The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-08
MONEY IN HORSES
The Trotter Very Much a
Commercial Factor.

boston SOhthai
The class of horses known as trotters
has assumed an Importance In American
business not often realized. THIS IL
SO partly because they are an
essentially American product. Rus-
sia has her Orloff trotters, that
are handsome, fine goers, but for actual
speed they would fall behind Alix,
handcar behind locomotive. The Eng
lisbman, and indeed most foreigners,
jump from the hackney coacher 10 the
saddle when looking for speed. And yet
the American trotter is develop
ment OF English thoroughbred blood,
with our own training and breeding.
Two other facts enhance the value OF the
trotting horse. One is the extreme speed
that IN being developed, and the natural
desire 10 own the fastest horse, as well as
the best prize winner. The othes is that,
instead OF being q mere racing machine,
they are useiul as drivers, and the infiu-
ence OF u we'll bred trotter may be seen
through long line OF progeny. They are
almost sure TO be fast roaosters of endur-
ance. The modern racing trotter must not
have speed only, but bottom. AZ an illus
tratioD, witness the three extraordinary
fast heats OF Alix, made consecutiveiy,
and after much scoring. They were In
August last, on the Ierre HCate track,
ana the time was 2.06, 2.06h and 2.05A.
AS commercial factor, therefore, the
trotting horse ~ very much In evidence.
few figures on this point are convincing.
Nearly every State has its large stock
farms, where the raising of fast horses is
not mere pleasure, but business, and
Is 20 conducted. These range in value
from $4,000 TO 100000. California has
many. New York was the original home Of
the trotter. Vermont il NOT be ignored,
and Maine has among Others her Nelson,
still very valuable. 1nen ia the blue grass
regions of Kentucky, vii hia 20 miles Of
Louisville, are no less than 500 OF these
horse farms.
The stallion Axtell. who made a three
year-old record Of 2:121a, sold for breeding
purposes for 800, 900. He paid for himself
IN two seasons. MIR. John Malcolm
Forbes bought Arion (2:105&) of Senator
Stamford for $4,000. Arion was
then two years old, and no horse
OF any breed or age ever brough ht
that price before, and but once since,
when Ormonde, the famous thoroughbred
was sold for a stock farm al 100000.
Other high prices were $4,000 for Dexter,
$4,000 for Maud s., s41 900 for Sunol, ana
Z. j. Hamlin refused S4l 900 for the three
year old Fantasy (2:0Ss4),
In 1870 there were not % trottipg tracks
in operation and the stakes were small.
There are now some 140O such tracks
owned by associations, besides many pri-
vate ones. Twenty years ago y4O0 purse
was large one. Last year over "a ,OOO, 900
was expended in purses. This was prob
ably shared IN by az least 100000 horses.
Many improvements have been made OF
late. Everything that tends TO increase
speed Is commercially an advantage, for
there are millionalres standing ready with
open purses to own the fastest animal. Two
things have contributed largely To the re-
cent wonderful speed--the improvement
on the tracks and the "bike" sUlky. The
regulation track Is now made
OF square pieces of turf set on
edge, covered with three inches of
loan, kept well watered, narrowed
and rolled. The advantage of the new
sulky is in its lightness, the reduction OF
friction in the bali bearings and pneu-
matte tires, and the fact that small
wheels will pass with less resistance over
a curving track than those formerly in
vogue.