The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
FUTURE OF THE TROTTER.
j. MALCOLM FORBES IL OF
THE 7WO-MINUT Goal.

H. tIE GO1L.
He Is Positive that the Limit of TrottIng
Speed Hns Not Been Reached. and He
believes that Two-minute Record VIII
BE Made ana Even Lowered.
HAS the limit OF %trotting speed been
reached2' This question was recently pro-
| pounded by the writer to !. Malcolm Forbes,
the Boston millionaire SPORTSMAN.
II do not think So was the answer: I'm fact,
I am positive IL hasn't. believe that the two
minute goal will lie reached and even shaded.
Everything points to this conclusion. and while
1t would be foolish to pick out any one animal
for the task or set any approximate da.e,I think
II more than possible that before the end of the
present decade the 2:O3A, which represents
the trotting record to-day. will he lowered.
'As to the possibility of the pacing record I
| cannot speak with such certainty, for II is Q
branch of the business that I have never
studied. The consensus of opinion. however,,
and the statistics of the track seem to indicate
that the two. minute goal will be sooner reached
bv a horse of that gait.
Everything in the trotting world is pro-
crossing. Naturally, now that the figures have
settled to a point below 2:O4, the progression
is bound to he slower. 1t Is the pace that kills.
When Maud $. trotted a mile in 2:OSA and
that record stood for over five years. it.lookcd
"a IL the mark had been well nigh reached. but
now, with many ~trotters below that figure. and
one five seconds faster, it looks as il 1t were
foolish to set n limit.
II believe the future of the sport depends
on the closer and more scientific application Of
the princip es OF breed ng. If n Dictator got a
Director and he in turn II Diroctum. the speed
intensified with the progression In production,
why may not Directum's son be greater than
he and his grandson even more advanced?
Horses are being more scientifically shod,
harnessed. trained. and driven than ever; they
have better tracks to race on, and, the instinct
which tanNhnC a hnran q ~ and Enap r..tpw
harder to maintain that gait, to the limit OF
his speed ability; is being intensified. Certain
bresliHe Of tie hes. ,obtainaLle memnbers Of
and brains, lies the hest possible chance for a
marked reduction, Of the record. l am a firm
faith. sothat / deem it almost assured that one
day we Will see the commute t%rotter."
known to. the American horse; loving people
as .thhat OF any man WHO WHO has been Identified
chase to attract continental attention was that
OF the unbeaten. and, in some why's. incom-
R R"ttnfs oF h haFn TaSe q ABILITY N thaf he h toasSt 1 il w re-.
m"wned daughter ot E;s tS Of Happy NJ, Medium; but in
the payment of SIPS, 900 for the horse he
wanted. This, was the figure at which tho
ford to Mr.. Forbes. a I that time Arlon Ii oLed
like the sqrest prospect for q two;minute stall.
as a two.yearold a mile in s:lo@. a feat yet
unequalled by any trotter of the same age,
is bar b";cS "F one like has"f Gesr ts " i fi@P'o f fRs; 'Gf a
IS lH soanG. .] 'a% fsn 70 and a in riRRs In H the t nsrI RfSSuS Ss
the sale "a Ti inIg,. the argument !; that the pros.
keritancee'" IS vastly im p ''dd"' The ' pS{eet!on
that tho world famous mares Lady suffolk,
Maid, and Maud -, all champions in their day,
or the equally enowned Lucy; American Girl.
rs readily named were not phenomenal Slpeu
producers does not deter Mr.. Forbes. Apart
produced, there is The Objection that they We're
shoga or or ttS Nh I'll 80 late in NE that & good
II ia not so many years ago that tho best
h tT%in antil fhs he Gssd turned e aPr II. T Nth ! Year yG HnG tho sS
stud was 9nly, counted IN for the honorable re.
Is only in his seventh year lie has been hurt
kind is to be counted harmful, 30 far as the
d%rAuSht, on his vitality Is, concerned. Nancy
treme flights o. speed were confined mainly to
public trials, she has not had the hardship Of
trying experience Of racing.
Mr.. Forbes is a great Believer in breeding
combining all possible elements Of champion
,hin form to reTroduGe and Intensity their
the purchase OF Arion was this: He was by
Electioneer, and the best colt trotter Of a horse
thht mas slTefl more phenomenal hpeeuers tnan
any horse living or dead. II is also speed th at
keeps at the trot, for In log horses that have
beaten standard time, or that limit set by the
Register for recognized record, but n single
PAGER Is In the list,
HE dam OF ArOn was by SutwOOd, the horse
recognized AS the greatest sire, Thus AriOn
reur".entei the combination that Mr.. Forbes
hal decided was the best posi- 30 foundation
for the advancement OF his theory. being the
fastest natural colt trOtter the world has ever
seen, by the greatest sire OF phenomenal speed,
ducer, II WAS the element nf breeding on"
To insure the proper chance to the possihle
sire OF a two minute %trOttcr, Mr.. Forbes bought
the best mares he could tind from almost every
line that had produced phenomenal speed.
MIR, fOrlcs believes In the advancement Of
the trotter and Is not one Of the kind who thtDk
there IS any set limit Ia the Ritainments OF the
light harness brigade. lie thinks that while
tho IMPROVEMENT in sulkics, tracks, harness,
and the like will he pronounced in their help,
he scientific application Of the strict laws OF
hercdity md the best choice OF the individ-
uRls will be- as fully answeTable for that ability
10 carry IA speed average OF thirty seconds to
the quarter for a mile.
MIR, Forbes'- belief that the future hampton
trOt'er will he descended from a scion Of the
ElectiOneer family is based on statistics In the
last tye,or ~ years In that time the Elec.
tipneer champions in the ditferentClasses have
been Sunol, Man1auita, bonita. Fantasy,
Kinda koso. Ariun, Wildhower, Fred Croker,
Adlell, He'll Bird, and lalu Alto.
The theory NJ MI. Forbes IL that the best
speed producing family, reinforced by astra ir
OF the best ObtRinable living stallion and rep.
resented by the best individual everything
consideTedl to the credit OF EleCtionesr 10 the
proper fountain head for q stream 70 produce
= WwARNA AaaW Naa