JOHN A. SEAVERNS
3 9090 013 420 183
■
WILLIAM B. FASIG
BORN AT ASHLAND, O., SEPT. 27, 1845,
DIED AT BENNYSCLIFFE, BREWSTER, N. Y., FEB. 19, 1902.
FASIG'S
TALES of the TURF
WITH
MEMOIR
In which is included a History of the Cleveland
Driving Park, a Review of the Grand Circuit,
How the Gentlemen's Driving Club of
Cleveland was Started, and a Sketch
of Fasig's Sale Business
BY
W. H. GOCHER
PUBLISHED BY
W. H. Gocher, Hartford, Conn.
1903
b
Entered according to the Act of Congress in the
year 1903, by
W. H. GOCHER,
In the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington.
PRESS OF
Winn & Jddson,
cleveland, o.
INDEX
MEMOIR.
Jenny Fluctuates 9
Elected Secretar3' 11
1871 Meeting 13
Quadrilateral Beginning 15
Hampden Park 17
Hartford 19
Grand Circuit 21-23
Grand Circuit Table between 22-23
1873 Meeting 25
1874 Meeting 27
1875 Meeting 29
William Edwards 31
1876 Meeting 33
Goldsmith Maid and Smuggler 35-37
Smuggler Wins 39
Outsiders Win 41
Hopples 43
1878 Meeting 45
Rarus Breaks the Record 47
1880 Meeting 49
Keyes and Lucy 51
1881 Meeting 53
Four-in-Hand Teams 55
Bostick and Warrior 57
The Demon Trotter 59
What 2:14 Meant 61
Wyandot and Keokee 63
1883 Meeting 65
On the Snow in New York 67
Sealskin Brigade 69
Maud S., 2:09% 73
A Ringer 75
A Race to Wagon ,7
A Battle for The Throne 79
Maud S., 2:08% 81
A 2:04 Gait 83
Phyllis in Lake Erie 85
An Expensive Work Out 87
Brown Hal and Palo Alto 89
A Buffet of Fortune 91
Patron and Harry Wilkes 93
L887 Meeting 95
1888 Sale 97
T wisting the Talent 99
Sale of Guy 101
Guy Sold for $29,750 103
1889 Meeting 105
Emery and Fasig 107
1890 Meeting 109
The Intimidators Ill
1891 Sale 113
Temple Bar Expelled 115
Mollie A. a Ringer 117
1892 Meeting 119
The Elyria's Winning 121
L893 Meeting 123
1894 Meeting 125
13 127
Rifle 129
Bike Sulky Cut Records 131
The Gentlemen's Driving Club 133-135
The Challenge Trophy 137
1897 Meeting 139
1899 Meeting 141
1900 Meeting 143
INDEX.
Synopsis of Meetings between 144-145
Fasig Goes to New York 145
1893 Sales 147-149
1895 Sales 151
Star Pointer 153
1897 Sales 155
Change in the Firm 157
Fasig-Tipton Co 159
The Abbot Sold for $26,500 161
Millions for Horses 163
Thoroughbred Sales 165
Suburban Farm Sale 167
Sales of Harness Horses 169
Sales of Thoroughbred Horses 171
The End 173
Sale Ring Reminiscences 175
Bought the Wrong Horse 177
Combination of Contradictions 179
An Advertiser 181
A Reinsman 183
Press Comments 185
TALES OF THE TURF.
Andy and I 266
A Speedway Incident 278
A Strange Land 224
Buffalo Park 309
Good Luck 2.58
Heat Betting 293
How a Swipe Won 303
In Bret Harte's Country 282
Klatawa's Diary 274
Limit of Trotting Speed 264
Matt Laird and Rubenstein 312
McDoel 214
Musket 305
Pat Shank 289
Seventy Dollars 280
Stranger 248
Temperament of Brood Mares 211
The American Trotting Horse 259
The Highly Polished Gold Brick 310
The Old Plan the Best 286
The Ride of a Life Time 307
The Sandpiper 235
The Secretary 244
The Trotter on the Farm 295
Trotting Tracks 188
Types of Horses 253
Wyokee 313
This Book is Dedicated to
THE AMERICAN TROTTER
A type of horse that contributed materially to the pleasure,
health and wealth of the inhabitants of North America during
the last half of the nineteenth century. On the road, to harness
and on the farm the trotter stands as the highest type of equine
intelligence and equine usefulness, being able to do all kinds of
work from racing to pulling a plough, and it is the sincere hope
of the writer of this note that the sentiment created by the record-
breaking performances of Flora Temple, Dexter, Goldsmith
Maid and their successors to championship honors, as well as
their contemporaries, will continue throughout this century and
for all time place the purely American sport of harness racing on
so high a plane that the trotter shall never become a matter-of-
fact medium for speculation.
MEMOIR.
When presenting the horse stories written by the late
William B. Fasig, it is not the intention of the writer to
give a review of his life other than that portion of it cov-
ering his connection with harness racing. It was his
hobby, and fortune willed that from that source he should
win a competence, only to be carried off after he had set-
tled down at Bennyscliffe to enjoy himself breeding and
developing a few colts from Keokee, Eloise, and other
mares which he had tried on the turf and found up to his
standard of excellence. These stories have been resur-
rected from the files of the turf papers and put in book
form, as they are worth preserving on account of their
literary merit, while to those who knew their author, they
should be doubly acceptable, as they will from time to
time remind the reader of a clever, whole-souled, enthu-
siastic horseman, whose idol was the American trotter, a
product, as he termed it, "That did not require any natur-
alization papers."
William Benjamin Fasig was born September 2.7,
1845, at Ashland, Ohio. His father was a minister and
a good horseman, and there is nothing on record to show
that he was displeased when he learned that "Benny" had
a leaning in that direction. For that matter, all of the
Fasig family were tarred with the same stick, Benny's
uncles being famous for "that smooth, versatile, good-
will-on -earth way of talking about a horse that is never
the result of education or practice, but a trait born in the
8 MEMOIR.
infant who is in after life a genuine admirer of a good
horse." Of these Uncle Dan was the star. He had an eve
for a horse, while he never grew weary expatiating on
the beauty and goodness of a certain blaze-faced, small
gelding, bay in color and "Morgan on both sides," that
could out trot, out walk, out run, and out pull any horse
in Ashland County for fun, money or marbles.
The old story about the bent twig has a striking exam-
ple in the case of William B. Fasig. From the time that
he could toddle, the stable had more attraction for him
than the schoolhouse, and as soon as he was permitted
to drive a horse, a brush on the road or the third of a
mile tan bark track, was, in his eyes, the only thing on
earth worth living for. The limit of boyhood delights
was reached when his father gave him two mares. One
was called Nell and the other Jenny. Nell was a roan
mare considerably older than her new owner. She had
the heaves, a docked tail, and was adorned with a pair of
bone spavins. But all of these defects were lost sight of
from the fact that she could trot like a blue streak. There
was not a horse in that "neck of woods" that could step
by her, and the climax was reached when she made her
youthful owner the "King of the castle" by defeating the
local star, Lucy, at the county fair, for a $25 purse in 3 103.
The band was not called out to "See the conquering hero
come," but the desire to have it, and the showman in-
stinct to wish for it was there, even at that date. For
weeks "Benny" Fasig and Nell were at the top of the
heap, and when Uncle Dan called there was talk of rec-
ord-smashing that made the performances of Lady Suf-
folk, Ethan Allen, Dutchman and Flora Temple, look
hazy. All dreams of youth have silver linings. We have
all had them, our children will have them, their children
JENNY FLUCTUATES. 9
will have them, and so it will go on to the end of time.
Nell was, however, fated to fall from the pedestal
erected by her owner as there was a rival in the stable. It
was Jenny. She was a four-year-old, a beautiful brown,
and one-eyed. The skill acquired in handling Nell
caused Jenny to put her right foot forward and step off
with that coveted one, two, three, four beat of the regu-
lation trotter. Over thirty years after, Fasig's eyes
would sparkle as he told how Jenny could go by Nell
"the same as a streak of lightning would pass a funeral
procession." In one of his letters to the Horse Review
he said : "I played Jenny for a 'quarter hoss,' and she
could run, until one day I found she could trot. Gee
whiz ! how she could step. I wish I had her now, in the
days of bike sulkies, and silk velvet tracks. She had a
gait like Dexter's, that opened and shut like a steel trap,
game and gritty, and wild ; you bet she was ; but she
always stuck to a trot. One day father and I went into
the country. Jenny was hitched to a spring seat, one-
horse wagon, and on our return trip we struck a drove of
hogs. Jenny and hogs hardly danced in the same set, and
I didn't have a howling hankering to tackle that drove,
neither did I dare show dad the white feather. We
started cautiously and had got quarter way through the
drove, when an idiot pig got under the hind wheel and
protested. Jenny 'fluctuated' just once; father went
over backwards, and I hung to the lines tight as polish on
a tombstone. There was activity in the pork market, and
it is conceded in that locality that the next four miles were
negotiated in record-breaking time. Nobody was hurt.
Jenny remained the property of William B. Fasig
until he ran away from school, a few days before he
was sixteen, to join James Garfield's Forty-second Regi-
10 MEMOIR.
ment of Ohio Volunteers. x\fter the close of the war he
removed to Cleveland, where he was employed by a com-
mercial house. When well under way in the matter of
making a living a trotter was purchased, the first one
selected being the outlaw Chestnut Dick. It is alleged
that before passing into Fasig's hands this horse had
masqueraded under such names as Pompey, John T., etc.,
and had made a faster mark than the 2 138 that stands
after his name in Chester's Complete Trotting and Pacing
Record. Whether he did or not does not make much dif-
ference at this date, while at the time Fasig purchased
him his history was well known by the followers of the
races in Northern Ohio. In the seventies there were a
number of non-association tracks in Ohio, so that it was
possible for Chestnut Dick and other horses that had car-
ried an assortment of names to pay their way by racing
at the fairs which began in the middle of August and
continued until the snow flew. At the period referred to
there was always a cloud of uncertainty surrounding a
strange horse at a fair in the Western States, and Ohio
was considered in the West at that time. That era of
harness racing has fortunately gone forever, and no one
did more to stamp it out than William B. Fasig. He
had seen both sides of it, and had a very fair idea how a
man, who was racing a clever young horse on his merits,
felt after being defeated or driven to a fast record by a
"rinsrer." When it came to a case of "diamond cut dia-
mond," it did not make so much difference, as while the
rogues gave the public to all appearances, a horse race,
they usually before the last heat was contested, took a
practical view of the situation and made "a divide." But
that is another matter.
W. B. Fasio; told me that he won a number of races
ELECTED SECRETARY. 11
with Chestnut Dick, but none of them have been reported
except a $200 match which was trotted with Maggie Kim-
berly, an old time dot-and-carry-one trotter owned by
Fred Kimberly, one of the original characters of the
Forest City. The pair met at Elyria, May 29, 1872, and the
following summary shows that they had a busy afternoon :
Chestnut Dick, ch. g., by John Henry;
William B . Fasig 2 1 2 1 1
Maggie Kimberly, b. m.; Fred Kimberly 1 2 1 2 2
Time— 2:43, 2:38, 2:42^, 2:41^, 2:41.
According to the official records this was William B.
Fasig's first appearance on the trotting turf, his juvenile
victory with Nell at the Ashland fair "befo' the war"
having escaped the collector of turf statistics.
In 1882, through the influence of Colonel William
Edwards, the subject of this memoir was elected Secre-
tary of the Cleveland Club, which at that time controlled
the mile track at Glenville. In that position William B.
Fasig made his reputation as a race track official and a
horseman, and also first showed the qualities which in
time stamped him as one of the cleverest advertisers that
has ever been connected with the horse industry in
America. Under the direction of Colonel Edwards (a
man who was loved by everyone who had the pleasure of
knowing him, and who was, from the time that he as-
sumed office in 1876, up to the day of his death, Septem-
ber 21, 1898, the directing spirit in racing affairs in Cleve-
land), Fasig equipped the grounds and at the same time
laid the foundation of the reputation which harness rac-
ing enjoys in the Forest City. As Fasig's name is in-
separably linked with the track over which so many fast
records have been made and memorable races contested,
a brief sketch of it and the early meetings held there
will not be out of place in these pages.
12 MEMOIR.
The Cleveland mile track was built in 1870 by the
Northern Ohio Fair Company, the fair feature of the so-
ciety being located on the grounds now known as Gorden
Glen, and connected with the race track by a bridge over
St. Clair street, which was at that time a country road.
