The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-07

drove the dainty little chestnut mare a
mile in 2:O6A, she did the trial so easily
that her owner was satisfied he could
have driven her below 2:05, had it been
his desire to do SO. He was confident
that on her next trial she would ac-
complish this and her time, 2:04A, shows
how wonderfully correct his estimate
was.
The fractional time of these two miles
is most interesting and deserves study.
Here it is:
Quarter. Half quarters. Mile.
June !6 .0:SS 1:041z 1:S5A 2;o6A
June me y $500; ;O:SlA l:OSA l:a 2;o4A
Una ,s 1 St. q. 2 % q 80 a. 4 n!ao q.
June % ......0:SiA 0:S1N 0:S0sz 0:S0&
farther Lou Dillon went the faster she
went. In the first mile Mr.. Billings,
who never before had strung her out,
was, so to speak, feeling of her."
He only took her away to the quarter
at PIP rate and to the half at a 2:09
rate. Then he turned her loose, and she
came home the last half at the rate of
2:0311.
The second mile analyses differently
and brings out conspicuously Mr.. Bill
ings' finest gift as reinsman-vi2, his
| judgment of pace. 1t is possible that
one or two of the other amateurs sur
pass him in certain particulars as race
drivers, but in driving a horse SEN
| SdllOndl neat 10 DICdk q WOIiQ rec
ord he has repeatedly shown that he is
in class by himself.
Having learned In the first trial what
Lou billions caliber was he drove the
second one quite differently, taking her
to the quarter at a 2:07 rate and the
half at 2:0612 rate and on home at
1908 rate. Beginning at very high rate
of speed he gradually increased it in
the most admirable manner, stepping
the mare the successive quarters in
! ~ 40 n Il 40 ,.nc ixr0-
ly.
OF course neither of these miles con-
stitutes a technical record-which is the
weakness of the matinee system. AS is
well known, Mr.. Billings intends to give
Lou Dillon a record that shall be tech
nical as early as possible. But should
she meet with a mishap before then her
name will be accorded no place in the
official year book of the trotting turf.
The records she has unoficially broken
are many and were until she eclipsed
them considered dazzling.
The official wagon record is 2:0519, by
! The Abbot. The official wagon record
by an amateur driver is Lord Derby's
2:O534 with Mr.. Smathers driving. The
official record for 5-year-Old trotter is
2:O51A by Major Delnar. The official
record by a 5-year-old mare is 2:0613 by
Susie F. The official record by green
| trotter is 2:O7 by Lord Derby. The Of
| fetal record by a green trotting mare is
/
| by mare to wagon is 2:07, by Lucille
| (also driven by Mr.. Billings).
Had Lou Dillons 2:04% been technical
all these would have gone glimmering.
Besides it may be mentioned that no
other trotter has ever beaten 2:07 as
early in the season as the month of
June.
Never yet has Lou Dillon been driven
fast mile to a sulky. When, year
ago, Willard Sanders astonished the wise
/ I,x~ div y mil a m
her work she was hitched to cart So
was she when last May at Cleveland
when Mr.. Billings bought her she trot-
ted an exhibition half in 1:00A.
How fast will she go when she is
hooked to a feather weight racing
sulky? Well, that is something every
critic must guess for himself.
1t is at present a question of lively de-
bate as to whether the suil1y is really
any faster than the fourwheeled wagon
which weighs but a few pounds more,
runs Just as truly and lessons the jar,
both to horse and driver.
In the fall of 1900 The Abbot broke the
worlds record to sulky by trotting in
2:03A at Terre Haute, Ind The four
cOrnered'' track at the Hub is famous
for the number of records that have
been broken over it, and it is conceded
that there is no faster track: But Just a
week later The Abbot in his work at
Lexington, over a track not specially
prepared and not even at its best con-
sidered quite so fast as Terre Haute's.
went a mile to wagon in 2:OSA, equal
ing his worlds record to sulky.
The middle half of this mile was
timed in a minute fiat.
OF course, it is possible that The Abb
bot was that day a better and faster
horse than he had been the week before.
Still the two miles show how slight IS
the difference in speed of the sulky and
the wagon When Lou Dillon is hitch
ed to the former she may not trot much
faster than she does to the latter-and
again she may.
That she is bound to improve IN
speed is undeniable And she needs nc
Improvement in gameness to carry her
before this seasons close a mile that
may be closer to the two minute mark