Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-08-11
THIS WEEK
The Sport of Millions
Continued from page sir

to develop, and in which there have
been many mile-poSts.
First and foremost is the importa-
ton, in 1888, of the English thorough
bred, Messenger; and second is the
fact that most of the mares bred TO
him were descendants of Dutch horses
brought over by the men who founded
New Amsterdam. Most important is
this Dutch blood - not because it
contributed any great speed, but
because the Dutch horses were natural
trOtteys. 1t is from them that the
American trotter received his gait.
The next step was the creation in
1918 of the first mile trotting record.
This was set by Boston Blue, on the
Jamaica turnpike on Long Island, and
the time was three minutes. Boston
Blue was ridden, not driven - it was
good twenty-five years before trot-
tiers were raced regularly in harness -
and the time seems very slow to us
nowadays; but it was a record, and
as such invited someone to break it.
Someone did break it, Many broke
it; by 1852 the time had been lowered
to 2:28. And in that year appeared in
public one William Rysdyk. with
three-year-old colt that trotted
mile in 2:48, and went on from there
to make history.
Not because of the time. although it
was good performance for horse
of that age at that period; and not
because he won race in trotting it.
History was made because that colts
name was Hambletonian - after
whom the great Goshen race was
named, and from whom 90 per cent
of modern harness horses are de-
scended.
During the next fifty years, Ham,
bletonian's name became household
word, He did little racing, but as a
sire, Hambletonian rose to increasing
fame. AS sire he became supreme,
and his descendants we're sent all over
the world. The present holder of the
worlds record, for instance, Peter
Manning, who trotted mile in l .56%
at Lexington in 1922, traces to
Hambletonian.
Which horse was the greatest of
Hambletonian's descendants? Only a
very brave man would answer def
initely - but in the matter of an
amazing career, one stands out beyond
all Others. She was a mare, and her
name was Goldsmith Maid; and until
Zev broke her record in 1923, she had
been the American champion money
winner for 46 years. She won $780,, 537
- and yet she never started in a race
in which she could win more than
$1,000!
Goldsmith Maid began racing in
1865. when she was eight years old.
Six years later she broke the world S
record. During the next three years
she lowered her own record three times
- the last time, when she was seven
teen, placing it at 2.14.
At the age of nineteen, she tied that
record. Then, after two more success
full years on the track, she was retired
to the stud, where she produced three
foals, one of which was good sire Of
winning trotters.
She started in 1913 races. She won
81, was second in II. third in 7, She
trotted, counting races and exhibitions
against time, 428 heats in all. She was
the worlds champion from 1871 to
1879.
Speed and endurance - she had
them both. and was therefore the
perfect type of American trotter. For,
thanks to the heat" system of racing
which prevails in trotting, the trotter
must have endurance, must be able to
go three or four miles at racing speed
in one afternoon. A trotter, on a
racing day, will trot about ten miles,
including training, warming up, and
so on; whereas the thoroughbred, the