In the spring of 187 1 the following advertisement ap-
peared in the columns of ''The Spirit of the Times" and
"The Turf, Field and Farm :"
THIRST ANNUAL SPRING MEETING
-**- OF THE
CLEVELAND CLUB,
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE
Northern Ohio Fair Association,
CLEVELAND, O.
JUNE 20, 21, 22, and 23, 1871.
Premiums, - - - - $5,000.
FIRST DAY— Tuesday, June 20.
3:00 Purse. $500.— $250, $125, $75, $50.
2:40 Purse. $650.— $300, $175, $100, $75.
SECOND DAY.
2:50 Purse, $500.— $250, $125, $75. $50
2:33 Purse, $1,000.— $600, $300, $100.
THIRD DAY.
Pacing Race— Purse, $300.— $175, $75, $50.
2:45 Purse. $500.— $2-50, $125, $75, $50.
FOURTH DAY.
Open to all— Purse, $1,000.— $600, $300. $100.
Running Race, Single Dash— Purse, $300.— $175, $75,
$50.
Running Race, best two in three— Purse, $250. — $125,
$75, $50.
RULES AND REGULATIONS.
The trotting shall be governed by the rules of the
National Trotting Association, and the running by
the rules of the Cincinnati Jockey Club Association.
A horse distancing the field shall only be entitled
to first premium.
All entries for premiums must close the 13th of June.
Entrance ten per cent, of purse, and must accom-
pany nominations.
All communications addressed to Geo. W. Howe,
Cleveland, Ohio.
JOHN TODD, President.
George W. Howe, Secretary.
1 8/ I MEETING. 13
In addition to racing under the rules of The National
Trotting Association, the Cleveland Club was also a mem-
ber of that organization, which was then located at Provi-
dence, R. L, and doing business as the National Associa-
tion for the Promotion of the Interests of the American
Trotting Turf. The engineer's certificate, filed by the
Club, also shows that the track measured 5,280 feet one
inch, three feet from the pole. Those figures remained
unchanged until 1883 when, after a few alterations the
track was re-measured and found to be 5,280 feet eight
inches in circumference three feet from the pole.
A short time after the programme for the meeting was
announced, the Cleveland Club employed John Denman
to take charge of the track and grounds. At this writ-
ing (1902) he is still there, and is known from the Atlan-
tic to the Pacific, and as Adams the blacksmith might
remark, several places in Canada, as "Race Track Jack,"
whose only hobby is that fast strip of clay which is re-
ferred to by racing men as the "golden oval at Glenville."
The first heat and race decided over the Cleveland
Driving Park was won by the gray gelding Silversides,
and this race was also the first in which that horse won
a heat. Before coming to Cleveland Silversides was de-
feated at Alliance and Zanesville by a horse called
Brown Tom, who retired from the turf with a record of
2:45^/2, while the gallant gray, who was, by the way, a
product of Columbiana County, trained on to a record of
2 '.22, and proved one of the best race horses of his day.
The following is the official summary of the race, which
will be of interest to those who are fond of locating early
events :
14 MEMOIR.
Cleveland, Ohio, June 20, 1871.
Purse, $500 for horses that never beat three minutes,
$250, $125, $75, $50.
William Stewart's gr. g., Silversides by Ches-
ter Lion 1 1 1
A.M. Wilson's gr. m., Kittie 232
E. A. Lytle's blk. m., Blackthorn 3 2 3
T. P. Roche's b. m., Titusville. 544
John L. Rush's blk. g. , Steer 4 dis.
G. A. Myer's blk. g., Tom Moore, Jr dis.
James Myer's br. g. , Novelty dis.
W. C. Gimmell's br. g dis.
W. F. Archer's rn. m., Kittie dis.
William B. Leonard's blk. g.. Dr. Bonaparte dis.
J. P. Gilbert's gr. g., Billy dishing dis.
J. P. Hazard's ch. g., George dis.
Time— 2:37^, 2:35, 2:38^.
From the above date up to the close of 1879, Silver-
sides was raced each season, and in that period met and
defeated the best horses in training, the list including
such old-time stars as Harry Mitchell, Lew Scott, Red
Oak, Sleepy John, John B., Hylas, Elsie Good, Slow Go,
Belle Brasfield, Deception, John H., Annie Collins, Mon-
arch Jr., Scott's Thomas, Cozette, etc., while he at dif-
ferent times took the word with Adelaide, Darby, Rarus,
Bodine, Dick Swiveller, Doctor Lewis, Huntress, Lew-
inski, Red Cloud, Tom Keeler, and a host of others.
John Hines, who is still (1902) training a few horses at
Minerva, Ohio, drove him in many of his races. Dash was
also a winner on the opening day of the meeting. He
was owned in Youngstown, and later on became promi-
nent as Ohio Boy.
The fastest mile trotted at the inaugural meeting of
the Cleveland Club was won by Monarch, Jr., in 2:29^.
He started in the 2:33 class, which was placed to the
QUADRILATERAL BEGINNING. 15
credit of Annie Watson, a chestnut mare by Vermont
Boy, that retired with a record of 2 133. The gray geld-
ing Dan Voorhees was the winner of the only pacing race
on the programme. In the third heat of it he placed the
track record for harness performers at 2 125, which he
reduced to 2 1243/2 at the September meeting, when he
defeated Sorrel Frank and Lady Mack. The Buffalo
horse Byron won the free-for-all on the last day of the
meeting, while both of the running races, which were at
a mile, were awarded the six-year-old chestnut horse
Boaster, by imported Eclipse, out of Vanity, a daughter
of Etiquette, whose dam was the celebrated Trustee mare
Fashion. Boaster was in good form that afternoon as
he galloped one of his miles in 1 44^4, and for that mat-
ter, he was prominent all of the season after his owner
succeeded in evading Joseph Cairn Simpson and the
Bonnie Scotland colt, Van, formerly Blenkiron. The
judges for the day were John Tod, E. A. Buck, a former
resident of Cleveland, but at that time living in Buffalo,
and L. J. Powers, of Springfield, Mass., all three of
whom were named as stewards of the Quadrilateral Trot-
ting Combination when it was organized in 1873, their
associate being E. Z. Wright, of Utica, N. Y. W T hat is
now known as the Grand Circuit can be traced to the
Judges' Stand at Cleveland in 1871.
While speaking of the beginning of the Quadrilateral
Trotting Combination, L. J. Powers, who has been
continuously connected with harness racing in - an
official capacity longer than any man living, and
who is the only surviving member of the first
Board of Stewards, told me that the question of
giving a consecutive series of meetings for large
purses was first discussed in William Edwards' house in
16 MEMOIR.
Cleveland, on one of the evenings of the inaugural meet-
ings of the Cleveland Club in 1S71. The subject was in-
troduced at dinner, and as Mr. Powers remembers. Col.
Edwards started it. Col. Edwards' guests that evening
were John Tod. the president of the Cleveland Club, and
the Northern Ohio Fair Company ; E. A. Buck, who was
at that time the vice-president of Buffalo Park and the
wheel horse of the organization which that season gave
S50.000 for four days' racing (^Chandler J. Wells being
president i : and L. J. Powers, at that time the chairman
of the Executive Committee of the Springfield Club, which
had held meetings at Hampden Park in 1868 and 1869,
and which, when it secured control of the track, was re-
organized as the Hampden Park Trotting Association.
As L. T. Powers sat in his home on Pearl street.
Springfield, and recalled the old days and reunions which
were held annually on his lawn, sloping off towards the
city, he said: "Billy Edwards and I were boys together
in this town. He was live years my senior, but as our
tastes were similar, especially on the horse question, we
traveled in the same set. About the first thing I can re-
member of him was a fondness for Connecticut river shad
and a desire to own a good horse to drive on the road.
As a starter we managed to save a few dollars to hire one
that could trot a little. I do not now remember that
either of us were particularly anxious to race with every-
one that we came to. but there was always the satisfac-
tion in knowing that we could if we wanted to. When
the time came for both of us to strike out for ourselves.
William Edwards started for the Western Reserve and
located in Cleveland, where he eventually engaged in the
grocery business. I remained here and established what
is now known as the Powers Paper Company.
HAMPDEN PARK. 17
"As a young man I saw the first horse show of
national importance in Ni rth America. It was held in
Springfield, October 10 to 13, 1853. George M. Atwater
was the leading spirit in the organization, while such men
as Oliver Wendell Holmes, Rufus Choate and Edward
Everett were numbered among its guests. The show was
held on a vacant field owned by the United States gov-
ernment and now covered by the United States Armory
buildings. Temporary stalls were erected, as well as a
grandstand and a half mile track, on which Budd Doble
appeared as a driver, while P. T. Barn urn was judging
ponies in the infield. The show was a success, and it and
its successor furnished the funds to build Hampden
Park, which was inaugurated in 1857 with an address by
the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. Exhibitions were given
there in 1858, 1859 and i860. Then there was a lull until
after the war. The first race meeting was held in 1868.
It was given under the joint management of the Spring-
field Club and the Hampden Park Agricultural Society.
I was chairman of the executive committee and invited
William Edwards to be one of the judges. He was with
us again the following year, when he told me that Cleve-
land would soon have a mile track. In 1870 he wrote that
it was completed, and later on I was requested to go to
Cleveland as a judge at the inaugural meeting in 1871.
When I returned from Cleveland the question of a series
of meetings was left in abeyance on account of there being
but three tracks. Another link was wanted in the chain.
'"The following year, while the Buffalo meeting was in
progress. Col. Edwards and I were E. A. Buck's guests.
One evening at dinner he introduced C. W. Hutchinson,
who was at the head of an association which had built a
mile track in Utica. By the time the cigars were reached
18 MEMOIR.
the foundation was laid for what was afterwards known
as the Quadrilateral Trotting Combination, and a series of
meetings on consecutive weeks in 1873. I did the balance
of the work by correspondence, designed the first letter
heads bearing the title of the combination, the names of
the stewards, as well as the name of the secretary,
Samuel Briggs, the Secretary of the Cleveland Club, be-
ing named for the place. The first meeting of the Quad-
rilateral was held at Cleveland, July 29 to August 1, the
dates for the other members' meetings being Buffalo,
August 5 to 8; Utica, August 12 to 14, and Springfield,
August 19 to 22. The premiums for the four meetings
amounted to $169,300.
'Tn 1874, the stewards of the Quadrilateral Trotting
Combination held their first meeting in Utica, as C. W.
Hutchinson's guests. The dates for the year were se-
lected and programmes announced, but before the bell
rang it was learned that an association at Rochester had
decided to open its new mile track with a meeting the
same week as Utica. The clash injured both meetings.
In 1875, Rochester and Poughkeepsie, where a mile
track had been built the preceding year, became mem-
bers of the circuit, the name for the series being changed
to the Central Trotting Circuit. This change resulted in
another clash on account of Poughkeepsie selecting the
same dates as Buffalo, and in order to secure entries the
Poughkeepsie association cut its entrance fee to 5 per
cent, of purse. This was the first time that such a low
entry fee had ever been heard of, the rate being 10 per
cent., and it remained at that figure in the Grand Circuit
until 1892, when it was changed to five per cent, to enter,
with 5 per cent, additional from the winners of each di-
vision of the purse.
HARTFORD. 19
"In 1874, Charter Oak Park, at Hartford, was opened
with a $30,000 meeting, August 25 to 28. Ebenezer Rob-
erts was president, Morgan G. Bulkeley, treasurer, and
Alexander Harbison, secretary. It was admitted to the
circuit in 1876, and is still a member. That year, or the
following one, the Board of Stewards were the guests
of the Rochester Driving Park, whose officers requested
them to hold all of their future meetings in that city. To
decline such a location after the entertainment provided
by the Hon. Fred Cook, E. B. Parsons, George J. Whit-
ney, George W. Archer and their associates, was an issue
that could not be considered, and from that date until
Springfield, and for that matter, until Rochester dropped
out of line in 1896, the Stewards of the Grand Circuit,
with very few exceptions, held their annual meetings in
that City. To what might be termed the "Old Guard"
there are many pleasant memories attached to those
meetings and banquets at which the love for a good horse
and the purely American sport, harness racing, was the
bond of fellowship. Sentiment without a particle of com-
mercialism brought together the men who sat around the
board each year. To them a race was a contest for which
they were willing to pay, should the associations which
they represented, and in a few instances managed, come
out at the small end of the horn when the last heat was
trotted. This happened two or three times in Springfield,
there being one season when seven of us were called on
to chip in $1,000 apiece to balance accounts. Then there
were years when the balance was the other way. In the
old days the commercial spirit of the turf was left to those
who entered and drove horses and the general public.
