Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1897-08-26
OLD TIME TROTTERS.
a Great Race Tint Was Run In Prcsident
Jachson's Time.

w. wv W. GTNS.
a Great Race Tint Was Run In President
JaclSson's Time.
Tho sports of the turf were grow
ing in popularity in the United
States. The contest lay principally
between the Messengers and the
Bashaws, though for time the
Stars in their courses had prevailed
against both. Probably all were of
original Arabian stock The Stars
were slight of limb and had
tendency to contraction of the feet
Tho stronger Messengers were more
to bc depended upon for long dis
lance trotting. The Bashaws came
from Barhary, and were of near and
unquestionable Arabian origin.
Ono.of the most famous races in
all the history of the turf was at this
time fresh in the public mind.
Hunting Park course, in Philadel-
phia, was the scene, the time 1881.
The actors We're such notable fliers
as Topgallant, Whalebone, Dread,
Chancellor, Collector, Lady Jack
son, Moonshine and Columbus. The
course was three milo track, and
there were four heats. The horses
were generally locked, and the
riders wore gorgeous suits of silk.
Eight such horses" says Wood
ruff, "and such riders had never
met before, and it is doubtful wheth-
or they will again"
Topgallant, Messenger, was
nearly "a years old, and was spav-
ined at that. Whalebone had no
pedigree, and was minus one eye.
Columbus was known as tho first
horse that ever trotted the three
mile course in less than eight min
utes. He had record of 7:5S. Col
lector won the first heat, Topgallant
the second and Dread the third and
fourth.
The victor was II gelding. Up to
this time all famous male trotters
were doomed to be the last of their
line. The era of trotting stations
was dawning. The rising hope of
the Bashaws was famous PAGER,
who was destined to make n record
of two miles in 5:1S at the Center
vile IN. W race in 1885. His name
was shared with the great Demo.
cratic president, and reporters for
the papers divided their space equi-
tably between the two. Even a ref
erepce to Andrew jackson the Ba-
GhnNV S,ttG,.inrtlx. a., H..
those days, for the Barbary title
was one by which more than one
lady of the cabinet circle had desig-
mated the executive himself.
The Barbury horse was really the
Arabian horse, that had removed
with his master from the desert
peninsula to northern Africa. The
Arabs claim that the horse was first
tanned by 1shmael, the son of Abra-
ham-or, as they style him, Ismail,
ibn Ibrahim and that their famous
coursers of the present day are the
descendants Of the stecds of the pa
triarch's family. Indeed the orien-
tai horse trader will not blush to
present to You a written pedigree,
If you require it, giving all the
names of the sires in ascending line
to the days of King Solomon. The
less the traveller in Arabia Is ac-
quaintcd with the Arab character
the more he will DO impressed with
these claims of long descent"
Your truo Arabian stced stands Id
to 10 hands high, with large head
and deep jowl, large and gentle
eyes, light neck, high wither, mus
cular forearm, short back, round
barrel, narrow hind quarter and
high set tail. Ho is not always gray
in color, rs is popularity supposed.
He is constant galloper, a bold
jumper, docile, courageous and
lovablo creature. He has improved
in size by his removal to Barbary,
and as a consequence the Barbary
type corresponds more to the Ameri-
can ideal.-Hubert M. Skinner In
Aroma