The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-05-26
AMONG THE HORSEMEN.
GRAND CIRCUIT EVENT DRAWS
191 NOMINATIONS.


Most of the Eligible Trotters in Train.
ing Have Been Named--HOpples Get
Another Setback Here
after to BE Lifted Only by n. r. A.
Sport Ahead for Harness Racing.
That more horses than ever before
are being pointed for the mile-track
meetings this spring has again been
proved by the entry list secured for
the early-closing events of the Grand
Circuit meeting at North Randall, the
suburb of Cleveland. No less than
so horses have been named i'll the
| FIVE stakes, the novelty event known
as the Tavern steak" securing 191
| of these. OF course the low entry
fee in this race was responsible in
measure for the large entry, but In the
Ohio $4,000 event, when was figured
to be on practically the same footing
as the NJ and M. 81 horses were nam
ed to start, the M. and M. having but
29 eligibles. Even in the fast class
for 2.06 PAGERS there were 19 named,
which is record-breaking for such
low-record class.
The Tavern "steak" is an event for
amateur drivers, the pure being $4,000
for trotters eligible to the 2.17 class.
The first payment in this event was
but 81, and a glance through the list
will make one believe that nearly ev-
cry eligible trotter in training in the
country had been named. The condi
tons call for an amateur, not neces
sarily the owner, to drive. An anna
teur has been defined as one who has
never driven in races for compen-
sation, and this will allow such men
as G. w. Lasell, the Massachusetts
millionaire, who races a stable, doing
his own driving, to participate. At
one time an amateur was defined as
one who had never driven in a race
for money, a ruling which would bar
out horsemen like Lasell. The later
definition allows an owner to drive the
horses in regular events for the
money and also to participate in ma
tinee events.
Among the prominent stables which
will be trained this spring at the
North Randall track is that of Louis
Winans of Brighton, Eng, the first
stable from across the water to in
wade the harness-horse track. This
stable is in charge of AL Pennock, a
former well-known Ohio trainer, who
| for several years has raced the Win
ans horses in England and on the
continent. The star pair are the $780,
| 900 Derby winner, Allen Winter,
2.06 II and the Kentucky Futurity win
ner Siliko, with a European record
of 2.0SA Two or three European
bred horses are also in the string,
and they will be raced in the slow
trotting classes on the grand circuit.
There will be a lot of interest taken
in the temperance of Siliko on this
side. His first start will undOubted
ly be in the $4,000 2.o9 trot at the
grand circuit opening meeting at Kali
amazoo. In this he is named against
such stars as Ruby Clay, 2.09A. who
trailed in 204A at Memphis last fall;
Demarest, 2.0SA, Aquin 20Sk, Claty
Lats, 2.0SA, Nancy Royce, 2.09h,
etc.-a bunch which will make him
show just how good he really is. In
1907, when a 4-year-old, he was raced
on the grand circuit by "Knap" Nc
earthly, and at Columbus he was just
nosed out by Axcyell, 2.O6A, Mccarthy
regards the little, low-headed son of
Moko and Silikon as the greatest
trotter in the country, and "Knap" is
something of Judge, for he has seen
all and driven some of the greatest
harness horses during the past 40
years.
Fastest Mile of Year.
The fastest mile by a harness
horse of the year was that of 2.09A
by the California PAGER Happy Den
fist, 211h, at Pleasanton a few days
ago Happy Dentist is son of Nut
wood Wilkes, 2.161A, dam by Azmoor,
2.201a and is in the stble of Henry
Helener, well-known trainer of the
Golden State, who regards him as a
sure 2.O5 prospect.
Last Hope of Topples Gone.
The last lingering hope of the
friends of the hopple was crushed in
Chicago last week, when the Ameri-
can Trotting Association went on re-
cord as supporting its sister organ
ization, the National Trotting Asso-
citation, in the gradual elimination of
the unsightly straps as an adjunct to
light harness racing. Several weeks
ago the National Association, by what
seemed a decisive vote, decided to
abolish the hopples on a sliding ba-
sis by which present owners of hop
pied performers would have ample
opportunity to conform with the new
rule, which did not become absolute
ly operative until 1914 Immediate