New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-12-20
GOSSIP OF THE TROTTERS.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES OF NEW
YORK HORSES IN 1896.
METROPOLITAN FLYERS MADE NEARLY ALL W
THE BEST RECORDS OF THE

After the annual meeting OF the DriVihs Ni'' am.
the Board of Review. members Of the tro't'hs ira
ternity hereabouts look upon the old year as euu'
erd .bonceforth devote their attention 10 the umc-
honored winter sport OF trottinG around inc STOVE
or canvassng the outlook for harness racing " '''o
coming season. There is no lack OF iood io' bo'Sp
nowadays as the campaign just ended Drought "
New-YorIs horses owners and trainers moro honoIs
than have fallen their lot for many years. vino
the inchoate project of building new 'ro''i's "AoA
keeps the turf prophets In active training.
When tho dongs OF the metropolitan haiic''
horses are summed up for 1870 IL ~ seen 'i,a' nv.
have made a remarkable showing some OF 'he i'o''
notable performers OF the season hainhB from
Fleetwood Park and its vicinity Although Nc"
York horsemen were never partial TO PAGERS ana
had not possesscd a champion since tho days OF o'd
Pocahontas 2:l7s, William Simpsons great siuc-
wheeler. John r. Gentry. was clearly the star per
former Of the last campaign. His Portland Tecoiu
ne oo il FIVE seconds faster than the best mile OF
the year by a trotter-Fantasys 2O6is-and even 'ho
bttercst opponents of tho PAGER are now forced 10
admit that for one season least the star troters
were completely ovcrshadowcd. 1t Is not OFTEN tha'
an owner meets the success which has fallen 10 'ho
lot OF Mr.. Simpson in the last TWO cdipaiE's'
Horscmen may remember that IN lN'1 the iou' car
old FLY Bounccr. reared and owned by mo Now
York breeder won the classic Pennsylvania STAKES
nj Lexington trottng TO record OF 2lV's ana mat
she also swept the board I'm her class through the
Grand Circuit landing the fastest ciGht-heat rhce
on record at Detroit. Barring MIS- W. H. ~
Stokcs's sensational hlly Bcuzetta. 2e5H.. Bouncer
was deemed be about the best young trottcr IN
sight last spring Singulary enough. neither or
these prospective turf queens cquailod her four
year-od record. Beuzetta. from whom great things
were confidently expected. falling TO win single
race.
The PAGERS Miss Rita, 2Osl4. and Josie b.. 212.
were the mainstays OF the stable that orrin !ckoK
campaigned for Mrs Stokes. After cutting down
~
handsome young mares were htchod together at tho
Lexington meeting in October. where liickok drove
them a mile TO pneumatic wagon In the unparai-
lelcd time Of 2oai.. thus placing TO the credit OF tho
metropolitan brigade another worlds record There
Is likely be keen rivalry next season between the
crack pacing teams OF West seventy -second-st. AL
though josie Il. was lost in the fro which recently
DESTROYED the main stable at Mrs. Stokcss farm.
near Lexington. Ky. # IS said that faster 'nate
for Miss rita has been found. and that mo cham
pion team record may be shattered aEaih 10y tI'is
nn"w pair Lewis g 'rowksbury, who lives u few
doors from the Stokes home. H. Scv.niy-secohd-st'
nm,y tSat he owns John r. Gentry 2oJi, and Rob
ert j. 2.0li. and has decided 10 hitch no stanton
~ S'' Of Miss RIA and Josie H. should They drive
kindly together Mr.. Towkshury and MS trainer. l..
in 1891.
