El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-01
TROTTING CAME IS 80 YEARS OLD;
WELLS, FARGO PLANNEDF FIRST MEET
Success of Meet at Buffalo When What was Considered
Remarkable Records Were Made, Stimulated the
Horse Owners to Form an Association and
Harness Racing Was the Result.
BY FRANK G. sIENKE.

JEW YORK, April Fifty years
m ago a number Of thoroughbred
- sportsmen met in Buffalo and de-
cided to stage a harness horse meeting
in that city, with sizeable prizes for
each Of the events. And so was porn
the trotting game.
Prior to that time no regular unlnlAtu
meetings had been held. Horses IN the
! same sections sometimes were raced
against each other for small SIDE pets
Mixed race meetings were held IN
Michigan-but that was the limit or
racing as far as the trotters and PAGERS
We're concerned.
The fact that this summer marks the
5Oth. anniversary Of that memorable
meeting in Buffalo on August II, 10, 10
and II, 1856, has caused the turf enthu-
siasts to recount again the story OF
( those early days of horse racing.
First Purses TOtaIed S12y5OO
The prime movers in organizing the
first regular meet We're 9. j. Wells ana
w. G.. Fargo, who later formed the eX-
press company that still bears their
names; c. j. Hamlin, the founder OF the
Worn Products Refining company, an
SS0,O00.G0O corporation at the present
time; Il, I. Bedford, Gen. r. L. Howard,
Jewett Richmond, NJ p. Bush and sew
eral others.
When it was announced that purses
totaling $1,000 would be hung up Tor
lut tNtulhr IL Drought Ba6pS o. ASAvAl-
ishment from the turf world. The sum
was amazingly large in the minds OF
the horsemen of those days and the
lure Of the gold brought to Buffalo
some Of the best horses of that day.
And. also, it brought to the city thou
sands of spectators some coming from
the remote sections Of the country Buff
falO was peOpled with 4 larger crowd
of visitors than ever before in its MS
tory.
However. the promoters Of the meet
ing. which was held on the Cold Springs
mile track, added two extra races TO
the program and boosted the total prize.
awards to Sl2,500
Success Doomed Racing.
The generosity of the promoters of
that first meeting and its successful
staging brought about an instant boom
in light harness racing. The crowds
went wild over il. Many men who never
had owned horses bought some. The
price Of trotters and PAGERS increased
two and threefold.
Horsemen, realizing after that first
meeting that the sport Of kings" at
last had become organized, and prom
ised great expansion, began breeding IN
a systematic way. The blood OF many
Of the star performers Of those early
days courses through the veins Of some
of the speed kings Of today.
No better illustration of how the
speed Of the harness horse has in
the program Of that first meeting; one
which brought together the fastest
trOtters Of that time. What was con-
sidered amazing speed in those days is
likened to snaifs pace in the present
Initial Race for 2s4J TrOtters.
On the first day two events were run
off. The opener was for horses that
never have done better than 2:45 in
public" The purse was $1,000 and the
conditions OF the contest called for trot-
ting in one mile heats, best three in
five The second event Of the day was
a free for all trOt, in mile heats, best
three in five. for a $1,000 purse.
The second day Of racing found two
events carded. One was a best three
in five (mile heats) for 2:S4 trotters;
purse, $1,000. The other contest was a
team clash, best three in five. for
$3.50 prize.
The star event OF the meeting was
run off on the third day-a race that
excited almost as much comment in
those days as would q 100000 purse
contest in this age
The promoters hung I'D a purse for
$3.50 for the free for all battle, best
three in five. The race brought to-
gether three of the greatest horses de-
veloped in the old days-George NJ.
Patchen, jr., Dexter and Rolla Gold
dust
Dexter's Time Fastest.
The Dexter horse won the stake in
heats-2;27 Ia, 2:29 and 2:25,
and the crowd went into a frenzy of de- |
light over his remarkable accomplish |
ment"
Realizing that the huge crowd |
yearned to see a little more racing that /,
afternoon, the promoters hastily ar
another event, changing the