The financial ventures of those who managed meetings
were foreign to the race track. Grand Circuit week was
20 MEMOIR.
their holiday, and they took as much pride in keeping up
the standard as the New York Yacht Club has in retain-
ing the America's cup. It was the good old spirit for
genuine sport that carried Col. Edwards to the front in
Cleveland, and it is with regret that I see this spirit on
the decline, the tendency to-day being towards shorter
races and increased speculation. Such a course, especially
the latter, is beset with danger, for without a big grain of
sentiment, harness racing can never retain the popular
support which was given it in the old days when the
names of Goldsmith Maid and Dexter were household
ivords, and when every slip of a lad with a hobby-horse
or a sled, designated it with a name that had become
prominent on account of record-breaking performances.
"In the thirty years that have elapsed since the Quad-
rilateral was founded, twenty-four cities have, at differ-
ent times, been members of the Circuit. Cleveland is the
only one that has given a meeting each year in member-
ship. Buffalo has, with two exceptions, given a meeting
each season. Three of them were not in the Circuit, al-
though two of the three were held on its old dates the
first week in August. Utica skipped twice before it
dropped out in 1888, after a clash with Poughkeepsie, its
grounds being sold for a public institution. Springfield
failed to hold meetings in 1878, 1879 and 1882, and aban-
doned the idea of future meetings after the reform move-
ment in 1893. Rochester raced regularly from 1875 to
1896, while Poughkeepsie held but seven Grand Circuit
meetings between 1877 and 1894. Hartford, as has been
stated, was admitted in 1876, and is still a member. In
1893 the Charter Oak Park stakes were decided at Fleet-
wood Park, New York, while in 1895 and 1896 the gates
were closed. New York was given a week in 1877, but
GRAND CIRCUIT. 21
failed -to hold a meeting on the dates named. It finally
wheeled into line in 1888, but after three meetings dropped
out until 1893. Another skip followed in 1898, when
Fleetwood was dismantled. In 1899 the Empire City
track was built and Grand Circuit meetings were held
there for two seasons. Pittsburg joined the Circuit in
1 88 1, the year that Homewood Park was inaugurated, the
meeting being made memorable by Maud S. trotting a
mile in 2:10)2, and Bonesetter falling dead in one of the
heats in the 2:19 class. The Grand Circuit horses were
there again in 1882 and in 1884, after which there was a
blank until 1890. Another skip came after 1893, and
Homewood Park was marked off the list. The business
reverses which overtook Amasa Sprague in 1873 kept
Xarragansett Park out of the original Circuit, and Provi-
dence, with one of the fastest tracks in the land, did not
ask for dates until 1883. After a run of three years it
dropped out until 1899. Albany was a member from
1884 to 1889. Detroit joined in 1886, but withdrew the
following year when the American Trotting Association
was organized. It gave independent meetings the week
prior to Cleveland from that date until 1893, when Ham-
tramck Park, and subsequently the beautiful course at
Grosse Point were again added to the list. In 1889 Phil-
adelphia was given a week for a meeting at Point
Breeze, but it did not race in membership until the fol-
lowing season. It dropped out in 1894. Saginaw was
in membership from 1894 to 1896, when Columbus, Fort
Wayne and Indianapolis were admitted to what was
termed the 'New Grand Circuit.' Columbus is still a
member, while Indianapolis remained in for one season
and Fort Wayne for three. Glens Falls and Readville
joined in 1897, and Portland, Me., was assigned dates in
22 MEMOIR.
1898. The membership of Terre Haute dates from 1900,
while Syracuse and Cincinnati were added in 1901. In
1902 the New York Trotting Association purchased Glens
Falls' place, and gave its first Grand Circuit meeting at
Brighton Beach. The accompanying table gives the
members of the Grand Circuit each season since 1873 to
the close of 1902, the amount of premiums paid by each
of them each year, the total amount given by them at
meetings in membership, and the total amount paid by
the members of the Circuit each year. In the thirty years
there have been two hundred and nineteen Grand Cir-
cuit meetings at which $5,625,819 were paid in premiums.
This is a large sum of money, but as an evidence that it
is only a big drop in the bucket is shown by the fact that
the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders' Association,
which was established in 1873, the year the Quadrilateral
started, has paid horse owners $1,164,620, over one-fifth
of the amount distributed by the entire Grand Circuit.
This is but one of the hundreds of trotting associations
scattered all over North America, all of which are con-
tributing in some instances thousands, and in others
hundreds, for harness racing. The returns show that the
associations in membership with the National and Ameri-
can Trotting Associations in 1901 paid $1,935,122.
When the premiums paid by associations which
were not in membership are added to that amount,
the total exceeds $2,000,000. The premiums at
Cleveland's Grand Circuit meetings amount to
$767,300, at Buffalo to $760,140, or if the meetings
which it gave on the regular dates, but not in the Circuit,
are added, $860,340, at Hartford to $718,939, at Rochester
to $450,925, and at Springfield to $357,525. Detroit has
paid out $464,600 at eleven Grand Circuit meetings, and
THE GRA
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1873
30,000
69,000
38,000
32,300
1874
35,500
52,000
31,000
45,900
1875
35,000
31,000
32,000
33,500
33,500
34,000
1876
25,000
22,800
23,000
23,000
22,550
21,550
21,875
1877
18,500
22,500
20,000
21,250
20,725
17,300
20,400
1878
14,500
14,000
13,500
13,500
14,400
1879
17,000
16,125
16,000
16,000
1880
15,500
16,000
14,825
18,000
19,350
1881
17,500
18,400
14,700
7,400
21,500
17,400
19,850
1882
17,500
20,000
14,850
17,000
14,750
21,750
12,500
1883
23,500
23,900
14,800
14,400
20,000
22,500
21,200
1884
14,200
19,750
13,750
10,000
13,500
14,750
12,000
11,150
12,000
1885
16,000
12,500
12,700
22,500
8,640
11,000
1886
18,500
10,900
13,650
9,700
14,750
23,000
14,500
18,21
1887
22,000
20,000
13,125
12,800
18,750
23,350
11,500
1888
23,500
23,600
14,300
22,650
32,000
28,990
19,000
9,750
1889
21,500
37,500
24,350
28,800
21,650
37,000
23,250
5,600
1890
20,000
22,300
22,350
28,850
11,000
31,700
4,500
11,800
1891
25,500
28,500
19,600
30,000
32,500
15,500
1892
23,000
31,000
12,000
15,000
27,000
17,700
1893
27,000
85,000
19,000
27,000
60,000
28,000
42,5(
1894
33,000
71,500
33,000
11,500
55,774
33,850
58,a :
1895
35,000
13,800
40,000
38,3(
1896
32,500
29,000
49,2:
1897
33,500
40,600
24,250
48,2(
1898
31,000
22,850
36,500
43,5(
1899
37,500
21,500
53,200
49,875
37,300
44,3(
1900
33,200
24,300
39,300
30,700
25,000
40,(K
1901
36,500
24,600
46,700
42,000
47,2:
1902
34,400
27,240
52,400
718,939
45,850
34,81
Total,
767,300
760,140
I
272.800
357525
450 325
131,750
314425
i
117 350
191,140
I
64,350
464,6(
The above table presents the names of all the cities at which Grand Circuit meetii
the close of 1902, the amount of premiums (in dollars) paid by each association each year,
members of the Circuit each year and the total paid out in premiums from 1873 to the clos
3 CIRCUIT.
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9,900
8,000
3,400
0,000
6,6-50
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12,800
19,000
8,200
24,800
29,000
28,000
32,000
29,000
35,000
33,725
18,300
23,200
32,500
13,600
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19,000
21,500
21,000
15,000
14,500
K 17.950 40.000 211.525
74.000
13.600
26,000
38,000
53,000
43,500
48,500
55,500
CO
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26,000
cs
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18,000
33,850
8,000
91.000 284.500 26 000 59,850
14,800
24,200
39 000
43,350
26,300
57,500
69650 57,500
CS
o
S 169,300
163,400
199.000
159775
140,675
69,900
65,125
83,675
116,750
118,350
140.300
121. 100
83,340
123.200
121,525
173790
199650
162,400
169,600
139,100
298,500
326429
146,100
175,620
243750
279850
349,675
298.000
387,025
399,915
$5,625,819
if
have been held since the Quadrilateral Trotting Combination was organized in 1873 up to
tj total amount paid in premiums while in membership, the amount paid in premiums by the
bJ'1902.
GRAND CIRCUIT. 23
$172,175 at six that were not in line, making a total of
$636,775 in seventeen years. At its six Grand Circuit
meetings the New England Trotting Horse Breeders' As-
sociation has paid out $264,500, an average of over
$44,000 for each meeting, while the first mile below two
minutes in harness was paced over its track when Star
Pointer placed the world's record at 1 '-5934 • Rarus
2:1354* St. Julien 2:11%, Maud S. 2:08^4, and Cresceus
2 :o2^4 also made their records at Grand Circuit meetings.
"To this I also wish to add that every member of
the Grand Circuit, with but one exception, has paid its
premiums during the week of the meeting, and I am
pleased to state that the one that failed to meet its obli-
gations on the day they became due subsequently paid
every dollar through The National Trotting Association,
with which I have been identified since it was organized
in 1870 and without which there would have been no
Grand Circuit or other means of enforcing discipline and
holding owners, nominators and drivers to their engage-
ments. The continued growth of the Grand Circuit has
been a source of pleasure to me, but the pride that I take
in it is not as great as I always have in the work that I
have done and am still doing for The National Trotting
Association. I was one of the three delegates sent by the
Springfield Club to New York when 'The National Asso-
ciation for the Promotion of the Interests of the American
Trotting Turf was organized at a congress held at the
Everett House, February 2 to 4, 1870. Amasa Sprague,
who died at Cowesett, R. I., August 4, 1902, was the first
president. In 1874, the year that the office of the Asso-
ciation was removed from Providence to Hartford, I was
elected a member of the Board of Appeals, and, in 1876,
treasurer. As *vou know, I am still in the harness."
«J>» •■I-* *■!•* vL* -X*
*T* *y* *T» *■£•• *f*
24 MEMOIR.
In September, 1871, five days' racing was given in con-
nection with the Northern Ohio Fair. It opened with a
stallion race which was won by Pilot Temple in straight
heats, the fastest being trotted in 2 :28, and it was the
fastest heat at that gait during the meeting. Pilot Tem-
ple also started in the free-for-all and won it after a five-
heat contest with Byron, Mat Smith and Queen of the
West. Of the gentlemen who presided in the judges'
stand at this meeting, William Edwards, W. J. McKinnie,
J. W. Fitch and R. S. Strader became well known to the
admirers of harness racing.
In 1872 the Cleveland club changed the date of its
summer meeting to July 17 to 20. It also followed Buf-
falo's lead and made its purses large enough to attract
the best trotters in training. The result was that the
average rate of speed for the four days' racing dropoed
below 2 130, while in the free-for-all Goldsmith Maid
trotted three heats below 2 :20, when she defeated Ameri-
can Girl and Lucy, her time being 2 119, 2:18, 2 :io,. Dan
Voorhees was also again to the front in the only pacing
race on the card in 2 122, 2 :2i^J, 2 122, Bay Harry driving
him out in each heat. Thomas L. Young, Rosalind, Flora
Belle and Derby won races during the week, the last
named defeating Mohawk, Jr., Harry Harley and Elmo
in a $3,000 purse race for the 2 125 class. On the last day
of the meeting C. G. Dempsey started the four-year-old
colt Bigaroon, by imported Bonnie Scotland, out of Laura
Bruce, by Star Davis, in a race at mile and a half heats
and won in 2 48 >4, 2 49^, Christopher Edick getting the
place with Nellie Bush, by Revolver. Dempsey also won
again with Bigaroon in the fall at the fair, Edick being
second again, his starter on that occasion being Sallie
Newton, by John Morgan. The premiums' for the trotters
l8j3 MEETING. 25
at the July meeting amounted to $18,400, while the run-
ners were awarded $1,300 and the pacers $500. The rac-
ing at the fair in 1872 was of a very ordinary character
even at that period, all of the harness races being won in
straight heats with the exception of the 2 150 class, while
Kilburn Jim's mile in 2 129^4 was the fastest entered in
the record. In August of the same year Annie Watson
and Belle Patterson trotted a $10,000 match race over the
Cleveland track, Annie Watson winning in 2:36^,
2:3524, 2 'Z7Y2-
When the Cleveland Club made its announcement in
1873 it was a member of the Quadrilateral Trotting Com-
bination, the other links in the chain being Buffalo, Utica
and Springfield. As stated above, John Tod, E. A. Buck,
E. Z. Wright and L. J. Powers were the first Stewards,
while Sam Briggs, the new Secretary of the Cleveland
Club, also acted as Secretary of the Quadrilateral. This
was the beginning of what W. B. Fasig, when he was
placing the advertising in 1889, designated as ''The
Grand Old Circuit." The name "Ouadrilateral Trotting
Combination" was retained for two years. In 1875 it was
called The Central Trotting Circuit. The following year
the name was changed to the Grand Central Trotting Cir-
cuit, which was retained until 1887, when it became
known as The Grand Circuit. Of the original members
in 1873, Cleveland alone remains. The old Buffalo Park
is still used as a training ground, but the fences are down
and it is liable to be cut up into building lots at any time.
