The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-11-10
TWO GATED HORSES
Racers With Records as Pac-
erS and Trotters.
TR0TTING BRED PAGERS
How the Trainer May Change
a Horses Gait.

1t is certainly out of the common Off a
horse to take fast records at both the trot
and pace in one season, as Kink Chimes
has done, but he is by no means the first
one to gain distinction at both ways OF
going. Up at Racine there is a little, old
black geIding whose record beats that OF
all the modern horses when it comes to a
combinatio nof trotter and PAGER. This
| horse is Jay Eye See. He is a pony in size
but about fifteen years ago he astonished
people by trotting in PIG as 4-year-old
those figures representing championship
speed for his age. A couple of seasons
later the black pony held the trotting
honors Of the world when he stepped a
mile in 2:10, being the first to perform that
feat. Maud S. overshadowed HMM speed
| and so regained her lost laurels. but Jay
Eye See was the worlds champion for a
little while. just as he had been a star
among the 4-year-Olds.
After the horse hadsbeen in retire ment
several seasons, Jackson Case, who in
herited his fathers love for harness hors-
es, took Jay Eye See in hand, and soon
found that he had even more speed at
the pace than he had shown at the trot.
A brief campaign. at that way of going
gave him a pacing record of 2:0612, and he
/ stands today the champion of all the
double-Saited horses.
SO common is 1t for harness horses to
interchange the trot and pace, according
as they are rugged, that present-day train
ers pay little attention to the matter mer
ely letting the animal stick to the gait
which he prefers. This is done by the
use Of toe-weights, the elongation or
shortening Of the toe, or possibly by
simply changing the weight of the shoes.
ii being a common thing for double
gated horse to be taught to pace simp-
ly by shoeing him rather heavy behind
and light in front.
In the days when farsi trotters were
scarce much time and ingenuity was ex-
| pended by trainers in making trotters out
of animals whose natural gait was the
pace Smuggler, who for seven years
held the record for trotting stations by
a mile in 2:1514, was a notable example of
what could be done in this line by a pat
lent and thoughtful man, and Charles
Marvin. who was wholly responsible for
the transformation Of Smuggler from a
$500 PAGER to a $4,000 trotter, is still in the
! business, and this season gave evidence
! that his hand had not lost its cunning.
/ He took Extasy, that in 1S8 won the cac-
! ing Futurity for 2-year-olds in 2:1O!5, and
made her over into a 3-year-old trctter
Elm all the big stakes for trotters oflnty
| that was good enough to figure prOni-
rently in all the big stakes for 1rotters
Of her age. In addition to this, she trot-
| toG a fourth heat IN a race in 2:11l5 tie
best performance of the kind in tho books
good many years ago there appeared
on the trotting teri a mare called Min
HE R. She was fast one, but unsteady,
and it was understood that the blood of
| the thoroughbred figureI largely in her
| pedigree. "Knausack" Mccarthy gave
| Minnie r. a trotting record Of 2.19, and =
! year or so later she same under the man
! agement of John Splan He saw that the
| mare wanted to pace ami so attcd her
| out with light forward shoes where she
! had previously been wearing heavy ones.
| Thus rugged she paced in 2:161a, winning
! some good races. Among her opponents
was the black gelding levitt. This horse
/ once held the 3-year-old championship for
| trotting geIdings, with a record of 2:233s
! but he always wanted to pace, and when
! permitted to go that gait speedily became
prominent and placed 2:14 to his credit
! But Minnie r. was not to retire with on
/ ly two records-both better than 2:20-at
! different ways of harness racing. AS she
acted like good pole mare, Splan hook
ell her with runner, and thus equipped
she paced mile IN 2:03ih 1t will be seen
| therefore. that because King Chimes has
( taken a record of 2:10st trotting and 2111i
( pacing. he is not a wonder, or even GU
rosity
At this season it is customary for ru-
+ mors as to what prominent drivers will
do next year, to be current. Ed Geers
# was said a month ago would leave the
. Village Farm employ and handle the hors
! eS owned by J. Malcolm Forbes Of Boston
/ There seemed to he morethan the usual
/ basis for this talk, but now it is all Of
ficially denied.
Geers is acharacter. Before ne took
. charge of the Hamlin staring he used to
come up from Kentucky every seasonwitr
+ a fair lot of horses. mostly PAGERS. but
/ while horsemen knew his worth. the pub
! lie heard lite Of him Then Cicero J.
I Hanlin. who is the hester of the trot-
ting turf, an enthusiastic breeder. and
who has millions to spend on his favorIte
pastime, made Geers an offer. and it was
accepted. Those who knew Hamlin and
his positive way in horse matters did not
expect the combination to last long for
although Ceers is known as "thesilent
/ man. he has ideas of his own and Is re-
adv 20 uphold them. But the utmost har-
4 mony prevailed. and Hamlin explained /,
/ all by saying frankly to friend that
/ Geers was the first driver he had engaged
( who really knew more about the horses
and how they should be trained and drfv-
/ en- than he did,
/ Geers certainly has his own wav. He
( replaced all the white grooms Of the Ham
! lin racing stables with colored BOYS from
7 Tennessee. He works the horses accord
+ ing 70 his own ideas and nobody questions
/ his methods He has been a great sue
/ cess. both with trocters and PAGERS. and
+ this year trotted The Abbot ten races in
I the free-for-aIl class and wen them all
I Al Lexington. however. ne came near los
ing the last OF the series. Bingen bea;
f. TheAhhot the first and second heats in
rafting good time. c J HamIin. who IS
close 10 y years OF age. and had not at
tended many races this year. was there
/ 50 was his son Harry, who looks after
/ the active management Of the stable. At.
ter Tire ABBOTT had lost two heats. max.
ing q wild break in each. Harry Haulir
/ walked over 20 where the trotter was be.
ing cooled of Geers was there. silent
| as usual
| The horse doesn't seem 10 be acting
| well today" said Hamlin
No. he doesn't" was the answer, and
| after watching the cooling OF process 70.