Evening journal., 1918-12-19
FAMOUS MATCHES
OF THE TROTTERS
Cocher Recounts Tales of
Duels Of Early Days
of Races
HOW POCAtlONTAS
WON WORLD RECORD


The present system Of light harness
tracing originated In matches, the flrsl
being friendly brushes on the road OF
*iurnpikes, followed by wagers on tracks
which were built for the contests.
No form OF racing in the early days
created so much enthusiasm as genu-
inc match, as was shown by the race
4 between American Eclipse and Henry,
which before II was contested became
a battle between the North and the
South. When tie trotters began per-
forming under saddle they adopted the
ssane method as the gallopers, and II
was continued after races to harness
were introduced
In the days OF Topgallant, Dutchman,
Ripton and Lady Suffolk II match
was made It was for money, and II was
deposited before the horses took the
word OF there was no race. These
were the kind Of events that enthused
the old time followers OF light harness
racing on Long Island One OF the most
spectacular was the flash between Poca-
hontas and Hero over the Union course
In 1885 for $1,000, when the pacing
queen to wagon disisnced her rival In
inc FIRST heat in 2i7is. and in so doing
established a worlds record that re-
n,~'1ed unbeaten 10 any hitch until
is7s.
5, hen the horses however, began TO
drift from the eastern tracks there
were so few Of them In the first flight
that their managers planned a series OF
hippodromes.
The first set OF these sham battles
was staged In 1859 with Flora Temple
and Princess as the stars. James d.
McMann won all OF them with the lit
tie bobtailed mare, while james L. Eoff,
who. passed Into turf history as "Dis-
nal Jimmy" managed the affair and
divided the receipts. He was a Cali
fornia product. or at least he first at
traoted attention In that State, and was
fortunate enough to play a return en-
gsgement OF the same kind In 1866 with
Gnorge NJ Patchen, Jr- when Budd
Dohle had Dexter.
In that year they trotted twelve Of
those matches. which was also the
same number credited TO Flora Temple
and Princess. OF course Dexter won
all Of them, while "Dismal Jimmy"
gathered In his share Of the spoil with
A horse that scarcely had speed enough
TO see which way Dexter went II his
speed had been turned on In any OF the
events.
This gave Doble the cue In handling
Goldsmith Maid, and during the ten
years he had her before the public he
took her on several transforming ex-
petitions The first was pulled off In
1869. when she won six races from
American Girl. In 1871 and 1872 she
trotted a series Of twelve races with
Lucy, both OF the mares being owned
by II. n. Smith. although the public
was not aware OF t. In 1874 the
perennial Goldsmith Maid came through
again In half a dozen races with Judge
Fullerton. while In 1877 she made a
tour OF the California tracks with |
Rarus.
BY this time the public began to have
doubts in regard TO the genuineness Of
trottlng turf matches, and the series
which w. II. Crawford planned for jay
Eye See and Phallas, with other horses,
when he was managing the Case stable
ID the early eightiess, did not Improve
matters. still few OF them were gen.
uine, although their value was nearly
always multiplied by two or four be-
fore the public was Invited to see the
contest. On this trip Jay Eye Zee de-
feated the old champion So. julien over
Fleetwood Park, New York. while he
also defeated AIaiolica at Pittsburgh I
and Cleveland.
At Rochester the clever people from
Wisconsin struck a snag when they
started Phallas against Trinket. The
iatter was then being trained by John
e. Turner and on the day Of the race
he gave j. /. Case $500 to put on Phal-
las for him. After that no one could
get q ticket away from the Case fam.
|ly. Those who were in with Tur-
lar took the other end and, as every 1
1ne knows, Trinket won in straight n
heats. 1t was one OF the best set traps
sver seen on a trottlng track as Turner
had Trinket up TO record form and no
one knew It but himself
In 1885 Phallas started In a real oou-
lest ,at Cleveland on July 4, when w. B.
Fasig succeeded in. bringing together
hat formidable representative Of the
Dictator family and Maxey Cobb. the
wo champion stations. The bills
started that the race was for $4,000,
tut whether II was or was not does not
rake any difference as II was battle
'oyal until Maxey Cobb showed the
white feather In the second heat. The
ime was 2i4, 2i5A and 220i4 at
,eriod when the stallion record against
line was 2i3A.
In 1889 there was another genuine