The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-26
LOU DILLON vs..
GOLDSMITH MAID
BUDD DOBLE THINKS THEM
ABOUT EQUAL IN SPEED.
Trotted in Two Minutes Under Con-
ditions Similar to Those Which Fa-
vored Present Queen of Track.

vOred Present Queen of Track.
Budd Doble, the veteran trainer
and reinsman, thinks little has been
accomplished by scientific breeding in
developing the two minute trotter.
Improvement in building sulkies, in
building, surfacing and caring for
tracks, in methods of shoeing, and in
devising appliances to correct natural
defects in gait, are considered by
Doble the most potent factors in the,
reduction of the trotting record In
recent article, the veteran says:
"Since the day of my advent to the
trotting arena with Dexter, in 1866,
vast sums of money have been eX-
pended in the attempt to improve the
blood of the trotting horse, and this
so-called scientific breeding problem
has claimed the attention of some of
the most brilliant minds of the coun-
try, and yet in my Judgment it has
accomplished comparatively little to-
wards the evolution.
where there was one horse bred
for harness racing forty years ago,
many hundreds are bred to-day, and
still, with all this immense number, [
am unable to discover that there has
been any perceptible improvement in
the quality of race horses that con-
test in important races. Breeding
upon purely trotting lines has un-
doubtedly produced a race of horses
in which the trotting instinct has be-
come more intensified than it was in
the days when the only aim was the
production of common purpose
horse, and his speed was incidental;
but in point Of natural speed, stamina
and gameness, 1 very much doubt if
modern race followers have witnessed
the superiors Of that great quartet,
Goldsmith Maid, Lady Thorne, Lucy
and American Girl, or of Dexter
Ethan Allen, General Butler and
George M. Patchen, Jr.
while. therefore, 1 am unable to
agree with those who claim that the
scientific breeding Of modern days has
revolutiOnized racing records, 1 am Of
the opinion that by reason of the
trotting gait being more deeply in
stilled into the nature of the present.
day performers, their education is
easier of accomplishment and they
are naturally more steady in races,
and in this respect a great improve
ment has been made. a.
'That this enlightened age has
made rapid strides in improving the
arts and sciences is nowhere more
manifest than in the marvellous trans
formation which has occurred in the
equipment Of the harness horse and
the modern facilities designed for his
use; and in my judgment it is to
those appliances and facilities which
we must look to discover the cause
that has enabled this popular horse
to reduce the record nearly twenty
seconds in the past forty-four years.
when I commenced my driving
career with Dexter, such things as
boots and toe weights were unknown,
nor had the art of scientific shoeing
been discovered, and as late as the
years that Goldsmith Maid was in my
charge such a thing as weighing shoes
was unheard of. When horse need
and the blacksmith put on whatever
suited his fancy, without any regard
to the requirements of the horse.
THAT the want of knowledge as to
the correct weight of shoes to be
worn by racehorse was a serious
handicap to his ability. to demonstrate
his greatness is too clear for argu-
.ment. Goldsmith Maid was a strik-
ing illustration of the injustice suf-
fered by many great horses before
the weighing Of shoes and art Of ball
ancing became "a part Of the trainers
equipments. In all the races in which
I drove her, I never knew. what the
weight Of her front shoes was, and
it was only by an accident that dis
covered the weight of any Of her hind
shoes. preserved the shoes she wore.
behind when she esta blished the rec
ord at 2:14, and they each weighed
aim ost ten ounces. presume the
front shoes must have weighed about
pound each. My experience with
other horses after the process Of
weighing shoes came in vogue satisfies
coo cJ1 II h o,,f