The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-10-22
ID BREEDING IS
 DUE FAST TIME Training of Horses Too is
 Responsible. LIGHT SULKIES A FACTOR
H. c. Hersey, Dan Patch's 0rivers Thinks Horses Go Faster Now Be- cause They Are Better-ls
 Pacing Natural Gait?

Within the past twenty-five years tho mile speed record for harness horses has increased 19 seconds About quarter or a century ago Dexter smashed all previous fast times by going mile In 2:l4 The famous Maud s. came along and made new record of S.0Slz. This was lowered by Star Pointer and others, and then by Cresus, who Is still the worlds fastest trotting horse. But the fastest of all har- ness horses Is Dan Patch, who on almost any track can pace mile in under two minutes, and when he is at his best can make 1t in 55. This whirlwind speed is made to a sulky weighing twenty nina pounds, the driver weighing something like 14O pounds. No thoroughbred could carry this much weight and be in the running It would handicap him so that he would practically be anchored at the post. For him 125 pounds is excessive weight But from the necessities Of the case 1t has not been found practicable to reduce the weight of the sulky so less than about thirty pounds. Even this is great improvement over former times when the racing sullSy in use was sixty pound proposition. Then, too. the modern sulky is very different in construction from the old one It has ball bearing bicycle wheels and skeleton frames. Hersey Talks.
 Speaking of the reason for the increased | speed of the latter day harness racer, H. 1 c. Hersey, the driver of Dan Patch, said:
 "The decrease in weight and improve 1 ment in the construction of the racing sulky has certainly added to the speed | of the harness horses. but there IS l great deal, too, in improved breeding and l training Many contend that horses were as well bred twenty-five years ago as l they are now, but my opinion is that l horses can go faster now than they could | a while back, mainly because they are | better horses. The training Is unques- l tlonably more scientific. This is the case with thoroughbreds, too. Harness racing is not popular in England. Nothing counts there but the thoroughbred. There IS some harness racing in France, but out side of the United States the only coun- tries where they go In for it strong ara Austria and Russia. Vienna Is a great place for it.
 We started to take Dan Patch abroad few years ago. but decided that so much travel might be bad for him. He is all right on the railroad He has been all over the country in his upholstered car 1t is carried by any train except thd fast malls. just like a Pullman, but we
 were afraid he might not make good sailor. Yes he comes very near doing that on the track, but then he might not make deep sea goer.
 Another Sign of Breeding
 Dan Patch Is the only horse in ths world that has held his own so late In life He is 10 years old and is as good as he ever was I thought that last year would be about the end of his fastest work. but he fooled me. Now l believe .he Is good for probably two years more.
 Whether or not pacing is a natural gait for horse is a disputed question. A good many say 1t is entirely artificial, and cite the thoroughbred as an Illus tration. That itself may be matter ot breeding. But 1t is n fact that the first thing a colt does when he gets out Of walk Is to strike a gallop. Horses of the plains do the same thing. But I know Of one exception to this. A friend of mine told me that he was riding after q bunch of horses out in Texas and that he mo- tlced one horse in the drove that did nothing but pace. Uphill and downhlll he always paced. He tried to lasso him. He could catch the other horses easy enough but this one invariably got away. He could pace faster than the others could run He never did catch him. If he had don't know that the horse would have been worth anything as a pacer, because when you break an old horse you break his heart too. You can break a young horse without breaking his heart, but not an old one.
 Dan Patch will go from here to San Antonio. leaving probably this after noon.