Utica dropped out in 1889, the grounds being sold for
building purposes, while Springfield held its last meeting
as a member of the Grand Circuit in 1893. The old sand
track by the bank of the Connecticut River is still used as
a training ground, but there will never be another Grand
26 MEMOIR.
Circuit meeting at Hampden Park. It was inaugurated
in 1857 with an address by the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher
and closed by the wave of reform in 1894.
In 1873 Cleveland also selected the last week in July
for its summer meeting. It still retains it, "Cleveland
Week" being the point from which the other members
adjust their dates. The premiums for this meeting
amounted to $30,000, of which $28,500 was awarded the
trotters. Of the eight harness races on the programme
John E. Turner won two with the Hambletonian mare
Nettie, one of them being a $5,000 event, in which the
fastest heat was finished in 2 '.2^/2 . Clementine also won
two races ^t Cleveland that year, the Judges requesting
Budd Doble to drive her in the last two heats of the first
one. The other winners that week were Mambrino Gift,
Judge Fullerton, Castle Boy and Lucy. The daughter of
George M. Patchen won the free-for-all, the other starters
being American Girl and Goldsmith Maid. The race was
for $6,000 and in the betting the "Maid" was a favorite at
a $100 to $10. In the first heat American Girl and Gold-
smith Maid took the word on even terms. When they
reached the turn the favorite stopped and the field went
on without her, Lucy winning the heat by a neck in
2:2134. Goldsmith Maid was distanced. When Doble
returned to the stand he told the Judges that Goldsmith
Maid caught a hind foot in a quarter boot and was
shocked to such an extent that it was impossible for her
to continue. In the running races Port Leonard defeated
Nellie Bush and half a dozen others at mile heats, while
the four-year-old mare Flush, after running second to
Mary L. by Voucher, in a three in five mile heat race,
came out on the following day and won over a field of
seven at two-mile heats in 3:47^, 3:46. She was by
1874 MEETING. '21
Hiawatha out of Fannie Berg by Ambassador. In this
race Port Leonard finished second and Nellie Bush third.
Nellie Bush also won a first and a second at the Northern
Ohio Fair in 1873, Regent defeating her in a heat race at
a mile. Of the harness races at this meeting Sir George,
Ohio Boy and Tom Britton each had two first moneys
awarded them, the fastest heat in the six races being made
by Ohio Boy in the first heat of the 2 124 class when he
defeated Harry Mitchell and Derby. The only other win-
ner to harness at this meeting was the brown horse Little
Mack, driven by W. H. Boyce, Chestnut Dick being sec-
ond to him in the 2 133 class in 2 :33^, 2 134, 2 135.
For its meeting in 1874 the Cleveland Club gave $33,-
000 for nine harness races and $2,500 for three running
events. The first race was a $5,000 purse for 2 124 trot-
ters. Seven horses started, Bodine winning the first heat
in 2:2234. On the next trip Lula was a length in front
of the Volunteer gelding at the finish in 2:20^. She
then went on and won, trotting the first half of the decid-
ing heat in 1 1093/2. This race was a surprise party, but it
was nothing to what followed when Cozette defeated
Lucille Golddust, or when Mambrino Gift went down be-
fore Fred Hooper. The climax of the week, however,
was reached in the $6,000 race for the 2 :20 class on the
last day. Red Cloud, the Indiana horse, was the favorite
over the field with Camors second choice and Gloster
third. As soon as the word was given Doble took Gloster
to the front and led to the quarter pole. As the field
straightened out in the back stretch both St. James and
Red Cloud passed him, the latter being in front at the
half in 1 :o8^. After passing this point the giant trotter
of the Volunteer family closed with the leaders and forced
Red Cloud to trot the third quarter in 34 seconds. The
28 MEMOIR.
pair were on even terms as they swung- into the stretch, but
before the distance was reached Red Cloud gave it up and
Gloster won the heat by three open lengths in 2:20^2.
Camors made a break after getting the word and was dis-
tanced. Gazelle was also distanced while Sensation was
third, St. James fourth, and Nettie fifth. In the second
heat Red Cloud slipped by Gloster on the turn and took
the pole. When the half was passed in 1 109 Gloster was
on even terms with him and had half a length the best of
it until within two or three strides of the wire, when he
made a mistake and Red Cloud won in 2 :2c When the
word was given for the third heat Nettie dropped into the
pole behind Red Cloud and remained there until the half
was passed in 1 109^4 . In the third quarter Turner
moved up to second place, challenged Gloster in the
stretch and was a neck in front at the wire in 2:21*4.
Red Cloud finished fourth, dead tired. The fourth and
fifth heats were only play for Nettie, Gloster breaking in
the stretch in each, while Sensation had not enough speed
to be dangerous. There was no heat betting in those
days. The other winners at the meeting were
Monarch, Jr., James Howell, Jr., Nashville Girl, who af-
terwards became prominent as May Queen, and is now
remembered as the grandam of Bingen, Kansas Chief
and Goldsmith Maid. Doble won the free-for-all with
Goldsmith Maid. In the first heat of it, American Girl
carried her to the half in 1 \oj, but died away in the
stretch, second place going to Judge Fullerton. The run-
ning races were won by Spendthrift, Lady Washington
and Jack Frost. Spendthrift ran the second heat of his
race in 1 14334, while Jack Frost won at two miles in
3 : 33/^- The pacing record of the track was reduced to
2 :2oJ4 at the September meeting in 1874 by Sleepy
1875 MEETING. 29
George, when he defeated John McXair, Defiance, Sorrel
Frank and Velocipede, while Xellie Bush was again re-
turned as a winner in a mile-heat race. The trotting
races at the meeting also showed a decided improvement,
all of them being well contested, although the time was
slow, 2 129 being the fastest heat that week. The winners
were Harry Mitchell, Jeremiah, Mexican Boy, and Kate
Campbell. Belle Brasfield, Ohio Boy, Tom Britton and
Magnolia were numbered among those who "also ran."
In 1875, at the annual meeting of the Cleveland Club,
George A. Baker was elected President ; George H. Burt,
Vice President; S. T. Everett, Treasurer, and Sam
Briggs, Secretary. These gentlemen presented a $35,000
programme for the summer meeting, $33,500 of that
amount being offered for seven trotting races, and the
balance for two running events. \\ nen the entries closed
it was found that there was a decided falling off, there
being but fifty-one trotters started against sixty-four in
1874. That they were evenly matched was evidenced by
the fact that forty-four heats were required to find the
winners in the nine races, the only straight heat events
being the free-for-all, in which Goldsmith Maid defeated
Lula and American Girl in 2:1834, 2:1934, 2:19^ and
the 2:18 class, in which Judge Fullerton played with
Lady Maud and Nettie. Judge Fullerton made his record
of 2:18 in this race, and in doing so equalled the track
record which had stood to the credit of Goldsmith Maid
for three years. Duke, Grafton and York State won five
heat races, Clementine and Rarus were awarded first pre-
miums after each had trotted six heats, and seven heats
were required in the 2:31 class before Lewinski received
the big end of the purse. The 2 :22 class was the feature
at this meeting. The starters were Thomas L. Young,
30 MEMOIR.
Bella, Cosette, Lucille Golddust and Grafton. It was
programmed for Thursday. Two days before the race
Gus Glidden drove Grafton a mile in 2 :i5/4- This made
the big chestnut gelding such a prohibitive favorite that
he was barred in many of the pools, although it was well
known that he was apt to make a break every time he
came to a turn. Cosette won the first heat in 2 123, by
half a length from Lucille Golddust, Grafton broke on
the first and third turns, but managed to finish third, Glid-
den driving him the last quarter in 31^4 seconds. In the
second heat Grafton was again on his bad behavior, while
Lucille Golddust won the heat in 2 ■.2^/2, with Bella sec-
ond and Thomas L. Young third. In the third heat Graf-
ton made two breaks and looked to be out of it at the
three-quarter pole. Glidden caught him and started after
the leaders. It was then ''See Grafton come." Lucille
Golddust was in front and appeared to have everything
her own way until Glidden caught her at the distance,
carried her to a break and won the heat in 2:24.34, his
time for the last half with a break in it being 1 :oyy 2 .
When saluting the Judges before dismounting Green ap-
proached the stand and said that he "protested trotting
against a telegraph." The finest part of the contest was
in the fourth heat. While scoring Cosette locked wheels
with Bella and threw Dave Muckle out. Bella started to
run, but stopped after passing the stand. Then some one
in the crowd gave the word on the tenth score and as the
starter did not ring the bell until the horses passed the
turn, all of them went on until they were stopped near
the distance by the flagman. The trip put a crimp in
Cosette and Lucille Golddust while it steadied Grafton.
When the word was given Lucille Golddust and Grafton
came together on the turn, the latter losing a few spokes
WILLIAM EDWARDS. 31
in the flurry. Lucille Golddust was on a break when the
sulkies clashed, and when Grafton broke Glidden let him
run until he passed the quarter pole. As soon as he set-
tled Grafton went to the front and won the heat in a jog
in 2:25^4. Both drivers claimed a foul and each had his
supporters in the crowd that surged around the Judges'
stand. When the turmoil had subsided and Colonel Ed-
wards had separated the pugnacious drivers, the Judges
decided that no one was at fault and placed the horses as
they finished. In the sixth heat Grafton, after making
two disastrous breaks, jogged in a winner in 2 126, Lucille
Golddust and Cosette finishing almost on even terms,
with Bella fourth. In the running races John Forbes won
at mile heats with Vicksburg, a three-year-old by Vandal
out of Blond, the first mile being run in 1 142^, and two
days later finished second to War Jig, by War Dance, at
two miles in 3 :2>4H- War Jig also won again at Cleve-
land at the September meeting, in a regulation three-in-
five race at mile heats, after a five-heat struggle with the
Canadian mare Inspiration, by imported Warminster, out
of Sophia, by Bonnie Scotland. The perennial Nellie
Bush was also a starter in the race. She was distanced
in the first heat for a foul. Judge Waite and Frank were
both double event winners at the fair in 1875, the other
successful starters being Lewinski, Gussie, and Nelson.
When the Cleveland Club was organized in 1871,
William Edwards took an active interest in its affairs.
He toiled in and out of season to make its meetings popu-
lar, not only with the horse owners, but also with the
public, and in time he succeeded in making the Cleveland
Grand Circuit meeting a society event. His name, how-
ever, never appeared in the list of officers until 1876,
when he succeeded George A. Baker as President and
32 MEMOIR.
John Tod as Cleveland's representative on the
Board of Stewards of the Grand Central Trotting
Circuit, his associates in that body being M. P.
Bush, Buffalo, N. Y. ; George J. Whitney, Rochester,
N. Y. ; M. G. Thompson, Utica, N. Y. ; Morgan L.
Mott, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. ; Alexander Harbison, Hart-
ford, Conn., and L. J. Powers, Springfield, Mass., while
Sam Briggs, the Secretary of the Cleveland Club, was
still the Circuit Secretarv. At this time Colonel Edwards
was also a member of the Central District Board of The
National Trotting Association, he having been first
chosen as member of the Board of Appeals in 1874.
