New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-08-05
ALL EYES ON CRESCEUs.
GEORGE KETCHASrs GREAT TROTTER
MAY BE THE COMING CHAMPION

stallion Cresceus supplanted The Abbot IN the est
nation Of horsemen as the most promising tro,ter
In training for prospective championship honors
At present he Is talked about than anv
harness horse in the country. and the uppermoss
topic among followers OF trOtting is, 'WIn Crescsus
beat the records OF Directum and Alix2'
Ever since Lady Suffolk trotted the first mile "a
sulky in go. back in 1915, the trotting champion
ship. s measured by minutes and seconds has been
a coveted distinction. The horse that holds the
fastest record gains prominence which no amount
Of success in racing against other horses seems
sufficient TO create. So thoroughly is the time stan
dard interviewer in the system Of harness racing
that the prestige OF having trOtted a mile faster
than any other horse ever has done gives world
wide fame to the animal that does il and makes Ma
important person in the horse world
Enduring IL carried with the title King OF
the Turf" which signifies that the horse 10 whom
it belongs has surpassed the performances Of al
predecessors and set up a new advance line in the
progress Of the breed Hence the continued effort %
lower the record and the always keen interest In any
horse that far wins his way to the front as to
be considered a candidate FOE the CHAMPIONSHIP
Just now CresceUs holds this interesting place
among trotters. As to what he Will do that is an
other story for OF all the charming uncertainties
OF life those OF the turf still hold pre-eminence
His past is interesting are his prospects and
his owner is about interesting as the horse.
The great young stallion belongs to George H
Ketcham. Eight ten years ago Mr.. Ketchan
of the wealthiest residents of Toledo
OF thirty he reputed to be a mIti-miOnnaIre.
He liked horses and bought some Of the best trot-
tiers in the country. He paid William T. Spier
Of this city. a long price for Robert McGregor
2:17k. OF the best stations the trotting turf
twenty years ago and one Of the greatest OF sires
From Major P. P. Johnston, president Of the Ma
tionaI Trotting Association. he bought the bay
mare. Miss Ida whose record was then ~
Mr.. Ketcham trained and drove her himself
under the tutelage of John Splan. and after CIV
ing her record of 210A he sold her to H. o.
Havemeyer. About the time that Ketcham brought
out Miss Ida and bought Robert McCiregor
big black mare known Anderson's Nightingale
was sweeping everything before her in the Grand
Circuit. She won the $4,000 NJ and NJ race az
Detroit the s. 900 race Buffalo the $1,000 Char
ter Oak Stakes Hartford. and enough other
races to make her the biggest winner OF the year
She was not bred in the height OF fashion, her sire
being obscure horse called Osgood's Patchen
while her dam was a little old blemished black
mare. Mabel by name that was by General P l.
HOward's MambrinO, son of Mambrino Chief
Mabel owned in Toledo by James Dorty. the
breeder Of Nightingale. Walter Magee. then in the
employ of Ketcham and the manager Of
James McCreery's delivery service. bought her for
the Ketcham farm for less than 500 II is said
that his employer was not pleased with the pur-
chase. but he bred her 70 Robert NIcGregor the
following year, and in the spring of 1894 she
foaled the chestnut colt now known Cresceus
The three-year-Old campaign OF Cresceus won the
aOmlrdUOn OF ali nOrSeme0 1Or the colt ana Drought
down shower Of criticism his quaslamateur
trainer and driver. Ketchams methods were GER
tainly startling At Springfield. Ohio. week
after Cresceus had trOtted his first race at TifiH
Ohio, he started twice in one day finishing
second to Minnie MCCIregOr in and then
defeating Senator l. in 2;25ts. After one days
rest he asked to start again at the same meet
ing and was beaten again by Minnie McGregor in
2211s. This looked like a severe ordeal for green
three-year-Old. but his performance at the COum-
bus Grand Circuit meeting on August indicated
that he had only been jogging in his previous
Starting against a big field Of aged campagners Of
high class, the great three-year-oId finished
Ond to Pat Watson in 2+1Sl4. 2:12la and ia HIS
race at Fort Wayne. one week later. was one Of
the most remarkable races ever by colt OF
his age. Such aged horses as Eagle Flanagan and
The Monk were among the thirteen starters. Heats
were trotted in the remarkable times OF 2:15t 213a
2:12A. 2s1214 2:14A. 2:1214. 211Lt and 211E-
Cresceus won the last three heats after finishing
second to the winners of the second. third and
fourth rounds. After this contest Cresceus was
shipped to Syracuse. where he won from a big
field the half-nile track Kirk Park, and then
the Grand Circuit meeting outfootng such old
horses as MediumwoOd EdmOnia Charley G. and
Emily in 214A, 2:11%s and 2:11l4- Al Flee WoOd
the following week he defeated the crack three
year-old trotters American Belle and Thorn. but
the former turned the tables on him at Portland
and fourth heats after Cresceus had taken the nrs
time. in consequence Of which he was retired for
His campaign in 1898 did not fulfil the brilliant
promise Of his three-year-old form Starting mrs.
az az DSTol1 ne won cheap race IN slow Lnle ~ -
my Britton defeated him in the owing chiefly.
two races were placed to his credit during ne
campaign. and in neither did he equal hls
was then the common belief among horsemen mat
too much had been taken out OF him a three year
year-old, and that he would never train on 70 q
very low record. At the close OF the campaign ne
Madison Square Garden, where he was ostensisSsy
sold for $1,000. But the colt went back 10 ~
i'm lis earl IA
EIioree and tommy Brifon ou+fo5+e1 nm ar the
Cleveland meeting, where he made his drSt start
and BrittOn defeated MIN again at Colur19qsss
was reached Cresceus had struck his gait and 2
trOtted there in 2:0IA in winning from Dareds..
Boston and meeting with an understandable dstsS5ss
az MA, HaFtIoTd ne came to Nsw-1 ork Tor tne ED
his second heat in 2OI14 with such that hoIs-
stallion in training His last race in 1879 The
free for all at Lexington Five heats were trOSie
save one. He forced Bingen to trot the drst ME
rb o ana an t1s SeS S2 II 2 and then
For the first time since KetCham brought out rs
woEderfuI trOtter he gave him this year a slow.
careful preparation for the campaign Cresceus
was not kept in the stud but was jogged ana
worked al winter and spring solely with view -
putting him In the best possible condition UP %
the time he started against Tommy Britton -
but he was known to be IN fine form The Chieasa
stanton proved to be no match for him ana - ~.
at cleveland where he defeated John Nolan, ga
trOtted by stallion. This less than w.
he the fastest three heats ever trOtted by ;
stallion, steppng his hrst mile s'72 rspeaeIness
IN 2So. and coming back third time in the s s~
notch The three heats sverage 20S's ony C ISS
ceus. and Directum is the only stallion amons
them. In the year that Drectum gained his chsa,
$40 up to the middle of August Indeed nos Ah;
SSS%; Nancy Hanks. 2.0i. or Azote. @Ntss t5s
years when they made their best records. II 81