The record-union., 1898-09-05
LIGHT HARNESS HORSES.
HOW THEY USED TO SPEED IN
UPPER NEW YORK.
Some Of the Performances Of the
Famous Trotters on the
Road.

waves of thoughts reminiscent and
insistent bring back to memory the
good old days" when the princes of
those times, the "old guard of road
riders" assembled daily on the drives
Of (then) upper New York.
For over forty years / have been an
observer of and participant in the joys
Of the light harness horse brigade, and
L look back over those years with great
pleasure, and with much gratitude that
fate has been kind to me in giving me
the acquaintance and friendship Of
many of the sturdy, honest lovers of
the trotting horse, who have been the
principal actors in the scenes enacted
during those years. Some day book
reciting the thousands of pleasant epi-
sodes of the road will be written
and that book is sure to find its way
to the library shelves of many thou
sands of "old New Workers." and as
certain to be cherished and guarded by
their sons and daughters, who will in
herit an affection for the fast trotter.
The lifelong friendship cemented at
the Romantic during the reigns of
Billy Florence and Johnny" Barry
as hosts of that hostelry were more un-
selfish than friendships generally are.
Wealth did not count only good COM
radeship obtained. OF the elder genera
ton of road riders, dating from the
Commodore Vanderbilt era" few are
actors in the drama now on the boards.
The principal actors then in the scene
were Commodore Vanderbilt, Robert
Bonner, ''Shep" Knapp, William Turn
bull, Captain Jake Vanderbilt. t. c.
Eastman, David Bonner, George B.
Alley. w. H. Van Cott, Captain Isaiah
Rynders, Harry Eldred, Morgan l..
Mott, Harrison Durkee, Harry Genet,
Charles H. Kerner, Sim Hoagland, Jo-
seph Harker, A. B. Darling and Will
lam Humphries.
During this era the desire to own the
fastest team of trotters and single
trotter took possession, almost stimuli
taneously, of the minds of Commodore
Vanderbilt and Robert Bonner. The
Commodore's team, Post Boy and Plow
Boy, We're eclipsed by Mr.. Bonner's
Lady Palmer and FlatbuSh Maid, but
Mountain Boy, owned by the Commo-
dore was never beaten on the road
while he (Mountain Boy) lived, and his
untimely taking off was much regret
ted. Many of the "old timers" have al
ways contended that no such speed for
a brush was even seen, before or since,
as the flight of Mountain Boy.
The strife for the champion team be-
tween the Commodore and Mr.. Bonner
was handed down to the next genera
ton of the Vanderbilt family, William
H Vanderbilt persisting until he Sc
cured Aldine and Early Rose, and with
them wiped out all double team records
up to that date-2:161A at Hartford.
During the time that William H.
owned Maud S. he hitched her with AL
dine and drove the pair mile over
Fleetwood in 2:151g under the watches
of many experts, some of whom did not
train in the Vanderbilt regiment. Just
before the mile made by Aldine and
Early Rose at Hartford another team,
Frank Works Dick Swiveller and Ed
ward had trotted in 2:1OAl, and the
contest for supremacy was transferred
to William II. Vanderbilt and Frank
Work The performance of Maud >.
and Aldine was in the presence OF such
a gathering of experienced horsemen
that it has never been questioned
While not a technical record, the per-
formance is still of SO complete authen-
ticity as to forbid argument among
we'll informed horsemen. Mr.. Wander
bilt drove the team to top road wagon
weighing 221 pounds, and his driving
was superb, and will be long remem-
bered by those who were fortunate
enough to witness it. An old and much
loved friend of William II. Vanderbilt,
genial Mat Riley, afterward secured the
technical champion record for double
teams to top road wagon" by driving
Clayton and Lynn w. mile over
Fleetwood in 2:19. During the strife
for double team honors aforementioned,
William Rockefeller's team, Indepen-
dence and Cleora, trotted together at
Hartford 1898 in 2:1614 thus making
a tie with Aldine and Early Rose.
Since William II. Vanderbilt passed
away the old guard seem to have given
UP the contention, and newcomers in the
trotting arena have taken up the glove.
In the eighties Johnny Barry's was
the gathering place for the clans Of
Vanderbilt and Work, and keen minds
were there gathered. keen wit flashed