With Colonel Edwards at the helm Cleveland began
to march to the front in racing affairs. His tact and en-
thusiasm were equal to every emergency, from giving a
man a complimentary ticket, to starting a free-for-all,
while his popularity at home and reputation as a true
sportsman abroad, drew hundreds of people to the Cleve-
land meetings that would not have gone there with any
other man, no matter how capable, in charge. During
race week his summer house at Cliff Beach, and at a later
date his house on Prospect Street, was the abiding place
of his friends, for as Fasig frequently remarked, "Colonel
Edwards lived and planned fifty-one weeks in the hope of
making the race week of each year more enjoyable than
the one that preceded it." Everyone in Cleveland knew
"Billy Edwards." He had a kind word and a nod for all
he met, from the switch-tender on the corner of Water
and Superior Street, up to an embryo President of the
United States. He jogged through life endowed with
that happy faculty of making friends and retaining them.
He had his faults, so have we all, but in him they are for-
gotten and forgiven, as he loved much and was loved in
return.
1876 MEETING. 33
Favored by location and a date that brings its summer
meetings at a time when the horses are at their best, the
Cleveland Association in 1876 started a series of record
breaking meetings which have never been surpassed, if
equalled. For some reason there never has been a large
meeting at other points either in the east or the west on
"Cleveland Week," and while the Cleveland Club or its
successor, the Cleveland Driving Park Company, has
never been in favor of stakes or large instalment plan
purses, it has always had the best horses in training and
contests which each year add a few more names to the
record-breaking pages of light harness history. For the
Centennial year meeting the Cleveland Club gave the
trotters $24,000 for nine races and $1,000 for two run-
ring events. The racing began with the 2 136 class, which
was won by the gray mare Mambrino Kate, her first heat
in 2:31 being the slowest trotted during the week, and
closed with a two-mile dash in which the three-year-old
colt Waddel, by Jack Malone, defeated War Jig and
Vicksburg in 3:45^. In the days that intervened Lula
reduced the track record to 2 117^2, in a trip against time,
but her performance was forgotten when the free-for-all
was reached. The following description of that great
race was written by Hamilton Busbey for the Turf, Field
and Farm, and published in its issue for August 4, 1876:
"When the bell rang for the open-to-all horses to- ap-
pear, a buzz of expectation was heard on all sides. It was
known that Lula would not respond to the call, she hav-
ing made an exhibition the previous day, besides she was
not in the bloom of condition ; but Lucille Gokldust was
there to battle for the Babylon stable, and she was a mare
of tried speed and bottom. The knowledge that Lula
would not start steadied the quaking nerves of Doble,
34 MEMOIR.
and he ceased to plead for a special purse and permission
to withdraw. He thought that Goldsmith Maid would
have a comparatively easy time in capturing first money,
and his confidence made the old mare the favorite over
the field. Smuggler was deemed an uncertain horse, and
there was no eagerness to invest in pools on him. But
the stallion was cheered almost as warmly as the Maid,
when he jogged slowly past the stand. Lucille Golddust,
Judge Fullerton and Bodine were also received with ap-
plause. The great drivers of the country were behind the
great horses of the country. Budd Doble pulled the lines
over Goldsmith Maid ; Charley Green steadied Lucille
Golddust ; Peter Johnson controlled Bodine ; Charley
Marvin watched over the fortunes of Smuggler, and Dan
Mace was up behind Judge Fullerton, having come from
New York for the express purpose of driving him in the
race. Twice the horses came for the word, and twice they
failed to get it. They were then ordered to score with
Lucille Golddust, and succeeded in getting off. The
Maid had the best of the start, and, quickly taking the
pole from Judge Fullerton, gaily carried herself in the
lead. It was where she was accustomed to be, and so she
trotted in the best of spirits. Fullerton did not act well,
and he brought up the rear rank the entire length of the
course. Along the back-stretch Smuggler began to close
a gap, terrific as the pace was. After passing the half-
mile he drew dangerously near the Maid, but it was no-
ticed that he faltered a little. The cause was not then
understood, but it was made plain when the patrol judge
galloped up to the stand with a shoe in his hand which
had been cast from the near fore foot. Around the turn
the stallion pressed after the mare, and down the stretch
he drove her at the top of her speed, the thousands giving
GOLDSMITH MAID AND .SMUGGLER. 35
vent to their enthusiasm by cheering and clapping hands.
Smuggler had his nose at the Maid's tail when she went
under the wire in 2:1514. Bodine was a good third, his
time being about 2:17, and Lucille Golddust was fourth,
Fullerton just inside the flag. Smuggler's performance
was an extraordinary one. He trotted for something like
three-eighths of a mile with his equilibrium destroyed by
the sudden withdrawal from an extreme lever point of a
shoe weighing 25 ounces. Only once before had he cast
a shoe in rapid work without breaking, and that was in
his exercise at Belmont Park. Keen judges are forced to
admit that the stallion would have won the first heat in
2:15 had no accident befallen him. Prior to this season
Smuggler carried a 32-ounce shoe on each of his fore
feet, but now he seems to be steady under the reduced
weight. The scoring in the second heat was a little more
troublesome than that in the first heat. Smuggler left his
feet several times, and it looked as if he was going to dis-
appoint his owner and trainer. On the fourth attempt the
horses got away, the Maid in the lead. The stallion made
one of his characteristic bad breaks around the turn, and
all hope of his winning the heat was lost. Bodine and
Fullerton also were unsteady. Lucille Golddust did good
work and she was second to the Maid when the latter
went over the score in 2:17V;- Smuggler finished fifth,
Marvin only trying to save his distance. Goldsmith Maid
was distressed, but her friends were confident that her
speed and steadiness would carry her safely through. It
was almost dollars to cents that she would win. The
word was given to a good send off in the third heat. The
Maid had the pole, which advantage she did not surrender
although she went into the air around the turn. She was
quickly caught, and Doble drove her carefully along the
36 MEMOIR.
back-stretch, followed by Fullerton, who seemed to be
content with the position of body-guard to her queenship.
After passing the half-mile Marvin urged Smuggler into
a quicker pace, and the stallion was observed to pass Lu-
cille Golddust, then Fullerton, and to swing into the
home-stretch hard on the Maid's wheel. Doble used all
his art to keep his mare going, but Marvin sat behind a
locomotive and could not be shaken off. The stallion got
on even terms with the Maid, and then drew ahead of her
in the midst of the most tumultuous applause, beating her
under the wire three-quarters of a length. The scene
which followed is indescribable. An electrical wave
swept over the vast assembly, and men swung their hats
and shouted themselves hoarse, while the ladies snapped
fans and parasols and burst their kid gloves in the en-
deavor to get rid of the storm of emotion. The police
vainly tried to keep the quarter-stretch clear. The multi-
tude poured through the gates and Smuggler returned to
the stand through a narrow lane of humanity which
closed as he advanced. Doble was ashy pale, and the
great mare which had scored so many victories stood with
trembling flanks and head down. Her attitude seemed
to say, "I have done my best, but am forced to resign the
crown." The Judges hung out the time 2:16)4, and got
no further in the announcement than that Smuggler had
won the heat. The shouts of the thousands of frenzied
people drowned all else. During the intermission the
stallion was the object of the closest scrutiny. So great
was the press that it was difficult to obtain breathing
room. He appeared fresh, and ate eagerly of the small
bunch of hay which was presented to him by his trainer
after he had cooled out. It was manifest that the fast
work had not destroyed his appetite. The betting now
GOLDSMITH MAID AND SMUGGLER. 37
changed. It was seen that the Maid was tired and her
eager backers of an hour ago were anxious to .hedge. In
the second score of the fourth heat, the Judges observed
that Smuggler was on his stride, although behind, and so
gave the word. In his anxiety to secure the pole Doble
forced Goldsmith Maid into a run, and as Lucille Gold-
dust quickly followed her, the stallion found his progress
barred unless he pulled out and around them. Marvin de-
cided to trail, and he kept in close pursuit of the two
mares even after he had rounded into the home-stretch.
Green would not give way with Lucille, and Doble pulled
the Maid back just far enough to keep Marvin from slip-
ping through with the stallion. The pocket was complete,
and thought to be secure. A smile of triumph lighted
Doble's face, and the crowd settled sullenly down to the
belief that the race was over. Marvin was denounced as
a fool for placing himself at a disadvantage, and imagina-
tion pictured just beyond the wire the crown of Gold-
smith Maid with new laurel woven into it. But look ! By
the ghosts of the departed ! Marvin has determined upon
a bold experiment. He falls back and to the right, with
the intention of getting out around the pocket. Too late,
too late! is the hoarse whisper. Why, man, you have but
one hundred and fifty yards in which to straighten your
horse and head the Maid, whose burst of speed has been
held in reserve for just such an occasion as this! Her
gait is 2 :i4. and you — well, you are simply mad ! The un-
counted thousands held their breath. The stallion does
not leave his feet although pulled to a forty-five angle to
the right, and the moment that his head is clear and the
path open, he dashes forward with the speed of the stag-
hound. It is more like flying than trotting. Doble hur-
ries his mare into a break, but he cannot stop the dark
38 MEMOIR.
shadow which flits by him. Smuggler goes over the
score a winner of the heat by a neck, and the roar which
comes from the grand stand and the quarter-stretch is
simply deafening. As Marvin comes back with Smug-
gler to weigh, the ovation is even greater than that which
he received in the preceding heat. Nothing like the burst
of speed he had shown had ever before been seen on the
track, and it may be that it will never be seen again.
Marvin had two reasons for going into the pocket. In
the first place he thought that Green would pull out when
the pinch came and let him through, and in the second
place he erroneously supposed that Doble would push the
Maid down the stretch and leave him room to get out that
way. It was bad judgment to get into the pocket, since
had the Maid won the heat, the race would have been
over; but it must be admitted that Marvin acted not
without a show of reason. In riding at the gait he was
riding, a man does not have any extra time to mature his
plans. The heat was literally won from the fire. It was
only the weight of a hair which turned the scales from
defeat to victory. Doble was more deeply moved by the
unexpected result of the heat than by anything else which
happened in the race. His smile of triumph was turned
in one brief instant to an expression of despair. The time
of the heat was 2 :i9%. Smuggler again cooled out well,
nibbling eagerly at his bunch of hay, while the crowd
massed around him. The Maid was more tired than ever,
while Lucille Golddust showed no signs of distress.
When the horses responded to the bell for the fifth heat
it was evident that a combination had been formed
against Smuggler. All worked against him. Lucille
Golddust and Bodine worried him by repeated scorings,
and when thev excited him into a break and he grabbed
SMUGGLER WINS. 39
the unfortunate shoe from the near fore foot, the hope
began to rise that the star of the stallion had set. The
shoe was put on, the delay giving the Maid time to get
her second wind, when the scoring again commenced.
Smuggler was repeatedly forced to break, and for the
third time in the race he grabbed off the near fore shoe.
Misfortunes seemed to be gathering thickly around him,
and the partisans of the Maid wore the old jaunty air of
confidence. Before replacing the shoe, Col. Russell had
it shortened at the heel. It was a new shoe, and one
adopted by Marvin against the judgment of Russell.
The shell of the foot was badly splintered by the triple
accident, but the stallion was not rendered lame. As much
as an hour was wasted by the scoring and the shoeing of
Smuggler, which brought all the horses to the post look-
ing fresh. Smuggler had the worst of it, as he was the
only one which had not enjoyed an unbroken rest. Finally
the word was given for the fifth heat. Fullerton went to
the front like a flash of light, trotting without skip to the
quarter pole in 33 seconds. Smuggler overhauled him
near the half-mile, and from there home was never
headed. The Maid worked up to second position down
the home-stretch, the stallion winning the heat in 2\ij l /+,
and the hardest-fought race ever seen in the world. The
evening shadows had now thickened, and as the great
crowd had shouted itself weak and hoarse, it passed
slowly through the gate and drove in a subdued manner
home.
"It was a race which will live long in memory, one to
which thousands will date as the beginning of an epoch
in their lives. Think of it. A first heat in 2:15^ and a
fifth heat in 2 :i7/4, with the stallion record reduced to
2 11634 in the third heat ! A week ago no one would have
40 MEMOIR.
believed it. Now we keep asking ourselves in a dazed
sort of way if what we saw with our eyes can really be
true. Smuggler first saw the light within the limits of the
Buckeye State. He journeyed West obscure and looked
upon as a menial. Today his fame is as wide as the
world, and he wears the laurel which once wreathed the
neck of Goldsmith Maid. Wonder not that the people of
Ohio should swell with pride when they point to him and
his history. His triumph was in the face of obstacles
which were truly formidable.
' 'How did you enjoy yourself?' queried the President
from the Judges' stand after the tumult had subsided.
