Los Angeles herald., 1907-04-14
TROTTING QUEEN
MAY RACE AGAIN
Famous Lou Dillon May Be Trained
for One More Public Performance,
When Brilliant Results
Are Expected

Lou Dillon, 1:5sM, the worlds great
est trotter, has begun to perpetuate
herself by foallng fine FLY, which Is
sired by John A. MoKerron 2:O4R. The
little miss Is handsome bay, with
white star in the center Of its fore
head. She enjoys the distinction of
being the first whose sire and dam
have as fast a time average in point
Of records as have lou Dillon and John
A. McKerron.
Its sire is John A. McKerron, 2:041e,
and Lou, having a record Of 1889,
presaging an average speed inheritance
of 2:01h from sire and dam-surpass-
ing that of any other ever yet born
into this world.
Lou Dillon's last public appearance
was made at washington park. Chica-
60, at the intercity matinee, held here
in the fall of 1906. She trotted an
exhibition half driven to wagon by
Mr.. Billings, in 1:0215. The mare had
been ailing in one front ankle for some
time previously and appeared In pan
dages. In neither looks, action nor
speed was she the trotter that two
years before had been the worlds won
der. And yet, as she came through
the stretch she still exhibited much of
her old fire and grace-of that perfec-
tion of movement which placed her
apart from all other trotters as some-
thing absolutely Incompatible and
without a peer.
She was gradually let UP thereafter
and the next April was bred to Nc
Kerron. All last summer she ran out
at Shank's farm in Litchfield, Me-
dina county, O. In November she was
caught UP and brought back to Mr.
Billings stable at the Glenville track
Cleveland, where she has wintered un-
der the care of doc" Tanner. 1t has
been told that she was rolling fat
when she arrived there and had spread
and thickened so that she seemed al
most another individual altogether
from the deerlike record breaker of the
past. Still that is not particularly
strange. If it were not so common it
would be wonderful-the striking
changes in form and appearance that
relocation to the harem makes In most
race mares.
Queen May Race Again
The question is often asked, Is Lou
Dillon ever to be trained again? In
reply it may be hazarded that she is
quite likely to. So far as can be
learned she will probably not be bred
back again this spring. If she is 1t
will be because Mr.. Billings has changed
his original intentions. The trotting
queen never broke down in the com
plete sense of that term. But she did
go so seriously amtss that she Woulo
have broken down had she not been
taken out of training. Being still
young and having spent but two years
upon the turf it was her owners
thought that If she were bred, raised
a foal and had a complete letup Tor
two years she might, very likely, be-
come so stout and sound that she would
again stand training. Therefore, unless
she develops something that persuades
him to the contrary, it is very likely
that after her foal is weaned next fall
she will be put at work again, grad
ually hardening during the winter and
enter active training in the spring to
be prepared for future public appear
ances.
The outcome of such a course as this
is necessarily "a gamble" In some
cases 1t has been attended with bril-
liant results In others 1t has proved
a complete disappointment.
In the case Of Lou Dillon it is scarce
to be expected that she will ever re-
gain her best form, even should she
train perfectly sound-at least very
few horsemen familiar with the details
of her career look forward to such an
event. There are many things which
combine to forbid this, except with
those persons of an extremely optimis-
tic temperament. To be sure there are
many turf optimists-but there are few
who have been long 'in the game"
for, If experience tends to develop any
thing, it is the exact opposite.
But 1t will be admitted that while
the possibility Of ever bringing the
''two-minute mare" up to the two
minute notch is remote, there is good
reason to believe that provided she goes
VYr-I.
It to allow Mr.. Billings the pleasure
of driving her some brilliantly fast
miles TO wagon at the matinees. And
1t is quite likely in this event, that
her owner will be we'll pleased, al
though this should be taken as an
opinion merely. 1t may not be the
fact.