New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-01
THE TROTTERS BREEDING.
HIS EARLY HISTORY Is IDENTIFIED WITH
NEW-YORK STATE
sIREs WHO HAVE TRANSMITTED SPEED AND EN-
DURANGO TO THE HARNESS RACERS OF
TO-DAY-wIIL. THIS COMMONwEALTHs

DURANGO TO THE HARNESS RACERS OF
TO-DAY-wILL THIS COMMONWEALTH
SUPREMACY RETURN:
With the future Of h.gh-ciass racing and trotting
depending upon the action OF the Legislature with
reference to the Gray Racing bill now pending at
Albany. it is worth while to look at the history OF
Ncw-York as a horse-raising State and to see just
what the threatened prohibition Of horse-racing
mems to the community.
Whatever may be the theory of men who possess
no practical knowledge OF turf affairs as 10 the
feasibility of carrying on hgh-cass racing under a
code of laws which declare ma tch- making, private
wagers and the giving Of stakes to. be penal Of
fences. the fact has been demonstrated in more
than one notable instance that such a thing cannot
be done. and there Is probably not ono experienced
sportsman in New-York who does not now believe
the soul-stirrng sport IL doomed unless the Gray
bill or some similar measure is passed Such men
a August Belmont. James r. Keene. c. j. Hamlin
and f. y. Olcott will not be allied with any interest
which involves violation of the law and II Is Wen
UNDERSTOOD that If racing Is to be outlawed AMI
made crime. these men and all others or their
class will sell out their horses ard leave the re-
mains Of a noble sport 10 the element that cares
nothing foi law 50 long as 1t is able TO keep out
OF Jail
The present crisis is not the first which has
bcsct racing in the history OF the STATE About the
year 1919 a law enacted which in effect pro-
hihtei
and running races were unknown. IL was just at
this time that American Eclipse had begun to show
his prowess at four-mile heats the Old courses
near Bath and Newmarket. Long Island. When the
severe law referred 20 came In force. Eclipse was
retired the stud and great was the depression
in rse-b-eeilng thai he commanded fee OF only
ST. - As the obnoxious measure had been
modified by the legislature OF 1921. Cornelius Van
Raust again put the horse in training. new race
track The Union Course. was built in East New
York and this historic ground Eclipse scored
the greatest triumph by thoroughbred
horse in America. Having beaten everything in the
North. ne invaded the South. and won a great race
from the Virginia horse Sir Charles over the
Washington city course in November. ls22 The
stakes were $4,000 a side immense sums were bet
on the result. and sectional feeling was al fever
heat In the cxultatiOn OF victory John G. Stevens.
Of New-York. that night offered to run Eclipse at
four-mile heats tho Union for 5000 side the
following May. against any horse whatever that
could be brought 20 the stlrtng-post on the day
named This making it Eclipse against the on
tire South. and when Colonel William Il. Johnson.
OF North Carolina. accepted the challenge the race
became one Of National interest. How 5000 people
gathered al the track the last Tuesday in May.
lS13. how Colonel Johnson was undecided until the
i4si mOmen, whether 10 start Henry or Betsy Rich
ards. but finally chose the stallion ana how the
New-York horse after losing the first heat through
btd riins put in the charge Of a new jockey,
and in a terrific struggle outran and outasted the
Southern champon-these Incidents form an cpl
sole that Is part of the history Of the State as well
az % the American turf
VIVA; wouldiepve been the effect OF permitting
the prohbitory law OF 1870 10 remain in full force
can now be readily seen American Eclipse would
have lived and died an obscure crossroads stud
horse on Long Island. AMI his blood would long ago
have become virtually extinct. with the law agans,
racing modified. NJ came TO be known as IN"
creates, horse on the continent" an encomium ap-
81 a,l IA
nous and valuable thoroughbred ever raised in this
state Breeders In Virginia. Kentucky and other
vlrts % the South sought the blood Of the horse
that hal yanquishel their champion. and as every
horsemin is we'll aware. It flows in the veins of
the troting queen, AIN 2O3a., and scores of other
harness-raclng celebrities OF to-day as well as III
the champions Of the running turf.
From the point ~ view Of the horse-breeder. New
York ought be the last state in the Union TO
discourage by legislative enactment the develop
mcnt Of speed and the Improvement of the breed
Of horses In American Eclipse she produced one of
the fountain heads of the present day family OF
thoroughbred racehorses. while the breed OF trot-
ters a distinctive American type OF morse. may be
said to have originated on Long Island and in the
district OF which this city is the centre.
The earliest trottng performance Of which there
is any authentic record took place in Harlem In
1915 on an old racecoursc which the veteran horse
man. Isaac Woodruff. says not far from where
il now the junction OF Columbus-ave. and one
hundred twenty -nfth-st The New-York Spec
tator' Of that date thus chronicles the affair:
Fast Trottlng-Ye Yesterday afternoon the Harlem
Raceco,rss OF one miles distance. troted
around in two minutes and ffty-nne seconds by
Horse called Yan<cy rate OF speed. II is believed
never before excelled in this Country"
Twelve years before the performance, Henry As
tor purchased In Philadelphia the imported thor
oughbrei stallion Messenger. and brought him To
the nelghborhooi OF New-York city. where he spent
Is ife in no ~ Of
were good racehorses. The Mer's Damsel.
daughter Of the Old gray horse. beat the best ran
ners 81 her day the Harlem. Bath and New
market courses. and when she had done racing. her
owner. General Nathaniel Coles wealthy mill
owner II Dosoris Long Island. bred her to Duroc.
the son OF imported Doomed In the gray OF the
morning OF May -. 1914. the island estate which
Is now the home OF Charles \. Dana. the Milier's
Damsel gave birth to the colt that was afterwIrl
known as American Eclipse, and that ran and won
for the North. I'm the historic sectional contest Of
is23 II was as a OF road-hor.es that Messenger
gained his greatest distinction. however. The tro,
ting gait at this period Just beginning to be
looked upon as a desirable quality in horse. and
the stout oil stallion left behind him In the coun-
ties Of Queens Westches;er ard Orange family
whose descendants include 30 per OF all the fast
trotters tina, have lived from that day to this
Whether the pioneer champion. Yankcy a
OF Messenger T. of the few important points
in horse history which the pedigree hunters have
never yet cleared ", but L Is known that nearly
al Of the record-hodcrs who succeeded Yankey In
the next seventy years were OF Messenger blood
ana Ncw-York breeding
Screwdriver, who carried the speed limit down 10
2iS in 1926. bred on Long Island and got by
American commander. grandson of Messenger.
from a mare by Mount Holly, the son OF Messenger.
that sired Paul Pry, another OF the trotting celeb
rifles OF that day The Old jamaica course.
which Screwdiivers record was made. Is believed
to have been the fastest trotng-track in the world.
1t laid out by the Now-York Trottng Club.
organization formed In ls25 with a view to "improv-
ing the speed OF road-horses."
Bull Calf who In 1890 lowered Screwdrlver's time
TO 2:i0ia was likewise Il Long Island product and
of the horse that got Screwdriver Topgalant.
whose fame great this period that II was
not unusual to bar him from advertised contests.
AVID who Is credited having been the first trotter