The lady, one of Cleveland's fairest daughters, well ex-
pressed the general feeling in her answer from the grand
stand : T am so glad and yet so sorry.' Glad that she
had hailed the new king and sorry that she had seen the
old queen lay down her crown."
Cleveland, O., July 27, 1876.
Purse $4,000, free-for-all-trotting.
H. S. Russell's b. s., Smuggler by
Blanco (Marvin) 2 5 1 1 1
Budd Doble's b. m., Goldsmith Maid
by Alexander's Abdallah (Doble)... 1 1 2 2 2
C. S. Green's b. m., Lucille Golddust
by Golddust (Green) 42333
W. M. Humphrey's ch. g., Judge Ful-
lerton by Edward Everett (Mace).. 53444
H. C. Goodrich's b. g., Bodine by
Volunteer (Johnson) 3 4 5 5 5
TIME.
Quarter. Half. Three-Quarters. Mile.
34% 1:07^ 1:41^ 2:15^
34*A 1:08 1:42 2:17%
ZA l /z 1:08 1:42 2:i6>j:
34 l A i:og l / 2 i:44^ 2:19^
33 1:08 >£ 1:43^ 2:17^
OUTSIDERS WIN. 41
Smuggler's victory in the free-for-all was only one of
the bunch of surprises sprung on the betting fraternity at
this meeting, and it is remembered to this day, not so
much on account of the downfall of the favorite as from
the fact that the fastest trotters in the world were strug-
ling for supremacy, while Marvin crowned the event by
his spectacular and at the same time desperate drive in the
fourth heat. The betting book for the week shows that
General Grant, Sam Purdy, Albemarle and Lewinski
were overlooked by those who felt disposed to have a
ticket on the favorite. Three of the four named were
in the field even when several of their competitors were
sold out. General Grant was a second choice, the Ham-
bletonian mare Mattie being the favorite in the race in
which he started. General Grant was a handsome chest-
nut stallion with a white strip in his face, by Wapsie. He
was in Peter V. Johnson's stable and won for him that
season not only at Cleveland, but also at Chicago, Buffalo,
and Rochester, where he made his record of 2 :2i in the
deciding heat of a five-heat contest, pulled up lame and
was retired. General Grant won at Cleveland in 2 123^,
2:25^4, 2:25^4. His race was sandwiched with the 2\22
class, for which Cozette was the favorite, but which was
won by Sam Purdy after trotting a dead heat with Badger
Girl in 2:23^. The 2:32 class was the biggest upset at
the meeting. It was alternated with the free-for-all.
Nine horses started in it with Enfield a favorite, while
Proctor and Black Frank were also well thought of.
When the word was given it was found that Enfield was
a "dead one." He finished behind the money, while Albe-
marle, a rusty looking gray that had sold for $5 in
$245, marched to the front and won in straight heats, the
fastest in 2 123. In the 2 -.26 class the owners of Lewinski
42 MEMOIR.
did not consider that he had a chance, but after six heats,
he wore down the field and won, while the "pikers" who
bought him for $5 in $225, were all smiles. The other
winners during the week were Little Fred and May
Queen, the last named defeating Rarus in the 2 120 class
in 2\26 l / 2 , 2\2$y 2 , 2:2jy 2 . Nutwood was one of the
starters at the Northern Ohio Fair in 1876. On the sec-
ond day of the meeting he took the word in the 2 40 class
and was beaten by Dick Harvey after winning a heat in
2 137. Two days later he again started in the 2 150 class
and won a five-heat race in which the last mile was fin-
ished in 2 131, it having been carried over to the following
day on account of darkness. Silversides also started in
two races at this meeting. On the opening day he won
the 2 124 class in straight heats from John B., Sleepy
John and Lew Scott, and on the fourth he was distanced
for running in the deciding heat of the free-for-all, which
was won by John B., with Sleepy John second and Hylas
third. Kinsman Boy and Belle of Fairfield were also
winners that week, while after a two-day bout ''Cart"
Wilson pulled off the pacing race with John Tod's horse
Sweetser. The other starters in the pace were Shaker
Boy, Velocipede and Sleepy George, the last named being
handicapped to a wagon. Sleepy George won the first
heat in 2:26 and Sweetser the next two in 2:24, 2:23^.
Prior to the fourth heat the Judges requested John
Forbes to drive Sleepy George, and he won it in 2 :20,.
The race was then postponed. On the following day
Sweetser marched to the half in 1 :o8 x /2 and when he
passed the judges in 2:23^ Sleepy George was beyond
the distance. This was the second pacing race at a Cleve-
land meeting in four years, but from the early eighties,
and especially after the hoppled horse became a factor on
HOPPLES. 43
the turf, there has been a change;' the synopsis of the
Cleveland meetings published with this memoir showing
that since 1899 the programme has been divided equally
between the trotters and the pacers. At the small meet-
ings, and especially where there are mixed races, the hop-
pled brigade reigns supreme and is gradually forcing the
trotters off the turf at such places. As the half-mile rings
are the feeders of the mile tracks, there must in time be a
decided falling off in the number of entries in the trotting
classes, as the owner of a promising young horse finds but
little encouragement in paying training bills and entrance
fees in races where he has to contend with a drove of hop-
pled horses that in the majority of cases would not sell
under the hammer for as much as the sulky they are
hitched to. Ninety per cent, of the men identified with
racing are opposed to hopples, but as the associations,
with but very few exceptions, want all of the entries in
sight, their use has been permitted until they have become
so common that it is a rare thing to see a pacer on a half-
mile track without them, while on the mile tracks even the
best gaited ones that are liable to make a break wear the
straps. In 1898, when discussing the question, William
B. Fasig made the following statements in reference to
them :
"Hopples are the bane of light harness racing. They
have done more to cheapen horses, to say nothing about
the danger of them ; have brought odium on the sport,
and are, from every point, a disgrace to the trotting turf.
They should be abolished. But it would seem only fair
to establish a date after which they would not be allowed.
We have been breeding to establish a family of useful
light harness horses, and racing has been conducted on the
theory of encouraging that end, for fifty years. Now, if
44 MEMOIR.
we must, after all that time, tie the legs of our horses to-
gether to make them do what they are bred to do, our
efforts are a failure. Deliver us from the hoppled horse."
The races won by Scotland and Little Gypsy were the
features at the Cleveland meeting in 1877. The Bonnie
Scotland gelding was one of twelve that started in the
2 \2j class. He was the favorite and won after two days'
racing and nine heats. The other heat winners were Rose
of Washington, Deception, Damon, King Philip and
George. Scotland won the third, fourth and ninth heats,
and made his record. of 2 122^ in the fourth. Little Gypsy
made her appearance in the 2 125 class. She was named to
start against Belle Brasfield, Banquo, Captain Jack, Alley,
Richard, Lew Scott, Adele Clark, The Jewess and Lew-
inski, and in the over-night betting sold for $16 in $500.
The race was trotted in a drizzling rain over a slippery
track. Little Gypsy, driven by W. H. Crawford, won the
first heat by a neck from Banquo in 2:26^4- Splan was
up behind her on the next trip, which went to Banquo
in 2:2234. The same pair were only heads apart at the
finish of the third heat, Little Gypsy winning in 2:23^.
When the word was given for the fourth heat Banquo
was on a break. That put him out of it. Captain Jack
took up the fight, and while he forced Little Gypsy to trot
to her record, 2 \22, she had her head and neck in front
of him at the wire. Of the other events at the meeting,
which was hampered by a railroad strike, Mazo Manie,
Hannis, Jennie Holton, Slow Go, Rarus, Nettie and
Sweetser were returned as winners, Rarus defeating Lu-
cille Golddust, Cozette and Albemarle in 2:1854. 2:18,
2:18^4, and Sweetser finishing in front of Rowdy Boy,
Sleepy George, who was again handicapped to a wagon,
Lucy, T. A. Hendricks, Sorrel Billv, Bav Sallie and Tohn
1878 MEETING. 45
McNair in 2 :i8, 2 1193/2, 2 'ao l / 2 . This race was paced in
the rain, being sandwiched with the 2 125 class. The fair
in 1877 was held in October, and as the premiums for rac-
ing were more than doubled, the entry list presented the
names of the highest class lot of horses that had ever
taken the word at Cleveland in the fall. Aside from a
2 45 class which proved nothing more than a workout
for Cottage Girl, one heat being trotted in 3 114, the time
made was fast and all of the events closely contested.
Badger Girl set the ball rolling by winning a seven-heat
race, defeating Deception, Lew Scott and Little Gypsy ;
while Sweetser gave the Clevelanders the first taste of a
fast pacing race by disposing of Sleepy George, Lucy,
Bay Sallie and Straightedge in 2:16, 2:16, 2:16%, the
fastest time made by him in a race, but which he reduced
to 2:15 in a trip against time at San Francisco, Cal., on
Christmas Day, in 1878. The other winners during the
week were Calmar, Shepherd Boy, Nancy Hackett and
Rams. Rams defeated Hopeful to harness and Great
Eastern to saddle. Great Eastern won two heats in
2 :i9^4, 2 \\y]/2, the half-mile mark in the second mile be-
ing passed in 1 :oyjA. On the third trip Rams went on
and won in 2:21^4, 2:21, 2:22.
The hard times which began in 1876 soon made itself
felt in the amount of premiums offered at race meetings.
For example, at Cleveland in 1875 the trotters were
awarded $33,500. In 1876 the amount dropped to
$25,000, and in 1877 to $17,500, with an additional $1,000
for a pacing race. At its Grand Circuit meeting in 1878,
the Cleveland Club paid the trotters $13,500 and the
pacers $1,000, while the public clamored for a fifty-cent
gate. Aside from Hopeful's victory in the free-for-all,
and the three miles that Rams trotted against time, there
46 MEMOIR.
was nothing of a sensational character on the card for the
week. The meeting opened with straight heat wins for
Dame Trot and Dick Swiveller, and on the second day
Lucille and Sleepy George won their events with six
heats, Sweetser being distanced in the first heat of the pac-
ing race, while the 2 124 trot went over after Edward had
won a heat and Edwin Forrest had placed two to his
credit. On the following day Edwin Forrest romped
home in front of the field in 2:18^, with Trampoline
second, Woodford Mambrino third, and Edward fourth.
With four exceptions, the horses that started in this race
were the same that figured in the disgraceful affair at
Utica a few weeks later, and which passed into turf
history as the "Edwin Forrest steal." The entries for
the free-for-all presented the names of Proteine, Hopeful,
Great Eastern, Nettie and Cozette. As the gallant gray
was supposed to have seen his best days, Proteine was the
choice, with Great Eastern as a saver. Mace had Hope-
ful cherry ripe and won off the reel. In the first heat he
caught the judge's eye half a length in front of Proteine,
in 2:1734. On the second trip Mace stepped Hopeful to
the half in 1 :o6%, the three quarters in 1 40^4, and won
by half a length from Proteine in 2:15^. The deciding
heat was a procession after the bunch passed the quarter
pole, Hopeful leading all the way in ZVA, I :0 7> : : 4 : >
2:15^/2, the gray horse finishing like a runaway, while
Mace was waving his whip as he looked over his shoulder
at the field struggling behind him. Scott's Thomas de-
feated Indianapolis in the 2 :30 class, which was sand-
wiched with the free-for-all. John Splan was very much
in evidence on the last day of the meeting. He began his
afternoon's work by finishing second to Steve Maxwell
with Woodford Z. in the 2 :26 class, and followed this
RARUS BREAKS THE RECORD. 47
move with a victory in the 2 :20 class behind Adelaide.
This was one of the best betting races, and also one of the
greatest turn-overs, ever seen at Cleveland. In the early
betting Adelaide sold as low as $15 in $500, and her
owner, Daniel De Noyelles, had almost all of the tickets.
Adelaide made good after Prospero won a heat and Mid-
night had placed two to his credit. How it was done is
another matter, but at this late date it will be charitable to
drop the curtain on the whole affair. There were sinister
rumors at the time, and from what De Noyelles stated late
in life there were good grounds for them. The excite-
ment over the Rarus special, two heats of which were
sandwiched with the 2 :20 trot, caused what was going
on in that race to be lost sight of, and that Rarus was
good, was evidenced by the fact that he trotted the three
fastest consecutive heats on record up to that date, and in
the last one equalled the world's record of Goldsmith
Maid. The following is the fractional time for the three
heats :
First heat 33%
Second heat. . . 33%,
Third heat . . 33
Had Rarus not made a misstep at the head of the
stretch in the first heat, there is little doubt but that he
would have reduced the world's record in that trial. But
as it proved, the crowning performance was only delayed
a week, as at Buffalo, after taking the word four times,
he placed the figures at 2:13^, the fractional time for
his mile being 33^, 1:05^4, 1:38^, 2:1314. In his
special at Buffalo, Rarus started to trot three heats to
average 2:18 or better, with $500 added if 2:14 was
beaten. His first mile was in 2:17. In the second Splan
pulled him up after making two breaks on the back
1:06 #
1:40%
2:14^
1 :07#
1:41^
2:15
1:07
1:40^
2:14
48 MEMOIR.
stretch, and jogged out in 2:50. He did not leave the
track before taking the word for the third trial. C. J.
