Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-05-07

the o05H Of Directum. and he made the
record 2O2k. That stood until last sum-
mer. when The Harvester. In successive
trials against the watch. trotted In 2O2,
2.01A. POI. That in the near future some
stallion will trot in two minutes seems
probable. now that the three-year-old rec
ord has been lowered by an entire horse
to 2.O1A.
Nobody was looking for the saddle rec
ord between 1877, when Great Eastern
placed it at 215%, and 1904, when MI.
Billings sent his matinee horse, Charley
Mac. after it and pulled the figures down
to 2.14N. Before Great Eastern's day
Dexter. champion harness trotter, also
held the saddle record, his mile being
2.1S Charley Mac was at the top for Ave
derful horse. stepped It or in 2.06A. But
II tnotting under saddle were revived
there would be some two-minute nags
right away.
Last summer when Mr.. Billings drove
Chlan a milo to wagon in 2O1. man and
Billings first held the honor In 1900. when
he drove Lucille in 2O7. Then Geers and
The Abbot came along with 2.O6M to four
wheels the Same season. In 1903 Maj
Delmar made 1t 2.O3X. and Lou Dillon a
few weeks later went in two minutes.
MI. Billings also holds the team record
2.O7&, with The Monk and Equity, that
mile, In 1904. displac4ng the 2.12A of Belle
Hamlin and Honest George in 1892, driven
by Geers.
Records Of the PAGERS.
The PAGERS have not done as much as
the trotters In the past decade, when the
matter Of q record at one mile is consid-
cred, because in 1897 Star Pointer, the
first harness horse to beat two minutes,
had a 1854 mile to his credit, and there
were no windshields in those days. When
the Windshield hauled by front runner
was utilized all previous records went
glimmering. Dan Patch was the hero of
the hour. and the stallion never stopped
until he had hung UP 1.551l, which never
was beaten, and with the windshield
barred Is not likely to be. Minor Heir,
under present conditions, is the champion
his mile being 1.6S1a, made last summer.
as we'll as a speed marvel, and yet his
mile, the best by a PAGER 'in the open, u
Is only q quarter Of q second better than
that Of the trotter Uhlan under like con-
ditions
The present-day PAGERS Of note are
trotting bred, Minor Heir being g. fine
example Of the fact, and that the trot
and the pace are interchangeable gaits
has been proven many time by some
horse taking a fast record at each gait.
to pacing ten years later. and acquired
a record Of 2O6N at the new gait
Many sidewheelers Now.
Thirty years ago PAGERS were q rarity,
and It was not unfit about 1876 that a
race Of that sort was put on the grand
circuit program. and then it was tried
only by the Cleveland track. Nowadays
PAGERS come from every bush. and half
the races in the land are for the side
wheel nags. They furnish sharp con-
trast, but nobody tries to breed them.
They are the by-product Of the trotting
stock farms, and as such are utilized, and
so universal has their use become that
the one-time dictum. mo gentleman
drives q pacer,'' has been forgotten.
Two thousand race tracks devoted to
the trotters and PAGERS distributed 3d.
100000 in purses last year, and it cost
100000 to train and cart around the
n.0OO horses taking part In those races.
The harness horse owners pay literally
for their sport, and they like to foot the
bills.
the article nsxt Sunday in this series of
specials will Be BY ]. G. Davis on Twentieth
Century Golf."1