Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury [Connecticut]) 1903-1917, 1908-01-31
THE HORSES
OLD TIMERS
~ CARED FOR
Many Of the Once Great Trotters
Are Now Pensioned Out For
Fife.

Some of the old time trotters still
living have histories replete with in
terest, especially Jay Eye See, which
trotted the first mile in 2:1O and at
Narragansett Park. He is now 80
years old.
/ Rysdyk Maid is now SO years old.
So is Edward, one of Franks great
pole team. Harry Wilkes is 80 years
old.
| Wallace Year Book of trotting and
pacing shows that Rysdyk Maid.
Z:24 12, was foaled in 1872 and is
therefore SO years old. She was bred
by Or W. j. P. Kingsley, of Rome.
N. y, and started in her first race
as 4-year-old just 80 years ago.
IL was 10 years later, in her last
campaign, that she gained her re-
cord OF 2:24 II in the sixth heat of
race over the Mystic Park track in
the last surviving foal of Rysdyk's
Hambletonian. The old mare is on
the Crawford farm, now owned by
David l.. Thomas at Belmont, Mass.
Frank Work, who has loved trot-
tiers ever since he and Edward M.
stanton were boys together out in
Chllllcothe, o., and who is now close
TO the 80 mark, has for many years
provided for the care of Edward,
2l9, as long as the famous trotter
shall live. Foaled in the same year
that Rysdyk Maid first saw the light.
the chestnut gelding is now So years
old. Mr.. Work has owned him 30
years. having bought him in 1873 for
$4,000. Hooked to pole with Dick
Swiveller, 2:18. Edward was one of
the pair that enabled Mr. Work to
Wrest the double team honors from
William H. Vanderbilt in their mem
orable rivalry a quarter of a century
ago at Fleetwood Park, where the
Work team set the worlds record at
2:16& Edward IS now on CARL
S. Burr's farm at Commack, L. I.
Jay Eye See, one of the most re-
markable little horses that ever trod
the turf and the first one that trot-
ted in 2:10, is doing well at 80 years
He is at Racine, Wis On the death
of Case Jay Eye See became the
property of his son, Jackson l. Case,
who trained him as PAGER, and in
1892 drove him to record of 2:06 Il
at this gait on heavy track at In
dependence, Iowa. When Jackson
Case died, few years afterward, he
left the family pet in trust to the J.
l. Case Plow Works which his broth
er-in-law, H. NJ Wallis, and other
heirs of the elder Case control. Jay
hoe
since Jackson Case died.
Harry Wilkes, 2:13A, was thirty
two years old on New Years day. !
Senator Reyes bought him about Is
years ago from the Sire brothers of
New York and soon afterward drove
him a mile to pole with Jerseyman,i in {
2:20% on half mile track. He has
hardly seen sick day in all these
years and is at present as hearty as a |
buck. He is fed on ground oatmeal
and finely cut hay, with an occasion
al bran mash, and has acres of blue
grass all to himself IN the summer
time. For companions the old trotter
has two prize-winning Boston bull
dogs and pet pigeon, the quartette
up happy family at Senator
hCgtS GuuHblS RluCC az cOAlCh NiAISs
n. ].
w. f. D. Stokes, who has made
quite a study of aged horses, is of the
opinion that the trotter is longer liv-
ed and retains his speed and vigor a
greater number of years any other
horse in the world. Mr. Stokes calls
attention to many remarkable old
trotters, beginning with Goldsmith
Maid. who equalled the worlds rec
ord, 2:14, when she was 20 years of
age. He states that David A. Smell
Of New Bedford. Mass, now owns
gray road horse called Dick that is
80 years old, and that J. w. Davis of
Bradford, VT. has trotter, Peacock
by name, that is So years old. In
Russia. he says, he has seen trotters
everything in their class
when they were 30 and even 25 years
Did Mr. Stokes himself owns a Rus
sian Arab that was once a saddle
horse of the former car, and that is
now about 25 years old. He is still
good for fifty miles a day.