FIRST HoNORs FOR FLYING TEAMS
First honors for trot,lnr teams as woll as pacing
pairs belong to metropolitan ayers In 1896 Tho
mark of 2Iga. made by H. o. Havcmeyers splendid
mares Miss Ida 21Os.. and lIarretia. 29ss at
Commack Long Island. IN october. stands unhp-
preached as the best rottng record Of the year 10
pole II no, the best AL things considered. that has
course with Miss Ida suffering from an usy cHi
On the quartz m n eaT and Acyone To-
within Il second and a half OF the worlds record
made by Belle Iainlin and Honest Gcors" on mo
parlor track At Providence III ~, ana me !1t
quarter trott"d BY the lItvencycr team AT the
head and other horsemcn who witnessed tho per-
Torrance expressed the opinion That ~" mares
circuinstancos and tho chances are thnt they VIII
have chance to do the trick at Terrc Haue or ono
rH a. ,rhcv ar" kevt nj his breeding
Long Island but the telephone and the express
train enable him to have the mares II; his door In
town within four hours after calling up the farm.
While the performances Of Bcuzetta and Bouncer
in the fast classes were rather disappointing 20
New York horsemon. OF tho green horses hail
ing from Fleetwood more than mad. up for tho
bay gcdlng Page. Trainer Isaac Fleming brought
on, the most remarkable trottcr. In some respects
that the turf has ever known Page. as Is generally
known was doing duty rs II country road-h9rse up
in Orange County les than one year ago lie snd
never been hitchcd 10 sulky more man nan q
dozen times. It IS said. when he went into Fleinngs
race at the Fleetwood meeting In June. he trained
on so apidly that before The end Of tho month he
his record stood at 2:o:.. During the season Page
started in fifteen races. iIe was ten times hrsi
green horse trotted In 2i5 better. No other
Page gated right TO be recordbrcakcr and he IL
perhaps the most promising free-for-a prospect IN
One OF the few trotters that succeeded In defeat
Ing Page last season was the ltiln bay mare Enn
camna,en was utiIe lcss rcrnarIabie than ina, Of
Frequenters Of the clubhouse at Fleetwood last
ZaDdt
then unknown 10 fame. She was then eligible 10
the 300 class and Mr.. Dcvcrcaux entered her every
where from the Mississippi River to Maine
Throughout the summer season he campagned his
thirteen consecutive races and driving the con-
sistont little trotcr TO record Of 2l2 IN the fourth
foated Page on tho home track at tho New York
Grand circuit meens NJ PevercanS never 8 drove
but for judgment strategy and skill, h held his
RECORD OF BARON CRISP.
At the beginning OF the campaign President James
Butler of tho Driving Club OF New York had in
Baron Crisp a troter that promised TO eclipse both
Page and Van zandt 1t may be remembered tina:
the of Baron Crisp won the interclub cup for
trottors road wagon with the of Baron Wilkes
last May defeating the crack road horses OF Brook.
and Parkway Trainer John Kelly. OF Directum
fame. afterward drove Baron Crisp to record OF
2:l5i. at tho Fleetwood June meeting, and then
2I2i2 in race at Chicago early in July The horse
M M saEe at Detroit and as probn f s 1
tor in the Pennsylvania nj Lexington later in tho
campaign: but while taking his preparatory work
Oh the track at Grand Rapids on the OF tho
great at Detroit he made a mlssiep struck u
tendon and was laid up for the rest OF tho year.
Kelly drove Baron Crisp easy mile in oil In hii
work, and when the accident happened believed him
to be equal to n milo In 2Os or better. Kelly won a
number OF good races with tho other horses in hts
stable. but when Baron Crisp went wrong he lost
the best young trotcr in sight In the whole country
The horse is now at Mr.. Buffers farm near larry
town. and hopes are entertained that he Will stand
training next year.
The Fleetwood trotter Cephas was another of ths
stars Of the campaign. winning. among other
notable races the fastest heat and the fastest threa
heats that had ever been trotted a half mile
track. His record OF 2Ilt at Combination Park,
Boston afterward beaten by the wonderful
Nebraska four-ycar-old Pat L.. but Cephas re-
manned the champion OF the half-ni!e tracks until
he got cut down In race at Boston making ncces-
sary his retirement for the year When at his best