The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-10
STAR POINTER RETIRES.
CAREER or THE ONLY HORSE TO
PACE IN LESS THLNTWO MINUTES.


Hopeiessly Broken Down, He VIII End His
Dnys on n Stock Fhrm-His Front Ankles
Were Always His Weak Point and tho
Cause of His Cha aging Owners Frequently
when the brilliant performances Of Peter the
Great. Cresceus and The. Abbot have been
forgotten by horsemen. the inaugural Grand
Circuit meeting ut W. H. Clark's splendid new
trottine track win be remem bered as the scene
OF Star Pointers Waterloo and the ending OF
his turf career. That the John L. Sullivan OF
harness horses received a knockout blow at
the hands OF his sturdy old antagonist. Joe
Patchen, In now universally acknowledged.
The king OF all PAGERS, the horse that will live
in turf history az the one that first demon
strated the possibility OF two-minute speed in
harness. now limps about on three legs. hope
lessly broken down and 80 lame that the poor
est PAGER on the turf might beat him with ease.
He will never race again. They shipped him
homo to former Congressman W. j. Whites
Two Minute Stock Farm near Cleveland yes
terday. and henceforth bis career will be that
OF q sire.
While honest old Joe Patchen and the home
stretch whirlwind. John r. Gentry. have their
admirers by the thousand among patrons OF
harness racing all over the country. there Ia
| hardly a horseman who will not say without
hesitation that Star Pointer at his best could
| beat any harness horse in the world in a race
| OF heats, or in brush OF . quarter OF a mile.
| He was a racing machine OF the highest order.
| His enormous physique gave u reach and
power to his stroke which no other paosr ever
possessed. and with it no had the rapidity OF
action which 10 so rare In horses OF his size.
This gave him his phenomenal turn OF speed
which he could carry as far as any fast horse
that ever wore harness. Although the big fell
| low broke and was distanced in the only two
| races he ever paced in New York. he was as level
| headed and bic as Direct when he was
balanced ana in condition for race. He wac
| the embodiment OF courage and gameness.
| Star Pointer never met q horse that he was
afraid OF, and nobody ever saw him stop trying.
whether he won or lost. The horseman who
once saw his fearless brown eye and his short
fine ears set right up on the top Of his head
| like bulldog would need to ask no questions
| about his fighting qualities.
| Star Pointer has sometimes been called a
coarse. low bred looking horse. but no good
judge OF q racing machine ever said that about
him. He is a marvel OF muscular power. hav-
| ing nearly double the bulk for his inches that
some OF the razor-blade PAGERS possess. But
he bears the unmistakable hall OF the
high bred horse. There 10 hardly a har.
ness horse on the turf whose coat is
go short and fine at all seasons Of
the year. and no thoroughbred can surpass
him in this respect. His head in broad, bony
and wonderfully strong In character. and his
neck. while masculine. lis we'll cut out at the
throttle aud Is almost a model Of form from
head to shoulders. His middle piece. the boiler
room and coal bunkers OF the racing machine.
10 enormous In Its depth. length and round
ness: his hips are uncommonly long. with the
Group carried out higher than In the average
trotter. and the spread OF his splendid stiles
and quarters shows whore the power for his
long. quick strides Is stored away. From his
square. short muzzle down to his knees and
hooks Star Pointer looks all over like a cham
pion among harness horses But below the
joints he 10 anything but perfect. His feet
are shelly. with thin walls, and his legs.
ankles and posterns are musssd up oil
the way from the hoof to the upper eannons
he carries his head low. joys in a careless
way, and looks as II he were out for business
instead OF drsss parade. Those who have seen
him in racing rig only. do not know the SYM
acier OF the horse when str lpped OF Boots and
81, The leverage shn,Stns appliance
destroys the natural grace Of HE neck com
pieteiy.. Pointer must be upwards OF 1e hands
o Ssh n snd s si c% P psSn hs
as his physique. He used to be known as a
ment has made him almost model Of deport:
ment. Sometimes he resents the attentions Of
let woman enter the door and the big fellow
Hss.s ao r. sss 81 Sd Sd: Fos
owners and traineIs J. W; Tltisy, Inc Pennsyl-
in Tennessee when he was an vi deSeIopsd colt
became alarmed at owning such risky property
sy
sent the horse 10 an auction sale at Cleveland
man Of Buffalo. then believed Star Pointer to
be coming cham pion. hut he was afraid TO buy
h@ sg s II Bo.sod "a M
Pointer at the Cleveland sale in the spring oil
him and Star Pointer went back to the auction
III next T6sr ts5 he had cut his
sensus OF opinion that Star Pointer would beat
h. Sd sSs Se
H. S,Sa.5 sis iS &C. r -; 'gd I" Ss%:s
light. but such is tho fact. 4. j. ,Welch Of
Joint owners Of Star Pointer until tho follow:
G JS Ta:n he ssss nsHs
.hS SE OF MIR
I;59A on the Rsadville course near Boston. Aug
, -. 1897. and he continued to Own him until
, | the close OF the campaign OF 1893 But the
worry and the risk incidental to the possession
Of n $4,000 horse that was liable to break
down at any moment. caused Mr.. Murphy tc
suddenly oonsign the horse by telegraph to one
| OF the auction sales at the Garden last fall
J The Hamlip's. who had wanted Star, Pointer
every tme he was sold, still wanted him. bu
i they were afraid OF his iegs, so he went to for
mer Congressman White OF Cleveland fo
| $4,000 Mr.. White aome years ago named hi
! breeding stud the Two Minute Stock Farm
and he bought the PAGER that had realized thu
long cherished dreams OF all breeders by set
ting the record below 300. not TO race. but t.
use In the stud and TO make good the am bitiou!
, name OF his farm.
The pacing champion comes honestly by hi
! matchess flight OF speed. for there is the blooC
q champions on both sldes Of his pedigree
Ed Geers. who drove Star Pointer his first race
had driven his sire before him to the tastes
, record ever made, by a pacing stallion up t.
| that time. The horse was Brown Hal whC
gained his mark OF 2:l2's at one OF the Crane
l Circuit meetings OF 1890, This was the, yea
| that Star Pointer was loaled. Brown Hal wal
3 son Of Gibson,s Tom Hal. sire Of the Grea
: after year defeated all the best horses In train
| old hv Ia,