The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1897-08-21
OLD. TIME TROTTERS.
A Great Race That Was Run In President
Jackson's Time.

- Va AeaCc hHat w M nun III EEtSfuSBt
Jackson's Time.
The sports of the turf were grow
ing in popularity in the United
States. TLe contest lay principally
between the Messengers and the
Bashaws, though for a 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 a
tendency to contraction of the feet.
The stronger Messengers were more
to be depended upon for long dis
tance trotting. The Bashaws came
from Barbary, and were of near and
unquestionable. Arabian origin.
One 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 were such notable fiiers
as Topgallant, Whalebone, Dread,
Chancellor, Collector, Lady Jack
son, Moonshine and Colum bus. The
course was three mile track, and
there were four. heats. The horses
were generally docked, and the
riders wore gorgeous suits of silk.
Eight such horses" says Wood
ruff, land such riders had never
met before, and tits 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 the first
horse that ever trotted the three
mile course in less than eight min
utes He had record of 1858. Col
lector won the first heat, Topgallant
the second and Dread the third and
fourth.
The victor was 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 a famous PAGER,
who was destined to make a record
of two miles in Sis at the Center
vile G.. Y. 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 ref
erence to Andrew jackson the Ba-
shaw was not sufficiently specific in
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 Barbary 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 Ishmael, the son of Abra
ham-or, as they style him, Is1nail,
ibn Ibrahim- and that their famous
coursers of the present day are the
descendants of the steeds of the pa
triarch's family. Indeed the orien-
tai horse trader will not blush to
present to you 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-
quainted with the Arab character
the more he will be impressed with
these .'claims of long descent.
Your true Arabian steed stands Ia
to Is 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. He is not always gray
in color, as is popularity supposed.
He is constant galloper, a bold
jumper, a docile, courageous and
lovable creature. He has improved
in size by his removal to Barbary,
and as consequence the. Barbary
type corresponds more to the Ameri-
can ideal. Hubert M, Skinner in
Arena.