Los Angeles herald., 1908-10-04
BELLEMONT HAS
WAGON RECORD
HOLDS MARK FOR WESTERN
COUNTRY
ROBERT A. SMITH BOUGHT HER
AS A YEARLING
Los Angeles Driver Sent Her Against
Best Marks and Placed New Notch
at 10 at Agricultural Park
leetlng
BY DAN PATCH

B1 DAN HAICb
It is remarkable that notwithstand-
ing the great number of fast horses
raised and raced in this state, the wag-
on record until three years ago stood
at 2:21A. Then Robert A. Smith, driV-
ing Briney *. Gid at matinee OF
the Los Angeles Driving club, lowered
it to 2:15. This started the ball to
rolling, and it was not long before
Hazel Kinney (2:09A), owned by John
Reynolds, was sent against Brlney
ks mark, with Smith behind her, and
accomplished the feat with ease and set
the mark at 2:14A.
Two years ago Redlac (2:071s), driven
by her owner, Mr.. Grub, further re-
duced 1t to 2:11A, and for year no
one cared to take a shot at that figure,
and it probably would have stood for a
long time had it not been for Smith.
He and his. mare, Bellemont (2:O9H),
had arrived from Phoenix day or two
before a a-Iatinee was to be given last
year, and the mare was entered in
free-for-all that did not come off.
Smith had Warmen up Bellemont for
this race when informed that it was
called off, and it Immediately occurred
to him to go for the record, as his
mare was on edge, having won two
races at Phoenix the week before. He
drove into the stable, and as he was
hooking into the speed wagon woman
member of his family asked him if he
was going against Hazel Kenneys
mark of 2:14A. He replied, mo; if
that was all was going to do l would
get you to drive the mare.
After a warming up mile in 2:22,
with the last eighth in 151a seconds, he
was ready for the work and confident
of lowering the record, although 1t was
the first time that Bellemont had been
hitched to four wheels When he got
the word he went away, level and
smoothly, and was at the quarter in
SO seconds, at the half in LOB, the
three-quarters in 1888, and finished the
mile in 2:10 fiat. So evenly was the
mile rated that both halves were in
los and the middle half at the same
gait.
This is the fastest mile by a trotter
to wagon ever made west of the Miss
issippi river, and is a mark that it will
take an exceptionally good horse to
lower.
Bought as Yearling
Bellemont Is bay mare by Zombro,
dam by Altamont, and now is 6 years
old. She looks very like Zomatta, but
is longer gated. She stands 15A hands,
is bright bay with star and white
hind heels. She is upheaded and very
attractive in motion, as well as when
standing still.
Smith bought her in Oregon as a
yedTliUB anu BoI DeT IL TGCOIu VI GsGu73
as a 2-year-old in a winning race,
which made her the fastest 2-year-old
filly of that year, east or west. AS a
3-year-old she lowered her mark to
2:15% in a race against aged horses,
and as a 4year-old she reduced it
again to 2:131s.
Last year in her 5-year-old form she |
again lowered it, this time to 2:09K, |
and that in the fifth heat of winning |
race. In fact, all her records were |
made in winning races. After the cam |
paign was over she worked mile In |
2:07%. She now is in West Virginia |
on a visit to Gen. Watts, the great !
3-year- old of last year. that took rec
ord of 2:06%. She will return to the |
coast this fall in Will Durfees car.
In the three years Smith has cam
paigned her she has made only one |
break, and that was owing to interfer- |
ence by another horse in the heat that |
threw her off her feet. With her speed |
and steadiness she is more than good |
proposition in the ten" class.
Elect Officers Tomorrow
The annual meeting of the Los An
geles Driving club will be held tomor-
row evening at 8 o'clock in Levy's cafe,
when new officers will be elected for !
the ensuing year, which. it is to be
hoped, will be a more prosperous one
for the club than the one just ending
There is no reason on earth why the
driving club should not be among the
leading matinee clubs of the country
instead of in the position it now occu-
pies.
1t has every advantage of climate,
plant, a large city to draw
from, plenty of high class horses and
more being developed all the time. the
track within ten minutes of the center
of the city and easily reached by sew
eral car lines, an advantage not en-
joyed by Boston, Philadelphia, Balti-
more or Syracuse. All that is neces-
sary is for the members to work to-
gether for the general good Of the club,
put aside petty jealousies and merge
the various cliques into one body.
whose aim is to revive interest in the
harness horse, and that can be done only
by sacrificing their own individual in
terests and prejudices in the interest of
sport.
William Garland's Romeo, by James |
Madison, was given a nice workout by
his owner last Wednesday. After a !
couple Of warming-up miles he stepped |
him an easy one in 2:11 and repeated in |
2:10. the last half in 1904 and the last