The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-21
CRESCEUS. is A MARVEL
In THE HARNESS WORLD

incidental to series OF hard campaigns
the object of which was the winning
of purses. And after the horse became
famous he was rushed from one end of
the country to the other, always going
on the track. and doing something bet
ter than any other horse had done over
the same course 1t must not be as
sumed that Cresceus was not not given
a horses tasks at speed work until
he was a 2-year- old He was trained
as yearling, and the winter he was
coming 2 years old the baby trotter
was taken to the snow path speedway
and, according to the story of his own
err, George H. Ketcham of Toledo o..
succeeded in beating the best of the
Toledo horses"
/ never heard of any other trot-
ter being taken out on the snow be-
fore his second birthday had arrived
and stepped against seasoned nags.
Cresceus was trained as a year old,
started in two races, in one of them
beating field of fifteen, and the next
winter, to quote his owner, "he was
worked steadily on the snow and won
many a brush"
Only unheard of tests to which this
giant among horses was subjected
might be given, but enough has been
said to emphasize the point that Cres-
ceus was not champion trotter at ev-
cry angle of the game because he was
specially fitted for such efforts but be-
cause he was a horse of such over
whelming capacity as a race nag and
speed machine that he accomplished
those feats merely as part of the days
work.
Retires with Many Records.
When Cresceus finally was retired he
held the followin champion records:
Worlds trotting record ....... 2:02H
Stallion record .2:O2A
Race record, 3-year-ol old stallion. .2:11A
Worlds race record ..,. .2:03A
Fastest heat by a stallion In
race .......-.... 2:O3M
Fastest first heat in race ....2:03A
Fastest second heat ..2:05
Fastest fourth heat by a stall
hon s........ .2:0712
Fastest fifth heat by stallion. .2:O8%
Fastest eighth heat .2:11A
Fastest two heat race. .2:03A, 2:06A
Fastest three consecutive heats
in a race by stallion .........t
................... 2:07h, 2:06, 2:06
Fastest five heat race
Fastest eight heat race
Worlds record. half mile track. .2:O9A
Worlds record, half mile track, to
wagon ..'....... ............2:12
Worlds record, two miles ...4:17
Once more it is we'll to call attention
to the fact that the figures do not tell
the whole truth. For instance, Ores
ceus is credited with the fastest eight
heat race ever trotted when he was at
his best, but the record does not show
he was only a 3-year-old trotting
against aged horses, or that he took the
last three heats of the eight. The fol-
lowing season a faster eight heat race
wa strotted, but the winner, Nutbearer,
was an aged horse, as were all his COM
petitors, the occasion being a $4,000
purse for 224 trotters, so that none but
nags of proved speed and stamina
started And again. the fastest eighth
heat, still to the credit Of Cresceus, was
made when he was 8, and was 2:11A
whereas the eighth heat of the race
that beat the average of the event won
by Cresceus was done in 2:12 after a
nose finish between Nutbearer, Went
records better than 2:10
These are the side lights that reveal
the real greatness of the horse. Anoth-
er example is the half mile track rec
ord. Other trotting kings have not
been looking for honors on a two lap
course, and since the days of Rarus
none of them has been allowed to go
a mile at top notch speed on a small
ring. But Cresceus, on an exhibition
tour of the west, found only half mile
track at Kansas City-and he put up a
new worlds record. A few weeks prev
ious, at his home town, he had placed
the half mile track record to sulky
at 2:09h, and as if that were not enough
the stallion came out later in the af-
ternoon and went a mile TO wagon in
2:12, another worlds mark for a half
mile track.
Blood Lines Are creditabIe.
The blood lines of this Incompatible