The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-12
Grand Circuit Opening Recalls
Some Brilliant Records of Past
Reports From Training Camps Indicate That 1908 Sea
son Will Eclipse Previous Years-Gossip of Local
HorSemen and Stables.
By L. D. SALE.

In eighteen days from today-on July
2S-the big rings OF the grand circuit
will begin TO do business. the new track
at Detroit acting the part OF curtain
raiser
Great as have been the achievements
or previous years. intelligence comes
from over a thousand training camps.
where hIgh-cIass horses are receiving
their ''preps." that the racing season or
1905 is 10 surpass all previous seasons il
the matter OF extreme speed and racing
ability
After what has gone before. no one
who mas followed the light harness
horse from the time ne Shrsr appeared
a mere speck on the horizon OF turf
history. need be greatly surprised. And
when one calmly reviews that history
and, in so doing recalls 20 mind that
/ the American trotter, as distinct type.
+ Is but a trifie over half q century ole.
and that his limit of speed IS still far
off in the future. every lover Of the
equine race is moved with patriotic
pride at the thought that It was under
, the stars and Stripes this wonderful
4 handiwork of man achieved It's greatest
development
! SO young is the American trotter that
= men are sum AlAE VIM saw 10y
folk. the first horse to trot in 2:25. take
her record. And much they marveled.
/ Plenty Of men are still alive who were
I at Kalamazoo. in 1889, when Flora Tenn
/ plA cut the then worlds record OF 20
down TO 2:Is9l Next came Dexter. son
/ Of Hambletonian, and old Clara, that
natchIess daughter Of American star
which set the mark at PIN. Again
II men marveled and exclaimed 1t is the
uu1itr' But il was not. At the time
Dexter was astonishing the world with
his speed and gameness, there was a
wild and willful FLY OF the whipcoro
and steel makeup grazing on the
grasses of Orange county. y. Y, and
which was destined to make turf his
tory-afterward known to the world as
Goldsmith Maid, PA. winner Of forty
heats. and probably the greatest cam
paigner I'm turf history.
But n greater than she and all Of heI
predecessors was soon 20 appear. when
the peerless daughter Of Harold and
Miss Russell. ct Cleveland. set the
mark that still stands unapprOached &c
high wheeIs-2:Os24. Following these
pioueers Of extreme speed and race
horse ability. came Direct. 2.Oo19. at the
pace; Nancy Hanks, 2-O4, At the trot
Directun. 1851. At the trot: Alix. 2.O394
at the same way Of going (world's rec
ords when made). and. last. but not
least. the king Of kings Of trotters,Cres-
cius. 2O2H.
b Fifty years ago the fastest PAGER il
tbe world was the white-bellied anc
white-stockinged mare POcahontas,
daughter of Irons Cadmus- She drew
a skeleton wagon il 2:17s4. in that din
uariod. which il was then thought was
i going some But since that time nu
merous sidewheelers have played witt
that. and even the twO-minute mark
Two years ago Dan Patch put it a
.55A. and there it stu stands As FOL
the youngsters OF the trotting breed
: they. have. indeed. done wonders. YEA
after year. records have gone glimmer
2 ing. But no two-year-old yet bred hai
pulled high-wheel sulky in 2:1094. a.
did Arlon: no yearling has drawn
= sulky at the trot in 2:2S as did Ahell
and it remains for three-year-old t.
beat this year the record of Genera
= Watts. 2.O62s. gained last year at Co
lumbus
The goodly sum of $4,000 has beer
l hung up this year by the several tract
1 IQdUaEGIS u AAlc b-dliu ~ o'--N
D horsemen to fight for. With the excep
ton OF the Detroit and Columbu
> tracks. betting Is prohibited And tn
time may not be far distant when bet
= ting will cease to be at even thos
Q points. Facing the future without fear
: the breeders and horse owners OF IN
q country. are going forward. and II
= very doubtful, indeed. whether anti
betting laws will cause any Weli-estab
= iished decent track to nail up its gates
Y II must be admitted that there are som
a ! tracks whose gates ought to be perma
a nently closed as they are no credit [
= the racing game. But there is no hop
{ of their being RELOCATED , the scra
n heap this year
? Local racezoers are NJ. set throus
discussing the opening o the Copper