The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-07
4 Great Year

one for the harness horse
in spite Of the hard times and in spite
Of the obstacles in the shape Of legal en-
actments and constitutional amendments
against pool selling, the entries for the
coming trotting and pacing contests are
larger than ever before in the history
Of these distinctively American sports,
and the wave of popular enthusiasm in
their favor that must preced a success
ful year seems to have started unusually
early and to be of phenomenal strength.
The situation is especially encouraging
20 the devOtees of harness contests in
New York, for the entries Of the Au-
gust meeting at the Fleetwood track
number almost three hundred, by all odds
the biggest list ever made there or else
where, and there is more interest in trot-
ting and pacing displayed among New
work horsemen this spring than has
been shown since the good old days when
Vanderbilt. Bonner. Harper and the rest
Of them used every fine day to drive
road teams worth tens of thousands of
dollars in friendly rivalry out on the Har-
lem lane. At the recent horse sales in
New York, several of which / attended,
I heard more talk about the trotter and
the PAGER than about any other type OF
horse, and old stagers generally agree
that there could be no surer sign of gem
eral interest in harness animals than that.
From all over the country comes news
Of a similarly cheerful nature. The entries
are large and the purses hung up are un-
usually liberal at most of the parks. From
the training tracks Of Kentucky and Cali
IOrnia there is intelligence that the stars
of last season are in exceptionally fine
fettle. From the winter meetings of the
far south and the Pacific slope the tele-
graph has already told of the lowering Of
some individual marks, and though il is
recognized that fractions are as difficult
10 gain as whole seconds were a few years
ago it seems to be the general impression
that '95 Will be year Of record breaking
I'm the matter of time as well as in popular
support of trotting and pacing contests.
What l have said is in effect the essence
of the talk at the recent sales. c. II. Mel
son, the owner of the speedy stallion Nell
son, "Old Man" Bishop the one year less
than octOgendr!an dealer, whose passion
for the trotter is and always has been al
most romantic; "'hnapsack" Mccarthy,
the well-known trainer and driver. Sam
Gamble of California. A. Collins OF Roches-
ter Frank w. Cole, the expert horse pho
tographer of the trotter and PAGER; George
J. Harley, of Great Neck, L. l.: Dick WI
son of Binghamton, Allen Lowe of Boston.
Charles Page of Philadelphia (of the board
of review) and a score of others with
whom l came in contact all held similar
views. John Kelly, who drove Flying Jib
for Salisbury IN 1898, when that speedy
PAGER got record of 2O4, talked at some
length.
Il have great hopes for a lowering of
the record this year." said Mr.. Kelly,
and though 1 do not fail to take into
consideration the real meaning of the
assertion. 1 should not be surprised at
mark very near two minutes. l believe
u will be reached in three or four years
at the outside, though 1t is impossible to
predict as to how much below that the
lowest mark will be when the speed of
trotters and PAGERS has been brought to
Its bsst development. OF course, there Is
a limit to everything in this world, and the
limit to harness speed is bound to be
reached sooner or later"
What horses are likely to be the record
breaking stars this year?"
We'll, in trotting, the star of last year,
Alix, may do it If she comes over the
mountains and across the plains from
California all right. If she doesn't perhaps
tantasy, the champion four-year -old, will.
Her mark is now 2:O6 and hear from the
slope that she is now in tiptop shape; her
muscles are as hard as ivory and her nerve
quite undiminished. Directum might get
there too-it wouldn't surprise me a bit
If he should, unless something should hap
pen to put him out of condition We all
looked for something great from Ralph
Wilkes, the speedy chestnut horse with q
record of 206A that died down in Massa-
chusetts the other day
"AmOng the PAGERS, Robert j., the
holder of the present best mark of 2:0llA:
John r. Gentry, 2:O32t and Joe Patchen.
q ms rlr q ~
at present of lettering the record, though
II pretty early to tell yet. No, / don't
think Flying Jib will be matched against
other PAGERS this year, and do not think
now OF any of the other speedy PAGERS that
are likely to do better than those 1 men
toned unless it be Directly, the two-year-
oid' with his mark, phenomenal for so
young horse, of 2:GTA. He's a great
Young horse, and he is liable to come to
the front like a regular whrlwind."
AR. Kelly did not mention Hal billiard,
z;o'94' though there are those who have
great faith in this S-year-old PAGER.
., Speaking candidly. Mr.. Kelly" asked,
now do YOU believe Maud s. would com
pare III speed with the crack trotters of
to-day If she were now in her prime
ana trotting before a sulky with pneu-
matte tires and ball-bearings and not
more than two-thirds as heavy as the old
high-wheeled sulkies that were in vogue
unul about 1892"
W ny, under such conditions Maud S.
would have been an AliX, a Nancy Hanks,
Directum. She would have been as fast
as the fastest. and I'm not sure but she
might have been a two minute horse.
'erhaps that's putting it a little strong,
or IT is generally held that the new sui
Aies are not more than three or four sec
ohds faster than the old ones. But there
nave been other improvements besides
nose IN sulkies. The best tracks are bet
or than the best ones used to be, the
horese are better shod. there has been a
etorm in the matter of weights, and
30 on"
Then you hold that while there has
Deen big improvement in horses, there
mas been a still greater advance in the
arr Of fitting and driving them-in short,
mar trainers have improved faster than
Inc horses?"
Wen, yes, that's about the state of
thlnEs, I should sa-. But ] ought to
qualify that a little. The best horses
OF he past We're alyzcst IS good as
lhose Of the present. hAi;sve that under
modern conditions, not fSly Mfud S., s1It
dexter, Lady Thorne, :, American CYL
ana several others Of tfs old-Ame mon
his of the harness turg would be I'm the