The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-09-08
THE .TWO-MINUTE MARK
HORSEMEN WILL TURN THEIR EYES
TO INDIANAPOLIS NEXT WEEK.
The Star POinter-JOe Patchen Race
Chicago Mems Opinion of the
Great Stallion.

The prospect of the two-minute mark be-
ing lowered in a harness race this season
is being commented on, very widely in
horse circles all over the country, and
much attention has been turned to the In
dianapolis track, where the two great
PAGERS will make a supreme effort to shat
ter the mark a week from next Friday.
Star Pointer clipped a fraction off the mark
at Readville a short time ago, but it was
under most favorable conditions and not in
a race. If he is able to again accomplish
the feat in the race in this city with Joe
Patchen it Will be the greatest event in
the harness race world. Star Pointer is
magnificent animal. He is called the San
dow of horses by his owner, James A.
Murphy. His noble chest is almost unex-
celled in the horse world.
Recently a number of Chicago men, we'll
known admirers of horse fiesh were inter-
viewed on the Star Pointer performance.
w. H. Knight of the Union Pacific Rail-
road, is an ardent horseman. Star Pointers
feat surprised him, he says, not because he
did not think the two2minute mark would
never be reached, but because some years
ago at Cleveland he saw the now undOupted
champion harness horse and did not IKE
I'D Geers," said he, was at that time
sure the son of Brown Hal the great
PAGER of the future, and tried TO get tne
HamlinS to buy him. He then had mark
somewhere about 2:0S. Now that he has
accomplished what he has, l am bound 70
fall in line and become an admlrer, ana II
seems to me that there Is a chance TOR
even a faster mark to be hung up by MIN.
20 yes | am still a firm believer that a
trotter will beat the tWo-mlnute MARI ARK
Some think Maud S. was the highest type
of trotter, and as she couldn't peat z:Uo94
to high wheels (Which mark places her a
dead tie with Alix with bike sulky), that
M otb er faster.
to my notion, Maud S. was not the highest
type of trotter. 1t is true she had size ana
action and thoroughbred blood, but remem-
Der she wore siX-ounce toe Welghts. NOW
l claim that the two-minute trotter IS go
ing to be as clean as a WhlstI ne, OF zoe
weights, heavy shoes and boots. Inc morse
most free from all these things was Jay
Eye See, who held for one day only the
trotting record C21Ol and was de ct G6e 9y
Then Mr.. Knight branched OH upon the
merits of the Dictator family, which pro
and once more coming to the point coli hai+
ued: .Col. John w. Conley is the pest
judge of trotting horse matters in America.
When he said that Star POINTER Is Il9 me, su-
perior on class of all horses must DelleVe
him. Once heard him fo ana di tne ihle
Counselor w, h CrawIof99 ui ls11I fir,s
since his day one could get horse like him
he would be the most valuable trotter IN
the world, and that Dexter was the pest
individual ever known. Mind you, Colonel
Conley owned an interest in the phenom-
email Axtell. Now, Dexter,s dam, CARA
was by Seely's American star ana TINS
horse was close to a thoroughbred, so /
saw again the two-minute mark must be
shot at by the infusion of more thorough
bred blood into the trOtter, morse nat
uraIlv phlegmatic, and so needing the
nervous organization of the h1gh-class race
horse to correct has rSlug g1shneSS ana make
him game to the core. Maybe IL otdr
Pointers pedigree is looked into thoroughly
he will be found to have large quantities OF
thoroughbred blood. ,o4
F. S. Gorton seemed to take 1T as mat
ter of course that Star Pointer WoulQ 90
the trick II suggested to Mr. Murphy
trial heat with pacing horse turned loose
at him at every quarter. we coulo nave
Furnished four horses, each to pace quar-
fer in thirty seconds, and make relay
race on our part. Just in the line or novel
ty, you know, as the runner DenIliu NJ NJ
nhv came back to Chicago again ms morse
had heen beaten atsColumbus, so held my
tongue George West, my driver, was Sidu
thai Star Pointer had made GOOD all ms
CNest's) talk to the boys out on the IOWA
crcnit for he said he had been blowing al
S,ner that star Pointer would beat the
yyecord and possibly pace mile better than
Concerning Star Pointer, the general ex-
nression of horsemen is that the tWo-ili i
nnta champion is worth for money-HahlhS
nurnoses any quantity of tnoroughpred
pull borses Charles Ramrill, who, in
iSs3 owned the PAGER Richball SAID ne
had thought for years that the tWo,IIlI1 Il ~
marx would be beaten, ana IhdI tne piAS
eIIIlxv had a great deal to do with the re-
ord of 1894. such q rig Woulo ne.Ne
IaIned RichbaH wonderfully, as ne was a
iittfe fellow and couldn't pull ioad well
onIv Weighing no pounds" SAID the ois