Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-03
BEST OF TROTTERS.
Major Delmar May Race Lord Derby
for $4,000 Side.

p. Mcdonald, trainer of Major Delmar,
authorizes the New York Sun to state that
he is now ready to match Major Deimar,
2O51a against Lord Derby, 2.05aI, for $4,000
a side or any part of this sum under the
following general conditions: The race to be
trotted early in July, before the grand cir
cult campaign begins, over any good grand
circuit track that may be agreeable to both
parties; the race must be at mile heats two
in three in harness, and Mcdonald stands
ready to post any reasonable forfeit the
owner of Lord Derby may desire. McDon-
aid believes Major Delmar is the faster
horse, and if E. E. Smathers, the owner Of
Lord Derby, really wants race there Will
be no points over which to bubble.
This statement would have been made
public long ago but for the fact that the
owner of Major Delmar is a business man
and averse to the publicity sure to follow
a match between two such noted horses.
At conference on Saturday between the
owner and the trainer, Mcdonald obtained
the owners permission to take the horse
under his full control and the first step is
this announcement of the faith the trainer
has in the ability of his faVorite to cope
with the formidable rival for the highest
turf honors. There are many thousands
who believe Lord Derby to be practically
inyincible when he Is at his best and he
certainly gives promise now of being better
the coming season than ever before. Yet
the most enthusiastic admirers or the
Smathers champion admit that Major Del
mar is the most formidable opponent Lord
Derby can meet.
When Major Delmar took his record Of
2.O51a he was started on the outside of a
field of three, so that 1t was really a
greater performance than Lord Derby has
ever made in public. 1t was one of the
novelty races at Memphis and after win
ming the heat at one mile Major Delmar
won the second at one mile and an eighth
in 2.22J2 which was at nearly the rate of a
mile in POI The third heat was at half a
mile and this Major Delmar won in 1.01.
Mcdonald will campaign a strong stable
this year. While the stable Is still incom-
plete, he already has seven with records
faster than 30 and ten that have beaten
2. II as q matter of record. Taking them in
the order of the record the trotters are:
Major Delmar, 20o1a; Wilque, 209A; Ruth
M, 212k and Gov. Roosevelt 2.16A Then
the no-record list Is headed by the we'll
known mare KoZy, who in 1901 was beaten
at Hartford by Country Jay only neck in
214A. There is another green trotter by
Quechy, PIP, named Tenny, Of whom good
things are expected. The pacing division
includes Conner, 2.OsA; Darnel, 2O4A;
Roamer, 2.O5A: Albert, 2.07A; Winola,
Riga, 2.11h. OF these Conner may be re-
served by the owner for matinee racing. but
the others will give the trainer one Of the
strongest stables ever campaigned. Even
those with slower records have shown as
much speed as those at. the head Of the list
The gray mare Armorel would have been
the reigning sensation two years ago had
she not met the unbeaten Dan Patch, 1.59A.
She was second to him at Hartford in the
last race in which she started, and she won
every race In which she competed when the
brown wonder was not a starter.