The New York herald., 1921-08-21
TROTTER VS.. PAGER
IN HARNESS RACING
Single G. the Favorite in Com
ing Match With Peter
Manning.
PACED QUARTER IN q 3-4
Superior Speed in Brush Usu-
aYly Gives Sidewheelers Adj
vantage in Mile Races.
PACED QUARTER IN 27 81
BY GURNEY C. CUE.

and arranged a race" between the trot-
ter and the PAGER to take place at Hart
ford's Grand Circuit meeting on Tues
day. September 6, for a purse of $4,000.
Mr. Upton writes that his negotiations
were solely with Thomas w. Murphy
and Ed Allen. the trainers of the horses,
and that he dropped them without going
to the owners.
According to the press reports from
Philadelphia the "race" at Hartford will
be of the peace without victory order.
limited to two heats and the money
evenly divided in case each horse wins
a heat. This is in line with twentieth
century ideas OF horse racing as eX-
pressed by the rules Of the National
Trotting Association, of which Mr..
Gocher is the secretary. Anything to
avoid a clean cut decision rather than
anything to insure 1t seems to be the
purpose.
Frown ON Mixed Races.
Not all horsernen approve of pitting a
trotter against a PAGER under any condi-
tions or circumstances; much less on the
pink tea plan of racing reported from
Philadelphia. Experience has shown
that in mixed races open to trotters and
PAGERS having the same degree of speed
as indicated by their records the PAGERS
win about three times out of four, IL not
q little oftener. This is not because they
are gamer, better race horses than the
trotters. The contrary Is often true, and
yet the PAGER wins the race because his
gait seems to give him an advantage in
a brush. AS between horses of equal
speed for one mile the PAGER Is usually
little higher geared and can go quar-
ter or a half so fast that when this adj
vantage Is brought into full play by good
strategy on the part of his driver he is
able to head the :rotter at the finish
II the meeting of Peter Manning and
Single G. at Hartford results in real
horse race 1t is not unlikely that Allen,
relying on the PAGERS presumably supc-
rior brush, will let the trotter set the
pace to the head of the homestretch and
then try TO win with a whirlwind rush
at the finish Lots of men who know
the horse believe he could pace that last
quarter in 81 seconds-a / AS gait. He
did 1t handily in 0:27a. as officially
timed. in his race at Toledo a few weeks
ago.
Must BE Another UhIan.
If Peter Manning is another Uhlan.
:5S, he might be able to stall off such
a rush, for the holder of the worlds rec
ord is credited with having trotted
quarter in 81 seconds In 1916. But un-
.ess Murphy's trotter possesses all the
0peed of the black champion, which he
has not yet shown, ii would be surpris-
ing II he could win a heat from Single
G. when fit and rightly driven. With a
third horse in the race to act as pace
lmaker for Peter Manning the chances of
The trotter might be improved.
While races between trotters and
;acers have always been frowned upon
Is illegitimate contests. there are nu-
nerous instances in the records of har-
oess racing in which some great trot-
yer. unable to find his match among
aorses of his own gait. has sought a
.oeman worthy of his steel ia the best
sacer in sight.
Lady Suffolk, the first 2 80 trotter.
lid this on more than one occasion. 1t
sas in such a contest, indeed, that the
gray mare first beat 2:30. Having
Beaten Dutchman, Ripton. Confidence
Ind other cracks of her own gait. David
Eryan started her in two races against
Henry Severances chestnut PAGER Oneida
Chief in 1S41. The first was a match
for $500 side at the Beacon course,
in Hoboken. ut two-mile heats In har-
ness. She won it in .05, distancing
turned the tables on her a few weeks
later when they met again, this time
under saddle, at three-mile heats. Two
years afterwards they were pitted
against each other in five more races,
two of which were won by the trotter
and three by the PAGER. 1t was at the
Beacon. on July IL, 1S43. that Lady
Suffolk trotted her winning heats in
2:26A, :27 and 2 :27 the mare going
f-tat at.
harness to a 70-pound sulky. Her time
was tho best on record for a trotter.
Flora Temple Beat Hero.
Flora Temple, the first 2:20 trotter,
once measured strides with the PAGER
Hero. 2:20h, she going 90 sulky while
he pulled a wagon, at two-mile heats
over the Centreville course on Long
Island The little bobtailed mare won
the race. but not without losing the
first heat to the PAGER in 4:59. Dexter,
2:17A. raced against the PAGERS Polly
Ann, 2:26h. and Magousler. :20h, on
several occasions. but he always beat
them as easily as he did most of the
trotters that crossed his path Gold
smith Maid. 2.14. tho successor of Dex-
ter. trotted race against the PAGER
Copperbottom, 2:19h, at Philadelphia
in 1874, defeating him without diffi-
Guilty in 2:25h, 2:24A and 2:25ia. Like
Dexter's competitors he was not in her
class.
None of the later day record holders
ever took part in a mixed race so Tar
as Is known but in 1898, when Mascot
2:04, held the record for PAGERS and
Directum, . ;05h. was the uncrowned
king OF trotters. they came together IN
n memorable match race at Fleetwood
Park in the presence Of 10000 spectators
Directum, then four-year-old, was just
coming to his best estate, while Mascot,
never n stout horse, had turned the cor
ner and was on the down grade. The
trotter started favorite and won as he
liked in 2:10h. 2:07% and 2:OsM, with
out being headed In any heat
II Peter Manning wins a heat at Hart
ford he should make n new race rec
ord for trotters. The record lis now held
by Hamburg Belle and was made at
Cleveland in 1909, when she defeated
Uhlan in 3;01h and 2:O1%