchen, was by his side
| and exchanged friendly comment with the
| white-haired man. Mr.. Haniin caught the
fast heat in 2:02A. but perhaps his eye is
| not as alert for he is close to three score
| and ten. as the younger men who were
holding watches in the timers stand just
! across the track. The three timers, Messrs.
/ Moses. Pat Dickerson and Horace Brown,
found that their watches stopped exactly
/ at 2:02l2 Many others held watches on
/ the heats. and while some of them differed
a fraction OF a second. four or five re-
! liable tickers corroborated the time re-
corded by the official scorers.
Mr. Hamlin does not think his geldIng
can go a nile in two minutes. but it was
an impression that the mark could have
been made in the first heat had not Robert
J. broken before reaching the big red globe
the marks the first eighth of a mile. 1t
took hirrs several seconds to gain what he
lost, despite "A particularly rapid recovery.
and he overhauled Joe Patchen In 2:03%
1 Even with an uninterrupted gait he might