Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-10-29
GREAT YEAR FOR TRorTERs.
UhIan in the Aged cIass-Native Belle
Wonderful Two Year Old.

With the close or the two weeks
meeting at Lexington KY, the harness
racing season of 1909 is practically
over. 1t has been a remarkable year
for the trotters but that the trotter
has not as vet reached anywhere near
the limit of the possibilities of the gait
is shown by the fact that there were
Oh, this season trotters that could, IN
the opinion of every good judge, have
he"ten those of any other year
!; is true that those wind shield rec
ords Of Lou Dillon, Major Delmar and
others have been the means of taking
somc of the luster from the perform
ances of Uhlan and Hamburg Belle. but
those who understand the conditions
are willing to admit that Hamourg
Bellies great record breaking race at
Cleveland far overshadows any per-
foT1nance by an aged trotter that the
turf has ever seen.
Uhlan Greatest Trotter.
Uhlan. too, is generally rated as a
greater trotter than the turf has seen
in any previous year His defeat of
hamburg Belle at Readville. though in
slower time than the mare made in
the race in which she defeated him and
trotted her record breaking miles, en-
t't'es him to share with the daughter
OF AXworthy the seasons honors for
aged tTotters.
but 1t IS not so DluCU lne 10TH SllON II
by the aged trotters as it is the show
ing that was made by the colt trotters
of the year that stands out prominent
| ~ for the Improvement in the speed OF
tEe trotting horse. Two records that
rave stood for a very long time, the
2.23 of April and the POI ga of Arion,
| have been beaten so badly that those
who think the breeders of the country
| have been standing still and that the
| trGtters of today are no faster than
| those of twenty years ago have had
| their breath taken away.
Native Belle the Star Youngster.
Tn performance of the Peter the
| Great hlly. Miss Stokes. who lowered
| the Nearling record from 2.23 to 2.19
| IA. while a noteworthy one. cannot be
| considered to in any way approach the
| performance of the MokO illy, Native
! Belle. who cut three whole seconds
| from the 2.10 "a of Arion at two years.
The fact is that few breeders or
| trainers have made a serious effort
against the yearling record. Mr.. Stokes,
! the proprietor of Patchen Wilkes farm,
! is about the only breeder in late years
| tfat has had any of the youngsters of
/ his breeding seriously trained with that
| object. 1t will be interesting to see
whether the new yearling champion,
! Miss Stokes. 2.19 IA. trains on as a
/ two and three year old.
But in the case of Native Belle it is
different. for ever since the record was
placed at 2.10 ga by Arion, way back
| in 1894, hundreds of youngsters have
been in training each season with the
| purpose of winning the rich stakes Of
| fered for two year old trotters. whose
| owners and breeders would have con
| sidered it the fulfllment of lifetime
spent in breeding to bring out young
ster to lower the record of Arion ad
mitted by everyone to have been the
hardest of all records for trotters to
| beat.
| III no previous year has there been
| question of the record being in danger
but this season there have been num-
Der OF youngsters in training that have
| shown so much speed in their work
that there was a general feeling that
the long standing record for the age
! was in danger. but the mile in 2.07 81
| of the daughter of Mol1o was so as
founding that at first it was hard fol
a great many horsemen to credit the
| performance.
Native Belle is a wonderful FLY and
entitled to her place at the head of the
two year olds which have been after
the record from the time it was frs
set at 2.40 ga by Dobb at Lexington
| KY. Oct. 10, 1872.