Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-09-18
The Two Minute Trotter.
BREAD LOAF, Sept. IA, Il

EDITOR MIDDLEBURY REGISTER:
In regard to the astounding perform
ance of Lou Dillon, trotting mile over
the Readville, Mass, track in two
minutes, the American Horse Breeder
of Boston paid me the compliment of
asking me to express my views for
publication on the subject. AS writer
for turf journals it was known that L
was pronounced doubling Thomas as
to the two minute mark ever being
reached by a trotter, and in my letter
to the Boston paper 1 said, among other
things: my predictions of no two
minute trotter were always qualified by
under existing conditions and did not
include a rubber track, for instance,
nor such a shield to guard her from the re-
sistance of the air as Lou Dillon had last
Monday. But since the day was reported
breezeless, | do not see that the unusual
adjunct detracts an iota from the merit
of the performance. Maturer consid-
Grafton causes me to retract the con-
Guiding sentence, as it is evident that
it was the wind shield by aid of which
the feat was accomplished-evident be-
cause by its assistance another trotter,
Major Delmar, has already gone mile
in 2:004. Best records have hitherto
been lowered, as a rule, by fractions of
same season cut such slices from the
mark of Cresceus as Lou Dillon and
Major Delmar have, the conclusion
seems irresistible that the novel adjunct,
rather than their superior speed. is
responsible for the reduction.
The bicycle sulky came into vogue in
1892 and that year the 2:0S4 of Sunol
was reduced to 2:04 by Nancy Hanks,
which mark was lowered in 1901 to 2:02f
by Cresceus. This vehicular improve
ment, it is conceded increased the pos
sible speed of a trotter by about five
seconds, but it was a legitimate aid
The same cannot be said of a wind
shield Resistance of the air is one of
the essential factors of negotiating a
mile at extreme speed, and when this
is removed and, perhaps, suction sub
stituted for it, we have seen that the
result is an astonishing mile perform
ance-but is it fair: \ gelding named
Ayres p. trotted with running mate
in 2:03!, but could 90 no faster than
2:214 single, and another one, II, B.
Winship, with a running horse hitched
with him, did mile i'll 2:OG, his indi-
vidual record being 2:204 This shows
what it is to relieve a horse of weight
and equally the performances of Lou
Dillon and Major Delmar show what it is
to relieve one of air resistance. Pos
sibly no one had thought certainly
had not-that this obstacle amounts to
several seconds in the mile, as has now
been demonstrated. Improvements in
tracks and sulkies, and the stimulation
of running horse pacing trotter at
his side, are all legitimate elements in
an extreme speed effort; but that wind
shield is like the express car which has
sucked bicyclist along in its wake
faster than a mile a minute.
1t will be interesting to horse lovers in
this community to known that Major
Delmar certainly, and Lou Dillon pro-
baby, have Morgan blood in their veins,
The dam of the former trotter was EX-
pectation by Autographs her dam Miss
Copeland by Almont Star, and her dam
Copeland Maid, by Prophet, ir., son of
Prophet by Blacl, Hawk. The maternal
grandam of Lou Dillon, named Fly, has
not yet had her pedigree established,
but a writer in the Horse Review states
that she was owned by the banker,
Ralston, who according to the Morgan
Horse and Register had four in hand
team all by Easton's Dave Hill, son of
Black Hawk. There is a bit of guess work
about Morgan strain in Lou Dillon, as
yet, but the breeding is being investi-
gated. WALTER I. CHESTER.