Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-09-22
CRESCEUS ONCE
KING Of TROTTERS
Famous Old Horse Now Used
For Base CONNER.
ciaIism.
LIMPS AROUND THE TRACK.
Something Of the History OF Famous
Animal In Annals of American
Turf.
LIMPs AROUND THE TRACK.

mile In g:lj the sorry spectacle In all
probability was the dnal chapter in the
turf history Of the greatest trotter tina,
ever lived. bar none, and 1t indeed was
a pity that he should have been sent
out to I'll an engagement made with
the idea that when the appointed day
arrived the stallion would be in al
least half way decent condition.
A mile in 2;i5 by Cresceus! With the
slow class trotters beating 2.lO every
day of the Galesburg meeting. Cres-
ceus, the king Of all the trotters that
ever lived, horse with the speed of
the wind, the courage Of lion. and the
Intelligence Of dog, is dragged out
after years Of retirement, sent to give
an exhibition Of speed" when the men
who had him in charge knew full well
that he could not even take sound
step, much less show speed! Cresceus,
with a record Of 9:02A and greater
list Of victories to his credit than any
other horse In the world can show.
crowhopping around billiard table
track In 2;l5 10 secure few paltry
dollars, No wonder the big crowd at
Galesburg was panied and disgusted
instead Of pleased
Cresceus VIII be a horse Of history
when all other trotteTs OF his day are
forgotten and deservedly 80. His ca
reer, from the day he was foaled until
he retired after the notorious exhibit
ton az Wichita, Kan, where his 1905
mile was reported as having been done
in 1884, all the Judges sticking 10 the
fact, even after the so-called record
had been publicly repudiated by the
stations owner, was succession OF
sensations. triumphs, and happy accl-
dents. In fact. the last named element
began playing a part In his career that
was TO be long before he was foaled.
II came about this way: Down in
Ohio there was mare called Mabel
that produced a colt that trotted IN
1927 as four-year-old. George Ketch-
am OF Toledo. hearing the mare was to
be sold at auction. decided TO bid on
her up 10 81 800 But on sale day two
other men. acting In concert. became
mixed In their bidding. each thinking
the other was the man that had the
auctioneer's eye, so that Ketcham got
the mare for $3.50. When she foalei
Cresceus the youngster was g most un-
calmly, communicating specimen Of
the trotting horse. No one on the farm
regarded him as OF any possible value
As a yearling the homely colt was at.
tackled by eplzootlc, and 10 relieve him
a big blister was put on his neck. As
soon as II began TO heal Il itched. and
the colt walked 10 the hslf-door OF his
stall and rubbed the neck until hor-
rlble gaping wound that exposed the
windpipe had been made.
XIII him" were the instructions.
Now, II there is one point where the
average stock farm employe balks il IL
AZ killing a horse. unless such action
would be humane. SO. as the colt look
ed better the day following his sentence
TO death he was allowed TO hang
around-and got well right away. Then
he was broken 10 harness. and Il was
weeks before he could trot at all. but
finally he balanced himself, and then
he could step right well for a yearlng
And right then began the wonderful
series OF things that Cresceus did.
The winter before he was a twO-year-
old-thlnk OF that-he was driven on
the snow at Toledo and could beat most
all the fast ones there. In the spring he
continued 10 be trained. and W no time
at all II was seen that he would do to
race. He started twice that season
and won his second race In 2:37L,
23sh. ating field OF Is The aver.
age horseman would have seen 10 II
that such a colt got a nice let-up until
the following spring. but Cresceus was
worked steadily on the snow. Early
the following June he was started I'm a
race with eight other three-year-olds
and won.
Then came a wonderful thing on
July the colt took second money in
a race where the heats were around
2:27 Two days later he started again.
and was again second, this time In
2:26%. That was asking a lot Of a
green three-y ear-old the first week IN
July. but II was nothing compared with
what he was set 10 do the next week
az Springfield. o. on July u, he was
second TO Minnie McGregor In 2:Z3is.
2:22h. 226A. just half an hour later
the colt was started In the 2.2s trot,
and he won this race In 2:2ei.. 226h.
2:25h, making six heats that day. in
every one Of which he was first or Sec
ond That would be about all for most
horses In one week. but not for Cres-
ceus. Two days later, on July n. he
was pulled out for another race, and
made Minnie McGregor go in ?:2lL.
2:23., 2:23. Three races In three days
by three. year-old. and first or second
In every heat. Then he went to the
next town. Circleville. and Ave days
later won race IN 2:2lh. ?.s2i..
2:2i&.
All this was wonderful. but II ahso-
luiely was nothing 10 what Cresceus
still was 20 achieve a. a three-year-
old, and there has been no trotter OF
that age since his day that stood a
chance Of duplicating his performances.
At the Columbia Grand Circuit meet