Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-01-08
T'ROTTING.
MAUD 5, QUEEN
 OF THE TURF.
Racing Commissioners De- eide Against Lou Dil- lon-Wind Shields and Ball Bearings Did It.

plons or the past was not affected by the decision of the joint committee called to pass upon the recent per- formances of Lou Dillon, Dan Patch and the other champions that have fol-
 lowed runner and shield to new har- ness records Maud s. is more secure than before in her place as queen Of the turf to the high wheel sulky. Lou
 Dillon has not dethroned her, and by
 the ruling yesterday no trotter ever
 will that has already beaten 2:0SA to
 the pneumatic wheels. Cresceus is , still the king of the turf to the pneu-
 matic sulky, with his record of 2:024z,
 and Star Pointer is still the pacing
 champion under the same conditions.
 Lou Dillon Is now the queen of the
 dirt shield records, and the committee
 orders that her mile in 1:5S1s shall be
 so classified. Dan Patch holds q sim- liar honor among the pacing champions.
 Major Delmar is also two-minute
 dirt shield champion, with his record
 of :59A.
 The committee, consisting of Major
 P. F. Johnson, president of the Nation A
 president of the American Trotting as-
 sociation, and William Russell Allen,
 president of the American Trotting
 Register association, appointed to pa ss
 upon the standing of the so-called
 wind shield records. met at the Murray Hill hotel yesterday morning and l1s- tened to testimony bearing upon the
 subject. incidentally they also listened
 to much that had no bearing upon the
 question to be decided.
 7 Robert E. Bonner, son Of Robert Bonner, who owned Maud s. when sne
 made the worlds record of 2:OSA to high wheel su1ky over a regulation
 track, was first heard. Mir Bonner had
 lodged written protest with the American Trotting association against
 the acceptance of the mile trotted by
 Lou Dillon to a high wheel sulky Tn 2:O5 as record. MT Bonner based his
 objections. first upon the fact that the
 event was announced as an attempt to beat the record of Maud S., 2:OSA,
 over the same track on which 1t was
 made and this announcement carried with ft the obligation to make the at tempt under the same conditions, so far as was possible or practicable. Instead of doing this. sulky with modern ball bearings was used, and a runner harnessed to cart was sent ID
 advance to protect Lou Dillon rom
 the natural atmospheric resistance.
 Under these conditions, so entirely diff
 ferenf from those attending the record mile Of Maud S.. Mir Bonner held. it
 would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the law to accept the perform
 ance as record.
 Charles Tanner, Mir Billings's man. ager af exhibitions, appeared for the ! owner of Lou Dillon and denied em-
 phatically that the advertised condi- tions of the performance stated that it was to be an attempt to beat the record of Maud $. under the same con- ditions. His statement was that 1t 1 was advertised to be an attempt to
 beat 2:08% to a high wheel sulky. and. as this had been done, there was no
 reason why the performance should not be accepted as record.
 MT Tanner admitted reluctantly that the sulky that Lou Dillon drew was fitted with modern ball bearing axles
 and that he had requested the builder
 when the order for the suIky was
 given to keep the matter from the press and the public. He sought to
 Justify the use of the ball bearings by the charge that the suIky Maud S. drew was fitted with roller bearing hubs. and that 1t weighed twelve 1 pounds less than the sulky drawn by Lou Dillon. MT Tanner also sought to
 cast discredit upon the statement that the sulky now in possession of Robert
 Bonner's sons was the one Maud 5. drew.
 Tn reply to a leading question by I Major Johnson. Mir Bonner estab lished 1 the fact to the satisfaction of the com- 1 mittee that the sulky now at Bonner l farm was the one Maud $. had drawn, and also that 1t was not and had not
 been fitted with roller bearings. but had only plain steel axle.
 Three hours had been consumed In 1 listening to the different speakers when 1 Major Johnson called halt and stated | that the committee would go into ex- ecutiye session. It took nearly two l hours of deliberation-at1 least the com.
 mittee remained behind closed doors l for that length of time-before the fol- l lowing was given as the decision in 1 the several cases:
 'sWe dnd that the performance of Lou Dillon at Cleveland on September 12, 1903, to high wheel ball bearing
 sulky, with pace-maker, with dirt shields in front, was not a record, be- cause the mare had previously per. | formed in faster time, which perform
 ance was her record, and precluded q
 slower performance being a record.
 ''We also find the performance of 1 Maud s. at Cleveland in 1885 was to l high wheel plain axle sulky. according
 to rule; that the time, 2:0ssz, was not only her best time but the best time ever made up to that date and was q | record.
 1 .sNo record can be made with a wind shield other than the ordinary dirt | shield and pace-maker in front. per- ! formance with pace-maker in front
 with dirt shield shall be recorded with 1 a distinguishing marx referring to q
 note stating the fact.'
 The effect of this ruling will be to | leave Prince Alert with his record just as 1t was before he followed the wind shield at Empire track mile in 1:S7. Major Delmar trotted mile the same day under the same conditions in 200, but he is saved because he followed q
 runner later at Memphis where few