The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-12-26
Comeback Trotters Furnish
Real Thrills of 1912 Season

~ " III 4dElGI III GIN lew nOrSes
men who have witnessed his greatest
performances consider that UhIan has
reached his limit.
After Uhlan. Brace Girdle presents
the most interesting example of a trot-
ter with 'training-on" capacity. That
mare Was foaled in 1900. hence is on
the of her thirteenth anniversary
an age which most race mares have
long since passed from the view of
the public. Her debut upon the turf
was made back in 1907. when she
trotted one race, but did not acquire
a record. So she began 1908 a green
mare. Her campaign that year was a
memorable one. as during its course
she was started no less than twenty
two times. earning brackets twelve
times. capturing a large sum of mon
ey in stakes and purses. II scoring
a record Of 2:09 IA. The next year.
1909. she raced ten times. was only
bracketed twice. but lowered her rec
ord to 2:OS 1.2. Her behavior was
very erratic and she was believed "all
in" In consequence she was not
seen at the races until late in 1910,
the early part of the season being util-
lied in an effort tn reform her man.
ners. In this regard much success
seemed at first to. hav been attained,
and when she re-emerged on the
Grand Circuit late in the campaign
she was a different mare. While she
Won only one race. she trotted n Sc
ries a scintillant ones. in which she
was always a hot contender. and in
a sensational contest at Columbus cut
her mark to 2:01 Ia.
Last year her manners suffered a
relapse. she again became one Of
the most uncertain performers OH the
big ring" but when she dropped her
head and tried sticking to her gait
all the way. very. few trotters in train
ing could trim her. The supreme eff
fort Of her life she made that UNI
mer, again at Columbus. where, after
being beaten the first heat by Billy
Burk in 2:03 ga and the second by
and outlasted and outgamed them
both. winning the last three heats in
2:05 Ia, 2:0s 1-2 and 2:o7 81. This
contest smashed all records for five
heats and has not since been ap-
preached. In the third heat the mare
just equaled her best record Of the
Previous season. 2:05 Ia.
This last campaign Brace Girdle
was apparently but a shadow Of her
self until very late, when she rounded
to in the most surprising fashion and
covered herself with glory at Lexing-
ton by beating one Of the best fields
of the year and lowering her record
to 2:04 ga. She is the first trotter
that ever entered the 2:05 list at the
age of IL years. and very likely she
will be the last. At the recent "Old
Square garden. New York. she was
one Of the offerings. n as h was
purchased for export and is probably
by this time safe in her new home,
Russia. she will V again have a
chance in this country to lower her
record Grace Girdle. in the matter
Of speed, was n Of the most highly
endowed trotters that has yet cen
seen. Inc had her good behavior and
wire to wire been equal she would
have taken a very eminent place in
deed on the roster Of record break
ers.
OF the other members of the list
Dude Archdale Is the one worthiest
of remark. She made her third CAM
paign in 1912-that Is, barring a cou-
pie Of tentative starts that she made
as n 3-year-old. after which she was
laid away to ripen. She doomed upo
the money winners. capturing almost
5000 and took a record Of 2:0S Ia.
This she equaled upon several occa-
sions in 1911. hut did not lower. The
past campaign she cut 1t first to ?:0S
Ia and then to 2:o4 la. Nobody
who knows the mare regards her az
marked for l!fe'' at those figures.
Billy Burk broke into the 2:1o list
in 1910, when he trotted to a Agar
old record Of c:oS3-4. This he lower
cd to 2:o3 3-4 last year in the m
able race won by Brace Girdle. above
alluded to. That performance made
him seem a possible candidate for the