Hamlin was the starter. As Splan nodded he gave the
word. Rarus was going true, but broke before the turn
was reached. This disposed of the three trials, but the
judges allowed him to start again, and the result was a
new world's record of 2 :i3/4-
For the first and only time in its history, the Cleve-
land Association was, in 1878, compelled on account of
unfavorable weather, to declare its fall meeting off after
trotting two races. The heats in the two races decided
were scattered from Tuesday of one week until Monday
of the following one. Belle Brasfield, winner of the
2:21 class, started on Tuesday and finished Saturday,
while the horses in the 2 145 class were out on Tuesday,
Saturday and Monday before the gray mare, Tolu, won
three heats. Mountaineer and Honest Mary were the
other heat winners in the event.
In 1879 the "big four" started at Cleveland. The
members of this famous quartette were the gray mare,
Lucy, who could hold her own in any company when
the heats were split ; the blind gelding, Sleepy Tom, who
had the week before reduced the world's record for pacers
to 2 :i2j4 at Chicago ; the Southern queen, Mattie Hunter,
and the flashv Rowdv Bov. In this race Mattie Hunter
had a new driver, and did not show to advantage, while
Rowdy Boy was not on edge. This left Lucy and
Sleepy Tom to fight it out. In the first heat the gelding
made a break going away, and Lucy won in a jog in 2 :i6.
On the next two trips Sleepy Tom had too much speed for
the gray mare, and won in 2 113^4, a new track record, and
2:15. In the fourth heat Lucy caught Sleepy Tom in
the stretch and beat him to the wire in 2:15. The race
l88o MEETING. 49
then went over, and on the following day Lucy won by a
length in 2:16. Mattie Hunter finished second, and
Sleepy Tom, who had made a break at the head of the
stretch, third.
Of the trotting races Mace won the 2:20 and 2:18
classes in straight heats with Darby, the last mile in the
second race being trotted in 2 40^ after a heavy shower.
In this race Darby defeated Driver, Hannis, and Colonel
Lewis. His first start in the 2 :20 class, in which he de-
feated Voltaire, was the best betting race at the meeting,
although Muckle kept everyone on the anxious seat while
he spun the 2 :26 class out to seven heats before he won
with Monarch Rule, and the 2 124 class to five heats, be-
fore Lida Barrett disposed of Charley Ford, Rose of
Washington, Red Line, and Alley, the favorite. The
other winners during the week were Etta Jones, Fred
Douglass and Rarus, the champion trotter's start being in
the free-for-all against Hopeful. The gray pony was not
himself, and in order to entertain the spectators Rarus
was turned loose in the third heat and reeled off a mile in
2:15.
Of the ten races on the programme for the meeting,
given in connection with the Xorthern Ohio Fair in 1879,
seven were for trotters, one for pacers, and two for the
gallopers. The starters in the running races were of a
very ordinary character, while Clinker won the pace, his
fastest mile being 2:23^. In the trotting races Belle
Brasfield and Lewinski were again to the front, the other
winners being Rienzi, the Harold mare Good Morning.
Diamond, Bay Fannie, and the black horse Ambassador,
by George Wilkes.
In 1880. George H. Burt, who had been Vice-President
of the Cleveland Club for three years, succeeded Sam
50 MEMOIR.
Briggs as Secretary. At the first meeting under his man-
agement there was a shoal of turf champions, the entry
list presenting the names of Maud S., St. Julien, both of
which subsequently held world's records; Trinket,
Wedgewood, Black Cloud, and the "big four" pacers with
Sorrel Dan thrown in to make it interesting. To St.
Julien belongs the honor of trotting the fastest mile at this
meeting, his first heat in the free-for-all in 2:15^, being
his best performance in a race up to that date, and in that
heat Trinket was on even terms with him at the quarter
pole in 32^4 seconds, which was flying in the day of high-
wheel sulkies. Maud S., the peerless daughter of Harold,
that was destined to wrest the championship honors from
St. Julien and his sable successor Jay Eye See, trotted the
slowest mile at this meeting when she jogged under the
wire in 2 131, the deciding heat of the 2 119 class. Driver,
Charley Ford and Hannis were the other starters in that
race. The managers of the horses knew that they had not
enough speed to exercise Maud S., as at Chicago the pre-
ceding week, in her race with Trinket, she had reduced the
race record to 2 : 133/2, trotting the middle half of the mile
in 1 \o\Y\. On this account there was a strong play with
Aland S. barred. Hannis was the choice, while it is said
that those who were behind him had a few tickets on the
field, which included Charlev Ford and Driver. The
Charley Ford people were also reported to have bet their
money the other way. After the second heat Hannis stood
4-2 and Charley Ford 2-4. The third heat proved a
genuine mule race, or, in other words, both Splan and
Turner were determined to be last. Both of them
dawdled along, while Driver jogged with Maud S. As
Bair saw what was going on, he took back and won the
heat in 2 131, while Turner, who usually succeeds in what-
KEYES AND LUCY. 51
ever he undertakes, came last. As an exhibition of pool
box methods, the showing made by Charley Ford and
Hannis in this race stands as the most glaring sample in
the history of the Cleveland track. At the time both of
these horses could have trotted in 2:18 or better, but in
this heat they did not go in 2 40.
The free-for-all pace, at the Grand Circuit meeting in
1880, was a very closely contested race. As has been
stated, Sorrel Dan was added to the "big four," and he
had a strong following. Mattie Hunter was a head in
front of him in the first heat in 2 :i6y 2 . On the next trip
the judges could not separate Lucy and Sorrel Dan, the
announcement being a dead heat in 2 :i 5^4. In the third
heat Sleepy Tom lay rather close to Mattie Hunter as they
swung into the turn, and when Rhea made his drive for
the pole, he pinched Sorrel Dan. While they were mixed
up Rowdy Boy slipped out and won the heat in 2:16,
and the judges distanced Mattie Hunter for the foul.
By this time the field had come back to Lucy, and Keyes
won a heat in 2:1634. Mace tried his hand on Rowdy
Boy in the fourth mile, and won it by half a length in 2 117.
The effort killed him, and Lucy had it all her own way in
the sixth and seventh heats in 2 :i8%, 2 :i9^. The other
winners during the week were Daisydale, Will Cody, Wil-
bur F., Bay Billy, Parana, Wedgewood, Hattie Wood-
ward, and Unolala, her race being at two-mile heats. On
the last day of the meeting Maud S. also gave the public
ample notice of the record-breaking miles which kept her
before the public during the next five years, by trotting
a half in 1 1043/2, the second quarter of it being in 31^
seconds. From the standpoint of extreme speed the
Cleveland meeting in 1880 was the best up to that time,
the trotters averaging 2 :2iy 2 for thirty-five heats, and the
52 MEMOIR.
pacers 2:18^2 for twelve heats, while the average for the
forty-seven heats at both gaits was a small fraction over
2:20^4.
In the reflected light of the racing at the Grand Circuit
meeting, the showing during the fair in September was
very commonplace. The returns show that the roan
mare Elsie Groff won two races, making a record of
2 -.26 ji in the second heat of one of them, and that Jerome
was sent to the front in an eight-heat contest after the
judges had taken the matter in hand and declared a heat
void "because," as it was published at the time, "Jerome
was pulled." Billy L. and Tom Medley were the only
other trotters announced as winners that week, while a
galloper revelling in the name of Proctor Knott, which
subsequently became famous when tacked on to the first
Futurity winner, landed a dash of a mile in 1 149.
Small fields and high-class racing were the distin-
guishing features at the Grand Circuit meeting in 1881.
Of the eleven races for trotters on the programme, four
of them had but four starters, while only three took the
word in the 2:21 class in which Edwin Thorne defeated
Voltaire and the Canadian mare Lucy, who, in order to
distinguish her from the old-time trotting queen and
Keyes celebrated pacer, was dubbed the "Queen's Own."
In the first heat of the race Edwin Thorne won by a neck
from Lucy in 2:20^. On the next trip they were heads
apart at the wire, 2 :27„ Voltaire being between the Thorn-
dale gelding and Lucy. In the deciding heat it was Thorne
all the way in 2:22. The 2:15 trot and free-for-all pace
proved the sensational features of the week. Charley
Ford, Robert McGregor, Midnight and Hopeful took the
word in the former, while seven "side wheelers" an-
swered the bell in the pace. Mattie Hunter was the fav-
1 88 1 MEETING. 53
orite, and won after losing two heats to Bay Billy, Lucy
and Ben Hamilton, being distanced in the first heat, while
the old-timer, Sweetser, with "Cart" Wilson up, caught
the flag in the fourth. Midnight was the favorite in the
2:15 trot. In the first heat Hopeful flew to the half in
1.06^4, but faded in the stretch, Midnight winning on a
jog in 2 :i9/^. Charley Ford was not driven for the heat
on account of a knee boot slipping down. On the next
trip Ford and the favorite had a brush in the stretch, the
black gelding winning by a length in 2:19^4. Dustin
tried again in the third heat, and this time he was success-
ful, as Midnight gave it up at the distance, and Charley
Ford won in a jog in 2:20^4. The finish of the fourth
heat presented one of those characteristic finishes that
caused Robert McGregor to be called the "Monarch of
the home stretch." At the distance Ford had the heat
won, with McGregor a length away. It looked as though
he had made his brush at the three-quarters and failed,
but when Crawford called on him he came again, closed
with the leader, nailed him at the wire, and won by a nose
in 2 :22. The next two heats went to Charley Ford. In
the deciding one Charley Ford had the field a distance out
when Jerry Munroe ordered Dustin to take the gray horse
back, so that he literally walked under the wire in 2 130.
The special features at this meeting were two trotting
races at two-mile heats and an exhibition of Great Eastern
with running mate. The big gelding did not perform sat-
isfactorily, his fastest mile being trotted in 2:21. In the
two-mile races the event for the 2 138 class was won by an
outsider named Stranger in 5:09^, 5:10, while the class
for the 2 124 horses was awarded Post Boy after Calmar
and Amber had each a heat. Calmar won the first heat by
a length from Post Boy in 4 152^. The same distance sep-
54 MEMOIR.
arated Amber and Post Boy at the finish of the second
heat, the latter winning in 4 :$2y 2 , with Calmar third. In
the third heat Post Boy was unsteady. He finished half
a length in front of Amber, but the Clear Grit horse was
given first place, his time being 4:5634. Post Boy and
Amber were up and down in the deciding heat, but the
judges placed them as they finished, Post Boy first in
4:56, Amber second and Calmar third. The other races
on the card were won by Humboldt, Eureka, Trinket,
Troubadour and Annie W., Geers marking her in 2 :20 in
this race, and on a track within a few miles of the farm
where, in 1893, she produced the pacer Ananias, 2 105.
Those who enjoy split-heat pacing will find a perusal
of the summaries for the fall meeting very interesting.
The official records show that Sue Grundy and Badger
Boy each won after trotting seven heats, while the 2 '.22
pace, 2 135 trot, and 2 140 trot, each required six heats be-
fore Billy Scott, Frank Ross and William Benham were
announced as the respective winners. Mohawk Maid
also showed her stamina by winning a five heat contest in
the 2 150 class after Stephen M. had twice led the field
to the wire. The Young Wilkes gelding, William H.,
was the only straight-heat winner at the meeting, his
honors being gained in the 2 120 class when he defeated
Driver, Calmar, Deck Wright and Scott's Thomas in
2:2034, 2:20^, 2:22. On the last day of this meeting
W. J. Gordon also established a world's record for a four-
in-hand team. He started Carrie Berryhill and Fanchion
as leaders, and Billy Strawbridge and an unnamed bay
mare as wheelers, to beat 3 :io. At the first attempt
they trotted in 3:02^, and as there was $100 added if
three minutes was beaten, they tried again and made the
circuit in 2 :56^. This record was again changed on the
FOUR-IN-HAND TEAMS. OO
first day of the Grand Circuit meeting in 1882, when Mil-
lard Sanders drove W. J. Gordon's team, Carry Berry-
hill, Fanchion, Rumps and Lotta, in 2 156, and repeated
in 2 42. Two days later Millard also appeared again
with another of Mr. Gordon's fancy hitches for trotters
and made a tandem record of 2 40^2 with Carry Berry-
hill and Nellie K. This remained unbeaten until Sep-
tember 16, 1886, when the same owner and driver cut it to
2 132 with Mambrino Sparkle and William H. I am of
the opinion that this record has never been beaten, nor do
I remember of anyone ever making an effort to change it.
