Lewiston evening teller. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1903-1911, 1903-11-19
The TrOtting Horse
as Against the PAGER

credited to a trotter at the same period
Nearly a year before Jay-Eye-See
got the trotting record at 2:10, on Au-
gust /, 1884, Johnston has paced mile
in 2:10, and within three months after
Maud S., by her mile in :2:09, on Au-
gust 2, 1884, wrested the speed honors
from Johnston, he put the pacing rec
ord at 2:06A, which was not equalled
by a trotter until eight years after
ward. BY that time Hal Pointer had
carried the limit of pacing speed down
to 2:O5A. and when Nancy Hanks, in
1892, trotted in 2:04, she found Mascot
there ahead of her.
Robert j., two years later lowered
the pacing record to 2:01h, while the
trotting record stood at 2:03N from
1894 to 1900. Meanwhile Star Pointer,
in 1897, crossed the two-minute line
with mile in 1 59A, at Readville park,
leaving the champion trotter four Sec
onds behind him. Cresceus, the Star
Pointer of trotters, got within three
seconds of the champion PAGER In 1901,
and now comes Lou Dillon, with her
pacemaker in front to serve as wind
shield, and sends the trottfng record
down to 400; not, however, until Dan
Patch, aided by the same contrivance,
had carried the pacing record to 1889.
While there is no means Of demon
strating the possibilities of either har-
ness gait, horsemen are unit In the
opinion that the PAGER is the faster.
Why this is so may be difficult to de-
termine but the PAGER unquestionably
holds a slight advantage in two ways
The mechanism of his gait Is not so
complex as that of the trotter, and as
he goes closer to the ground as rule
there is less waste action of knees and
hooks.
Certain it is that the average PAGER
strikes and RECEIVERS in his stride with
greatr rapidity than the average trot-
ter. He is quicker gated, as the horse
men say, and reaching just about as
far at each stride he covers the ground
at higher rate of speed.
This rapid rise of the PAGER In har-
ness racing has been one of the most
features of the sport to
"Where will Il eudT' is a question
which has engaged the attention OF
General B. F. Tracy and many other
prominent men who are interested IN
the improvement Of the breed or frot-
ting horses. Anybody can take pen
Gil and paper and with the statistics
of harness racing before himt figure
out how long 1t VIII take the Huns ana
Cloths of the horse world to virtually
drive the trotters off the turf II the
increase continues. General Tracy is
inclined to believe this calamity may
yet come to pass.
Considerations of economy are all IN
favor of the PAGER as an instrument or
racing His speed is developed much
more quickly and easily than that OF
the trotter, and lower order or skill
in the trainer suffices to do it. Cynicai
horsemen often say that. given set OF
hopples and a whip, anybody can tram
a pacer. From the viewpoint OF the
MANY who regard racing as CONNER
cial enterprise pure and simple the
PAGER is the better horse because ne is
cheaper and answers tile same purpose
as the trotter.
tt is a singular and interesting fact
that in the early days Of Harness racing
when innurnerabIe' turf engagements
couId he found for trotters and next TO
none at all for PAGERS, very many OF
the fastest trotters were in reality nat
uraI PAGERS, of pacing ancestry, con-
verified to tine trotting" gait by means Oh
the weights and other artificial apph-
auces. Smuggier. 2:15A. trUtting
stallion that defeated Goldsmith Maio
and held the worlds record i'm ls1o'
was the most notable example OF the
uacfng bred PAGER changed by expert
handling into a fast trotter- NOW tnat
pacIug races are SO common ana pa"'ns
horses are so profitable for racing pur-
noses a great many horses of trottHg
lineage are being trained to pace:
Although the PAGER has come INTO
promTueuce i'm harness racing only IN
the Tastt wenty years, evidence 10
mot wanting. that the gait Is OF grea.
antiquity. In the sculptures or Pnldias'
rom the frieze of the Partfenon at
Athens. which were chiselled from tne
marble more taim twenty-three nun
dred years ago, horses are portrayee
In action in the, unmistakable aetitude
of the PAGER. This is the oldest RECORD
extant of the lateral gait of the morse
PAGERS were the horses of royalty II
England in the twelfth century as w
learn from the writings OF Fitz stephef
| a monk of Canterbury, who made TIM
interesting chronicle in the reign
Henry IT.:
There is without one OF the gates
Immediately in the suburb OF LONDON
a certain smooth fiefd tSmithfieid) y
name and in reality. There every frl
aav. unless II be one OF the more sol
emn festivals, is a noted show OF we
bred horses exposed for sale. In
earls. barons and knights who are
the time residents I'm the city, as we
/ as most of the citizens. flock thfthe
l.. Haas