The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-01-09
Lou DILLON.
sR M1LLARD F. SANDERS.

Lou Dillon, the swiftest trotter
that the world has ever seen, who re-
Gently went mile in 1857, is now
in this city, residing in Lees Stables
at the upper end of the Speedway.
She is only here for little while set
ting the horse world agog, because
her owner, Mr.. c. K. G. Billings, has
SO many particular friends in New
York and, of course, they all wanted
to see and congratulate Lou at the
end of the most wonderful season that
any horse ever enjoyed. But having
giving this treat to her admirers, she
will go Southwest to Memphis, and
perhaps even to the scene of her early
days, the Santa Rosa Stock Farm in
California, where she can meet her
mother, and all her human and equine
companions who knew her before she
became famous.
In the glorious climate of Califor-
MIA horses can roam the fields all the
year round, with the exception of
about two weeks, when the rains are
bad (; and Lou, clad only in the gar
ment that nature made for her, will
renew the free and happy life which
was hers before she ever knew har-
ness. With troops of friends she can
wander about, slipping the clear spring
water or cropping the fresh grass
she can prance, gallop or roll on the
soft turf, and she undoubtedly will
do all these things and many more,
because after all Lou is still colt
only FIVE years old-and has all
colts love of fun and frolic.
But whatever she does will be right,
for Lou is as kind and gentle as she is
beautiful and great. She is very
feminine. She has pride, but it is a
gracious pride. She is notional, but
her notions are pretty; she wants to
do things her own way, but then her
own way is just the right way for
her.
Lou, in her races, comes to the
starting point with a hop, skip and
Jump, little dance, little gallop
all wrong from the orthodox point of
view, but all right for Lou. Dillon.
In another horse such conduct would
be most reprehensible, and would
presage badly for steadiness in the
race, but in Louis case all the frisk
ing is mere harmless effervescence.
She is so high strung, SO eager, so
full of strength and go and joyous
life that she simply can't hold her.
self; she must dance and prance.
But once in the race DO horse ever
went truer than Lou. The word
''driver," though the proper techni-
cal term, conveys a false idea con-
cerning the person who sits behind
Lou in her races. She isn't really
driven at all. She knows nothing of
the whip and little of the bit. Sheis
given her own way, with the reins
slack on her back and the man be-
hind simply giving word of advice
at critical points as the magnificent
dark chestnut creature, with the white
star on her forehead, the white snip
on her nose, the white stocking on
her left hind foot and the Titan red
CLEANS in her long silky name and
tail, spurns the earth and flies around
the track faster than ever trotter
went before.
The Santa Rosa Stock Farm, where
Lou was born and to which she may
return for the winter, is very beau
tiful place on high land near the
town of Santa Rosa, and overlooking
the Pacific Ocean. 1t is devoted to
the breeding and rearing of trotters,
and here, amid groves and fields, the
horses live outdoors, the free, wild,
natural life of their remote ancestors,
before horses ever knew men, caring
for themselves in all things and at
all times, except during the brief
rainy period, when the men shelter
them in humble wooden buildings
with dirt floors, which do not offend
the hoofs.
Louis father was Sidney Dillon,
and her mother Lou Milton, SO at her
christening she took one name from