The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-31

ness horses, as discovered by the Ma
tiOnal Trotting association, is to take a
pacing stallion with a record OF 2:06111,
make a gelding of the animal report
him dead, and then start out with a
promising candidate for the three min
ute classes at the smaller meetings.
The PAGER originally known as Dick
Wilson, later as Dry Monopole, and
finally as Tasberg, is the nag thus han
died, but as usual, the conspirators
came to grief in spite of their elaborate
precautions. But when 1t comes to a
real ringing tour, one that got all the
money there was in sight, the final de-
lection of the horse occurring only be-
cause he started In a race where there
were two other ringers, the phenome-
nal speed Of the trio In a three minute
race late in the fall causing the judges
to grab all hands for Identification, the
career of the trotter Small Hopes, and
what was done with him thirty years
ago this fall. has been a pattern for all
subsequent outlaws.
To start with, Small Hopes was high
ly bred, being by Rysdyks HANDLE
tonian, and he was known to be a fast
trotter. but owing to some turf trouble
in which the men who controlled him
became involved he was out OF bust
ness.
Umbrella Bill" McGuigan, who aft
erward became mildly famous on the
running turf. later becoming member
of the Arkansas legislature. was the
driver of Small Hopes. He and the
horses owner and an all around sport
named Charlie Perkins, who hailed
fl ON Rochester, n. Y, started out with
Small Hopes for a campaign OF piracy
pure and unauthorized From Mich
igan the horse was shipped west, land
ing at Dubuque, Ia, Sept. 6.
Dubuque was a good betting town,
and IN the three minute race at that
meeting there were some local horses
that the Iowa sports believed unbeat-
able in their class. Judge of their an
guish When after backing their own
horses to the limit, a modest looking
brown gelding took down the money
In straight heats, never giving the
home plungers q chance to get out. The
best mile was 2:40A, and as the unas-
Stunning brown horse could trot q bad
half mile track in 2:25 and was a
match for most Of the free to all trot-
| tiers Of that day, It did not take hard
prying to get the money away from
the natives. The next day Lothair (for
| such was the first false name given
| Small Hopes) took down another purse
| and then he was shipped to Omaha
Here was a chance for big Kill
! ing" The first race. Sept. 20, was a
| slow class affair, and it-apparently-
| took Lothairs life to win 1T the end OF
| Ave heats. the fastest ndle being 2:3S%
The horse was entered the following
day IN a free to all trot in which Pilot
| Temple and Randall, champions OF the
west in those days. were also named
1t was not supposed for minute tina;
the stranger would start. but he did
| and no poT11d ha hon for In r0o1e
Of 800. When the starter said ''go'' for
the first heat Lothair, that had been
scrabbling hard to win In 1888 the day
before, slipped away from those free
! to all nags as If they were tied, and
over the slowest sort OF a track he
stepped three winning heats in 2:2SA
2:26h and 1888.
That was the last of Lothair, but a;
the Wilkesbarre (Pa.) meeting in Oc-
| tober there appeared a brown geidine
called Lapiand. Not q horseman but
had heard Of the coup effected out west
with Lothair but Lapland did not i'll
the description of the mysterious stran-
| ger that carried the corn crop money
Away from Iowa and Nebraska II
! took Lapland six heats to win his first
slow class race at Wilkesbarre and SC
well wGs the affair managed that nc
one suspected him of being ringer
| The best heat was 2:33.
Then L.apland tourneyed TO Washing
| ton, d. c., and this time seven heats
were required before he could (apper-
ently) win. Best mile, 1880. Lapland
was Lothian. all right. but some OF the
smartest horsemen of those days that
had entries in the Washington race
never suspected the fact The day aft
er the race. however, when the matter
was talked over. they became sus-
picious, but when they looked In lap
lands stall he was gone and so were
the men that managed him.
/
BY this time The newspapers were
full of the exploits of Lothian and Lap
land. Pen pictures OF Mcclellan, .
| who seemed to be the owner of the
horse. and certainly was the driver
were sent all over the land. So Lap
land disappeared. the horse beine
shipped to a small town pear Boston
where some alterations in his mark.
ings were made. There was a meetins
at Mytic park track, Boston. about
that time. and II was decided to enter
the brown gelding once more under
false colors, as 1t was known that the
betting would be good. and 1t was q
cinch ne could win any three minutG
race ever programmed.