New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-22
RECORDS NOT IN DANGER.
DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCES ON THE
TROTTING TURF.
PLENTY OF FINE HARNESS RACES. BUT FEW SEN
sAr1oNAL REcoRDs-DIREcTLYs 2:o7% THE
ONLY CHAMPION MARK MADE THIS
YEAR-FAILURE OF ALIx
AND ROBERT J


AND ROBERT ].
Although the harness racing campaign is rapidly
drawing to a close. little more than month now
remaining OF the season east OF the ROCKY Noun
ta,ns the followers of the sport have yet to see
,rc,a word,s record OF Importance smashed by
either the trotters or the PAGERS and unless there Is
a sudden stir among the top-sawyers the present
wear will be remembered by the horsemen rather
for its dsappoin tments than its sensations IN the
way Of recordbreaking speed So far as actual rae
ing IL concerned few If any. previous campaigns
have developed many brilliant ana fast contests
but. with Just one exception the high-water marks
for trotters and PAGERS OF all ages from yearlings
IN 10 mature horses have yet to be equaled or
beaten by the performers OF 1880
EarIv in February at Fresno, Cal, the wonderful
little PAGER Directly stepped a mile In Z;o"4' lower
ing the record for hree-year-old sidewheeers from
2:1O where It stood to the credit Of Whrligig at the
close OF 1894 This performance, however, really be-
longs to the do!ngs of last year as the pudgy pack
col, had been in constant training since the spring
of 1894 getting his brief let up after instead OF De-
fore this contest against time Directly hoids the
champion records for two-year-olds as Wen as
for three-year-olds his 2:07%. made AT Gaes-
burg September 20. 1894. not having Deeh ap
preached by any of the youngsters now In training
The hest Of this seasons two-yearold PAGERS up to
date are Annanias 2I2 a brown colt by the trot-
ting stallion Patron 214h out OF the rott!ng mare
Annie W. go and the trottng-bred colt Sulphde
212i. by Superior 2:l7i dam Maggie H.. 22S'.' but
neither OF them has yet shown his ability 10 equal
Directly's phenomenal record OF 2D7st.
MISS RITA Is A FINE THREE-YEAR-oLD.
OF the three-year-old sdewheelers. Miss Ritz. the
daughter Of J. j. Audubon. 2:is, owned by W. r. d.
stokes OF this city, is pretty clearly the best thing
in sight with the exception of Directly. she gained
q record of 2:092. in a race Galesburg few weeks
ago and she has not yet met her match this year
The Texas colt Judge Hurt. 2:09i4. by William NJ
Hill. 2:2O, is another three-year-od that has
chance to beat Directlys 20I4 before the close Of
the season. but while his record is half a second
faster than Miss Ritas, circuit followers do not
generally count him the equal Of the New-York
flly Directly himself can probably set the mark
for three-yearolds OF reach OF the others when
he IL himself. The great colt has not been In good
form since Mr.. Salisbury started him at Cleveland
six weeks ago in a hard race. and a hopeless one
against such old s:agers at Joe Patchen and Rob-
ert j.
While nearly a dozen four-year-od PAGERS have
beaten 2lO this season. and have done the trick In
actual contest the best OF them. BE Sure. 2:O5@.
will have step three seconds faster II ne beats
the champion mark OF Onllnc 2Oi, and this seems
to be beyond his limit fast az the son OF Bessemer
has shown himself to be- Bright Regent looks IKE
a more promising candidate for the record, al
though his mark now stands at 2:OSA, and the gap
between 2sS. and 2O3s. Is a long one. This four
year-od OF the Hamlin stable will be remem-
bered by those who attended the Fleetwood trot-
ting meeting last month as the winner IN the z:Zo
class He has won seven consecutive races at the
principal meetings since the Grand Circuit opened
ALWAYS finishing his miles with speed in reserve.
When the campaign opened last spring every
body expected that two or three horses would TINS
wear leave Robert J.s champion record OF 2:ols In
the shade while three out OF every four horsemen
were looking forward with confidence TO the com
ing Of the two-minute harness horse. who was then
generally believed to be in sight The season is
nov, drawing to close and the odds at present are
about to that neither Robert ]. nor Joe Patchen
nor John r. Gentry will be able to beat his own
mark to say nothing about all greater feats. In
July Robert J. paced mile In 2N2 at Detroit ana
his owner G. J. Hamlin. and his trainer. Ed
Geers were reported as saying that the racy
little champion would set the harness record AT
zoo or better the next time he started on fast
track.
John r. GENTRY's FAST TIME AT FREEPORT
In the same week. at Freeport Ill, John X
Gentry defeated Joe Patchen in an exhibition race,
pacing half a mile In 059iz and three-quarters OF
a mile in 1:30-the fastest time for the distance
ever made in public by any horse Then 1t seemed
TO be only a matter OF few weeks until new
record would be established to mark the progress
of breeding and training the light-harness horse
But instead Of the new record. horsemen saw only
an illustration Of the old saying that racing is an
uncertain game At Cleveland the next week Joe
Patchen Unexpectedly defeated Robert j. without
having to equal his record OF 204. Robert J. had
trained of and although a short rest brought him
back TO something like his old form for the free
for-al at Fleetwood. his subsequent race at Louis
willie indicated plainly that he s not the Robert j.
Of September 1894 In his exhibition race with Joe
Patchen at Chicago just before he came to Fleet
wood John X. Gentry failed to make good the
promise OF his Freeport performance. and he has
since then done nothing to indicate that the record
IS in any danger from this quarter. About the
same is to be said Of Joe Patchen. but 80 long
as the black horse is in the hands of Jack" Curry
who has shown that he is not above pulling him,
there is a chance that the big fellow will some
day-when the betting is just right-pace a truly
sensational race That he either OF the others
will beat 20lia this year however. few IL any
horsemen now believe.
Thus far the trotters have failed az sgnally as
have the PAGERS equal the performances of former
years. The fastest two year old record of the
son. Tommy Britton's 2Is%. is just eight seconds
short of the mark set by Arlon in 1891, which was
prior to the introduction OF the pneumatic sulky
Arions 2I04 a two-year-old is the only
champion record in the books which antedates
the advent Of the bike" and 1t is generally re-
garded by horsemen a record which will stand
unbeaten until long after the present day cham
pion records have been surpassed. The nearest ap-
proach to the Electioneer colts wonderful mark
was made last year. when the Kentucky two-year-
old Oakland Baron trotted in 21iz at Nashville.
LARABIE'S FAST FOURTH RACE
Among the three year-old trotters OF 1895 Larabie
Is apparently the best of good lot. He trotted
fourth heat in 2:l224 at Cleveland in July doing
easily 1t IL SAID. but at Buffalo week later the
colt picked up n nail injurng one of his feet so
that he has been troubled with lameness off and
ever since In his last race at PHILADELPHIA
two weeks ago. the California colt Fred Kohl seat
him In comparatively slow time Larabies next
start Will probably be In the Kentucky Futuritv
worth about $4,000 10 the winner TO be trotted al
Lexington October S.
George Leavitt, OF Boston. who controls the
handsome sCr Of jay Bird, thinks he will beat all
records for youngsters OF his age before the close
or the campaign but the big cot will have to be al
MS best II he rubs Fantasys 20SY off the boards
G. j. Hamlins Athanio 2IlS.: the Nebraska colt
rat l.. PIP: the Michigan hly. Abnet 2l2a. and
me Kentucky colt Oakland Baron are among the