The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-12-05

/ he became the progenitor of trotters.
/ This old horse was considerable of a.
mark in equine history. He died of
collie on Long Island in 1908, and so
great was the popular appreciation of
| him that his burial was somewhat like
that of a soldier, a volley of musketry
being fired over his grave"
The old original Hambletonian was
foaled in the Spring of 1S49 on a farm
in Orange County, New York, and
proved a mint for the owner who was
a poor man when he bought HANDLE
tonian.
THE first public race ever trotted in
America" Mr.. Busbey wrote, was in
1S18-a match against time for $1,000.
AT jockey club dinner it was loudly
asserted that no horse could be pro-
duced which could trot a mile in three
minutes. Major Jones, of Long Island,
and Colonel Bond, of Maryland, agreed
to produce such a horse. They named
at the starting an animal that went by
the name of Boston Blue. This horse
trotted the mile in the specified time,
and, we are told, won great renown''
Among the names of the principal
horses that competed for purses when
the trotting fever began to spread in
this country early in the last century
were Paul Pry, Lady Washington, Top
gallant, ScreWdriVer, BETSY Baker and
Whalebone. Their names frequently
appear in the early annals of the trot-
ting turf The distances run at that
time were two, three and four-mile
heats. Old Top-gallant was used for
laboring purposes before his merits as
track horse We're discovered and his
speed developed, and Screwdriver was
so popular that when he died in Phila-
delphia in 1928 one of the papers there
declared "the emperor of horses is no
more"
1T was in 184S,'' Mr. Busbey's inter-
estIng paper says. that Trustee, a son
OF the thoroughbred horse, trotted his
celebrated twenty-nile race against
time His driver weighed AS pounds
ana his sulky $50 pounds, and the TWEEN
tY miles were trotted in 50 minutes and
35 1-2 seconds
Almost every one has heard of the
great Flora Temple. She made her debut
on the turf in 1852, when she was 7
years old, and had marvellous turf
career, and in her time her winnings
Melted $4,000. Her best wagon time
(2241a) was made on the Union course.
Long Island, on September 2, 1856. and
among her famous competitors were
Ethan Allen. George NJ. Patchen, Lam
Get, Tacony and Highland Maid.
The famous Dexter that Mr. Robert
Bonner purchased for $35, 900 was years
old when he first went upon the turf
His last race was trotted at Dexter
Park, Chicago, in September 1867. It
was less than month previous to that
date that he trOtted his famous race
against time, making the mile in 2.17A.
Goldsmith Maid was in her time a
very queen of the turf. no less so than
Flora Temple. On the Cold Spring track
at Milwaukee, in the Autumn of 1871
she scored three heats in the remarl1-
able time of 2.201a, 2.17 and 2.20A. -
Many famous trots with famous
horses have taken place on Mystic
Park, Buffalo Park, Kalamazoo, Fleet
wood and Prospect tracks, and among
the prominent horses that have cOmpet-
ed on these for purses have been Joe
Elliott. Goldsmith Maid, American Girl,
General Butler. George Palmer, Jay
Gould, Lucy and others.
Mr. Busbey, in his paper, gives a list
of the fastest times made on the trot-
ting turf by the most notable horses:
The horse Commodore trotted a race
of two-mile heats at Prospect Park Oc-
tober Z, 1872. in SOC and 5O41a. The
mare Huntress trotted. September q,
1872 in 1914. ProsperO, a 3-year-old
colt. trotted at Prospect Park a mile
in 2.331a. Mr.. Bonner's horse. Joe Ell
lott, is credited with trotting a mile
in 2,511a, and of this said Mr. Busbey:
The time is absolutely correct, as the
performance was public and the judges
We're men of position and responsible
lily"
But all of these old nags have now
performed their duties and are Oft the
turf forever.