The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-07-31
coNEY A GREAT HORSE.
His Mile in 2:O2 ga at Cleveland
Makes Him Wonder.

New York, July s1.-Coney (2:02sz) is
the horse of the hour in the harness
horse world His heat in 2:02A at
Cleveland last week, in which he was
actually pulled to a jog at the finish,
makes him look like the greatest PAGER
on the turf.
When Heating came east in 1898 with
Anaconda. Searchlight and the record
breaking 3-year-old PAGER Klatawah,
that lowered the worlds 3-year-old rec
ord to 2:0S1a that year, he frequently
remarked that, Notwithstanding that
KlataWah was the fastest PAGER of his
age that ever started in a race, he had
left one at home that could beat Klata
wah doing anything that PAGERS could
do. The colt Heating had reference to
was Coney.
When John Heating returned home
that fall he took up the black fellow
and put him in regular training. All
that winter the reports from PleaSan-
ton told of the marvellous flights of
speed shown by Coney in his work, and
when he came over the mountains early
in June he had been touted to such an
extent that everybody expected to see
him sweep everything before him.
Shortly after the stable landed in
Denver, where the horses were to make
their first starts, several of the string,
including the speedy Coney, were taken
down with catarrhal fever. Coney, who
was then a big, strong, smooth-made,
handsome black horse about sixteen
hands in height, commenced to lose
flesh, and before the disease left him
he was but a wreck of his former self.
He was a tall angular, seedy looking
colt, and never should have been start
ed again that summer. He was enter
ed, however, in over $4,000 worth of
stakes, and whether he started or not
his owner would have been compelled
to pay the entrance fee in all of his
engagements After taking everything
into consideration Heating decided to
start the horse. He had SO much
speed that he could not help winning
race now and then, and even if he won
only few of his engagements he would
win more than his actual market value
He won in his first start at Denver,
but made a poor showing for a horse
of his speed as he made several stand
still breaks when he was off in the lead
without any apparent cause From
Denver he went to Detroit, where he
was entered in the 81, 900 Chamber of
Commerce stake, but in his preliminary
work he showed that he could not car
ry his speed over a half without MAX
ing a break AS a last resort it was
decided to try the hobbies and see If
they would not hold him together long
enough to land the big stake. He had
never worn them before but took to the
straps kindly and with their help paced
one trial in 2.05A That was many
seconds faster than any of the other
entries in the big stake had ever shown
and his followers made him a heavy
faVoTite over the field and backed him
as if it was all over. He won a heat
or two. but when he looked to have the
race safe and was sailing along in front
he lost his stride, and in the subse-
quent heats he made other breaks that
cost him the race.
Coney was wintered east, and early
this spring he was shipped to Heating
at Cleveland. He was big and strong
and handsome and looked like the
Coney of old, but when once a horse
learns to depend upon the hobbies to
help him regain his stride when he
makes mistake, he will rarely run
without them
Coney made his first start this year.
al Windsor, where he was second to
Billy Andrews. and. in the opinion OF
most horsemen who saw the race, he
was not driven to win. At Detroit two
weeks ago he was backed to win, but
lost the race through an accident. At
Cleveland they backed him heavily
again and had the satisfaction of seeing
Driver McHenry lay him UT the first
heat, while Prince Albert, another hob
bled PAGER. beat the field in 2:0412, and
then step him to the front and win
with speed to spare in 2:02&z and 2:041z.