Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1909-02-12
Hon. JOHN w. STEWART, PRES.
PROF. T. E. BoYCE, SEC.
JOSEPH BATTELL, REGISTRAR.
, AMERICAN HORSE
NEWS DEPARTMENT
News Items Pertaining to all
Kinds Of Horses are Solicited.
Address Matter for this Department to
G. A. Chapman, Room 81, Battell Block,
Middlebury, Vt.


Horseman of the issue of February 9th,
relative to three Morgan bred trotters:
Two of the very greatest race ~trotters
bred in the West were foaled within
seventy five miles of each other, n in
northwest Missouri, the other in south
east Nebraska. Without doubt, the
greatest race stallion (trotter) yet bred
in the entire West is Robbie p, 2:102, by
Charles Csffrey 1913, son of General Knox
14O; dam Nancy, by Long Island Chief,
son Of Pillow Boy $50, by Long Island
Black Hawk "a. No one will dispute the
assertion that the greatest race gelding
~(trotter) yet bred in the Missouri Valley
was Walter E., 2:10, by Patchen Nam.
brine 1885, son of Mambrino Patchen
So; dam old Morgan by Wagner.
Robbie P. was bred, broken, developed
and raced by Captain Ed. Pyle, at the
time a resident of Humboldt, Neb. The
Year Books credit this bay stallion with
100 winning heats in 2 80 or better, but
Capt. Pyle tells us that the horse trotted
several winning races over non-associa-
tion tracks whose reports were ne yer fur
nished the American or National Trot-
ting Associations, and that Robbie P.
certainly trotted not less than 1870 win
ming heats in 2:30 or better. Be that as
it may, no other trOtting stallion bred
in the West ever equale6 this showing.
This Nebraska bred stallion was a most
remarkable horse, began racing as a two
year old and continued racing in this
country until he was ten years old, max
ing successive seasons of racing for the
son of Charles Caffrey. Capt. Pyle sold
the horse to European parties, who start
ed him on the Continent a number of
times. Robbie P. was an absolutely
sound horse when shipped abroad.
He could trot a mile bare footed as
well as with shoes on, showing him to be
a perfectly built trotter. AS a two year
old this horse gained a record of 2:59%,
at Omaha, in a race for colts of lis age,
~distancing every competitor the first
heat. AS a three year old he gained a
record of $780,, and, before he stepped a
mile in standard time, won sixteen heats
slower thar 2:30. After gaining a record
of 2!30, Robbie p. won two other heats
in slower than standard time, making
him eighteen heats slower than $3.50.
Added to the number of winning heats
accredited him by the Year Books, this
stallion actually won 1874 heats, while,
according to Capt. Pyle's version, he won
1873 heats. Robbie P. secured a record
of 2:26 at Council Bluffs, Ia, in his four
year old form, while his record of 2:lO9
was gained at Davenport, Ia, the season
he was nine years old. Officially this
stallion raced nine seasons in America,
started in eighty. seven races and raced
all along the line from Ohio to Idaho,
his races against klamath, 2:0719, two
.-ar AfDptntn frnolyD ltnr 90
p~ecially fierce.
Walter E., 2:10, foaled 1884, was bred
by w. j. Taylor, of Maitland, Mo-, and
his dam was brought to Nodoway County,
Mo-, from Ohio by Lewis Anders. HeI
sire was a trotting horse called Wagner
and raced for n number of years at Ohio
county fairs as a %trotter, not as a run
ner, as certain writers would have us
believe. This horse Wagner was un'
doubtedly a son of Wild Wagner, by
George NJ. Patchen.
The grandam of Walter E. was sired
by a Morgan stallion, while his next dan
was a daughter of Pavey's Silverheels,
Walter f. was a great race trotter in
1892, winning seven races, reduced his
record to 2:ll7, won eleven heats in
faster time han 2:15, and was counted
one of the best class trotters of the year
In 1893 this gelding gained his record OF
2:10 in a hard-fought race with Little
Albert at Cleveland, O., in which bott
trotters beat the race record for geldings
by trotting miles in 2:l0. Walter E I
most important race of 1898 was his win
at Buffalo in a SEQ, 900 free-for-all, re.
curing seven heats to return a winner,
All told this gelding was raced sever
years, started in seventy-eight races.
won seventy-four heats in standard time
and fifteen slower than 2:30, making him
eighty-nine winning heats. He won
fiIty-one heats faster than 2:20 AND
twenty-eight faster than 2:l5.
When Walter f. gave up racing II
Grand Circuit company, in 1898, only
eight trotters had faster race records