The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-11-28
The RECORD OF CRESCEUS.
DID HE TROT AS FAST AS WAS
STATED?

% ~ @~D-
The Anti-Two-Minute Theory Smashed
Several Horses Make Faster Time
This Season-Reasons why the Al
legged Speed of Cresceus In Doubted
The Chicago Tribune Article.
This year will pass into history as the
greatest for record breaking up to this
time since watches were first held on
harness horses. DIR. George F. Bailey
has during the past few years written
many articles tending to prove that no
horse would ever be able to trot mile
in two minutes, mark which both
trotters and PAGERS have equalled and
excelled so many times this season that
the venerable doctor doesn't know what
to say or to write, and the best posted
horsemen are as much astonished as he.
Some of the most marvellous speed per-
formances in harness this year are as
follows: At the close of last season the
PAGER Dan Patch had a record 1859 liz.
At present his record for a mile to
sullSy is 1:56 IA, same distance to wag-
on 1851 Ia, for half mile to sulky Sc Sec
onds, and for mile on a half mile track
2:0S IA.
Prince Alert, another rapid PAGER has
made many fast miles this year, and
has reduced his record to 1851.
Major Delmar, the trotter, closed last
season with a record of 2:05 liz. This
year he has trotted several miles faster
4 than ever, his fastest being made in
1859 ga, a wonderful performance.
1t is safe to assert that no trotter ever
surprised more people than the young
chestnut mare Lou Dillon, five year
old that was not extensively known
last spring, at which time she had no
record. After several fast miles early
this season she trotted the distance on
July in 1904 Ia. On July II she broke
| the record of Alex, 2:O3 ga, by trotting
a mile in 2:03 IL. On July 81 she made
another fast mile in 2:02 ga. Later she
astonished thousands of spectators by
| trotting mile in eractly two minutes.
This record was finally reduced so that
her name and record now reads Lou
| Dillon, 1853 IL. This fast mile was
made at Memphis, Tenn, during one of
the grandest race meetings of the year.
All of the foregoing records were made
4 under circumstances that left no doubt
of the correctness of the performances.
/ Soon after Major Delmar and Lou Dill
lon had placed their records at exactly
two minutes, the news was flashed over
the wires that the trotter Cresceus,
2:02 Ia, had lowered his record at Wich-
1 ita, Kan, to 1853 S-4 This performance
was doubted by horsemen who are ia
| miliar with the history of the stallion.
During the year 1901 Mr.. Ketcham, the
| owner of the trotter, made several I'M
successful attempts to lower his trot-
ters' very creditable record of 2:02 IA.
During the entire season of 1902 the
fastest mile Cresceus could make ON
any track was 2:04, and only one mile
at that rate, although he tried on a
large number of courses. This year the
fastest mile credited to Cresceus, as
stated, is 2:06, several other miles being
much slower than that mark, many of
his performances this season being on
half mile tracks. 5....+.. e..
4 This celebrated trotter has had many
hard campaigns, one of them being at
| the close of racing in the United States,
when he was shipped to Canada and
raced on the ice during the coolest
weather. Considerable sympathy was
expressed during that winter for Cres-
i ceus, trotter that is very properly
much admired by horsemen. When the
history and speed of Mr.. Ketcham's
horse is recalled it is not surprising
that horsemen did not believe that he
had trotted faster than two minutes.
When the 1853 ga mile of Cresceus was
first announced the editor of the Horse
Breeder wrote an article on the sub
ject, from which the following is a
brief quotation: I'VE will say frankly
that we believe the statement a hoax.
No horsemen will believe the report I'M
til it is verified by parties of unques-
toned veracity, who saw and timed the
performance"
/ A similar article was written by the
editor of the Trotter and PAGER.
Frank G. Trott, well posted turf
journalist, has the following in the Bos-
ton Globe: ut is hard to find man
who thinks the great stallion ever trot-
| ted so fast. Cresceus, in all the years
he has been before the public, never
showed that he had a chance of trottins
in two minutes. In fact, the anti-two-
minute believers held him UP as their
shining example: They said he was the
| fastest trotter, and he never had given
any indication of trotting even in 2:01.
His work all this year has not shown
4 that he was as good as last year, when
| he could not beat 2:04, and to think of
picking out a track like Wichita in
preference to Readville, Columbus or
Memphis! And to further strengthen
| the belief that the mile was not as fast
as announced, Ketcham refused to
bring his horse here (Memphis. Tenn.
to the fastest track in the world. If he
/ had brought Cresceus here and gave a
mile as fast as 2:02 horsemen would
have been satisfied and not doubted the
| Wichita time. Under the circumstan-
| ces Cresceus has been harmed rather
than helped by the mile. The general
| opinion will be that his rightful record
is 2:02 Ia"
4 The fast mile by Cresceus at Wichita
was made during the big race meeting
at Memphis. Murray Howe, secretary
of the Memphis track, on the lookout
|