After the close of the Grand Circuit meeting William
B. Fasig, who had been elected Secretary of the Cleveland
Club, decided to try his hand at four-in-hand trotting,
and -the result was a special at the fall meeting with the
following result :
Cleveland, O., September 7, 1882.
Four-in-hand Teams, Trotting, Purse $500.
William B. Fasig' s Peculiar and Frank Ross
(leaders) Tom Bradley and Rumps, (wheel-
ers), (Whitney) 1 1
W. J. Gordon's Carrie Berryhill and Fanchion
(leaders) Lotta and Legal Tender (wheelers),
( Sanders) 2 2
Time— 2:57^, 2:40^.
The above is the world's race record for four-in-hand
trotting teams at this date (1902), and it stood as the best
on record until September 17, 1886, when W. J. Gordon
put the fast trotters Mambrino Sparkle, Clemmie G.,
William H. and Nobby together and, in a special for a
whip, moved the figures to 2 \^y. No change was made
in this record from that date until July 4, 1896, when
James Stinson started Damania, Bellnut, Maud V. and
56 MEMOIR.
Nutspra to beat 2:31^ over Washington Park, Chicago,
111., and turned that track in 2 130. In connection with this
performance it might also be added that the four horses
in this team were all chestnuts and by the same sire, Nut-
meg, a son of Nutwood.
As stated above, William B. Fasig was elected Secre-
tary of the Cleveland Club in 1882, and the first meeting
under his management proved one of the most brilliant
ever held at the track which has made Glenville famous.
The number of entries was above the average, while the
uniform quality of the starters was better than had ever
appeared for a trip down the line. For the first race at
the meeting Gus Glidden dropped in from Indiana with
the George Wilkes gelding, Wilson. He was known to
be fast, but in need of schooling to make him behave in
company, and according to report, in order to overcome
Wilson's nervousness, Glidden trained him on his farm
track while all of the boys in the neighborhood tooted
long tin horns at him. When Glidden nodded for the
word at Cleveland, Wilson was ready to race. He won
the first and last race at the meeting, while his line of
march through the circuit that year also shows that he
won two races at Rochester, two races at Utica, one race
at Buffalo, and one at Hartford. The 2 123 trot was sand-
wiched with the first race won by Wilson. Minnie R. was
the favorite at $50 to $30 over the field. She was driven
by "Knapsack" McCarthy, and when the summary was
made up she saved her entrance, the race being won by
Jerome Eddy in 2:19, 2:18, 2:19. In the deciding heat
of this race, Jerome Eddy passed the half in 1 107^4, and
finished on a jog. It looked to many that had he been
driven out, the stallion record of Smuggler would have
been equalled or reduced. His day never came again, as
BOSTICK AND WARRIOR. 57
the handsome son of Louis Napoleon, after reducing his
record to 2 \i6y 2 , in the special with Black Cloud at Buf-
falo the following week, was sold and retired to the stud.
On the second day John Bostick stripped Warrior and
started to win the 2 :25 pace. He had told everyone that
his delicate-looking gelding could pace "fo' heats in
fo'teen to eighteen and win suah," but he failed, Geers
pulling it off with Joe Bowers Jr., while the second
money went to the Clear Grit gelding, Fuller. This race
was alternated with the 2 129 class, won by London, and
followed bv the free-for-all pace, which resolved itself into
the usual guessing match. Seven horses started, and seven
heats were reeled off before the Lucy tickets were
cashed, the other heat winners being Mattie Hunter, Bay
Billy and Buffalo Girl, who was distanced in the sixth
heat. Aldine and Adele Gould were the winners of the
regular events on the programme for the third day of
the meeting, and on the following one Rosa Wilkes trotted
to her record when she won the 2 120 class, and Clingstone
defeated Edwin Thorne, J. B. Thomas and So-So in a
special. This was one of the greatest races of the year,
and was described as follows by M. T. Grattan, who,
with his eye in "Danteic frenzy rolling," did the meeting
for the Breeders' Gazette :
"Positions were drawn in the following order : So
So, Clingstone, Thorne and J. B. Thomas. So So broke
at the turn, and only recovered in time to beat Thomas
home. Nothing more need be said of them in the heat.
The interest centered in the great leaders, who gave the
assembled multitude the finest heat ever trotted over any
track. The pole would have enabled either to win. Right
together from end to end, the struggle home became ab-
solutely painful in intensity. At the distance Thorne
58 MEMOIR.
moved up a little, and the shout went up, "Thorne has
it," but Saunders shook Clingstone, and he responding,
recovered his lead of a throat-latch ; then Turner drew
his whip, and its sharp hiss through the air proved the
earnest manner in which it was wielded. Thorne, the
gamest race-horse that ever lived, responded to every
stroke, but the machine beside him could not be beaten,
and won in 2:14. Thorne is a great race horse, with
the ardent impulses, sympathies and passions that make
him akin to a man with the true instincts of a sportsman.
All that a mighty purpose, a grand passion can accom-
plish, he can do ; but he is flesh and blood, limited and
bound down to the possibilities of physical attainment.
He can not beat an automaton, a piece of mechanical per-
fection that goes on and on forever, who is moved by
neither passion or impulse. Cool, imperturbable, impas-
sive, the smooth, even piston-like stroke of this Flying
Dutchman among horses breaks the heart of all opposi-
tion. I doubt whether he is a real flesh and blood horse ;
he is a wraith, a ghost, a Satanic invention. Men are
consumed with an insane passion to own the fastest trotter
in the world. Some one, careless of the future, has
placed his soul in pawn, and the result is what we call
Clingstone. The great enemy of mankind must be cir-
cumvented before he can be beaten. Maud S., St. Julien,
Trinket, have no show to beat him, until cope and stole,
and book and ring, have exorcised the demon that pos-
sesses him.
"Second Heat — A long skirmish for an advantage,
which resulted in a slight lead on the send-off for Thorne,
now began the bitterest struggle I have ever seen on a
race-track. Thome's partisans shouted that he had him,
but Clingstone still kept his nose in the gap between
THE DEMON TROTTER, 59
Thome's wheel and the pole. Gradually he went to his
girth, then to his throat-latch, at the quarter, exactly even,
in 32^4, at the half in 1 105! Think of it! over a slow
track, and this demon trotter Clingstone at his ease.
Thome's great heart broke. He had made the supreme
effort, and it was unavailing. No horse he had yet tried
with such a desperate brush had failed to succumb. Now
he had met something above ordinances — a horse appar-
ently subject to no law that governs flesh and blood ; a
2 :io clip seems an idle pastime. So evident was this that
Thorne and Turner, a great horse and great driver,
yielded in despair to fate and the demon trotter. De-
jected and sorrowful they finished the journey. My sym-
pathy went out to Thorne as to a human being in distress.
The proud and sensitive equine face betrayed the most
poignant sorrow. His high ambition to be king ; inherited
from a proud ancestry, has been relentlessly crushed ; de-
feat had come to check his hot blood in its victorious
flood. Woe is Thorne! Woe is the house of Turner.
Woe is me, for I tingled in every fibre with hope for his
victory, the victory of a kingly horse. The sight of other
trotters became hateful, the mechanical noting of their
positions a burdensome task. I feel that I never want to
see another race. I abandon the journey and return to
the wilds of Minnesota.
Third Heat. — Turner said to the judges : "If I nod
for the word, give it to me." This was a confession that
he yielded to the "machine." Thorne is a race-horse,
but Clingstone is a machine which it seems hopeless to
contend with. Turner had proved him, to his entire sat-
isfaction, perfect in all his points — every joint and lever
in unison with a controlling intelligence, quiet, calm, cold ;
not a horse to excite sympathy or enthusiasm, but a fate
60 MEMOIR.
relentless, unyielding. Thorne had fought like a giant,
like the grand race-horse that he is, to conquer this Sa-
tanic piece of mechanism. The task was a hopeless and
impossible one. Thorne, stamped with the seal of sorrow,
listlessly jogged around. He is Turner's pride and pet,
better liked than any horse he has ever driven, the crown-
ing achievement of his grey hairs. At Chicago, when I
said to him, "I think Thorne can down him," Turner drew
a long breath and said, "I hope so." His heart was in it.
All the subtle skill and tact of "The General" were used
to their utmost, but without avail : Thorne was beaten.
The following is the hateful record of his defeat, which I
would some other hand than mine might write :
Cleveland, O., July 28, 1882.
Purse $3,000 tor named horses, trotting.
W. J. Gordon's b. g. Clingstone by Rysdyk
(Saunders) 1 1 1
Edwin Thome's ch. g. Edwin Thorne by
Thorndale (Turner) 223
M. M. Hedges' b. s. J. B.Thomas by Sterl-
ing (Weeks) 4 3 2
N. W. Kittson's b. m. So So by George
Wilkes (McCarthy) 3 dis.
TIME.
First heat
• 34
1:07
1 140 \i
2:14
Second heat . .
• 32H
1:05
i:39^2
2:16^
■ 35%
1:10
1:46^
2\23 l 4.
It was in the description of this race that M. T. Grat-
tan described Clingstone as "the demon trotter," and I
have always been led to believe that the expression orig-
inated with him, but now I have my doubts, as on turning
to the official record of the race, I find written in William
B. Fasig's unmistakable hand, in parenthesis after Cling-
WHAT 2:14 MEANT. 61
stone's name, the words "The Demon Trotter." In con-
nection with this race it can be added that Clingstone's
mile in 2:14 in the first heat stood as the trotting race
record of the Cleveland track until September 8, 1892,
when Evangeline, hitched to a bike sulky, won the first
heat of the free-for-all in 2 : 13^4, and the fifth in 2 :n^4,
and it was never beaten in a trotting race at a Grand Cir-
cuit meeting until August 11, 1892, when, at Rochester,
N. Y., the bay gelding Walter E., hitched to a bike sulky,
won the second heat of the 2:17 class in 2:13^, and fur-
thermore, it was never equalled in a trotting race at a
Grand Circuit meeting until August 6, 1892, when
Martha Wilkes, also hitched to a bike sulky, won the de-
ciding heat of the 2:19 class by a head from Nightingale
at Buffalo in 2:14. This fact, more than anything that
can be said, demonstrates the superlative excellence of
Clingstone as a fast race-horse, and that the mile was not
a flash performance was amply demonstrated at Buffalo
the following week, when Edwin Thorne drew the pole,
and Clingstone in second position beat him a head in
2:14^4. It is true that Clingstone pinched Thorne a
trifle at the finish, and Turner might have been given the
heat if he had claimed a foul, but he did not want it as
his time had not come. The day of triumph was set for
Hartford, the birth place of "the demon trotter," and it
came, as over Charter Oak Park, the place where Cling-
stone took his first lessons, Edwin Thorne defeated the
Rysdyk gelding in a special after Clingstone had won
a heat in 2:17. Later in the season it was learned that
Clingstone was at the time suffering from a tumor, and
there is no doubt but that it was the cause for his loss of
form after the Rochester meeting. Clingstone was foaled
in a paddock that is now included in Elizabeth Park,
62 MEMOIR.
which was presented to the City of Hartford by his
breeder, C. M. Pond. He was buried at Gordon Glen,
opposite the Cleveland Driving Park. His name will be
remembered while the trotter is considered a distinct type
of race-horse.
The fastest race at the fall meeting of the Cleveland
Club in 1882, was won by Fuller when he defeated Ben
Hamilton, Joe Bowers Jr., and Charley H., in 2:16^,
2:153/2, 2:14^4. He was driven in this race by Andrew
McDowell, while Ed Geers was behind Joe Bowers. Fred
Golddust, Ewing, St. Louis, Mattie Graham, Rosa
Wilkes, Joe Bunker and Nettie Clay also won races at
this meeting, while Warrior again went down to defeat,
the honors on this occasion going to Sailor Boy. This
event, with the running races at two, five and ten miles,
between Miss Williams of Kansas, and Miss Burke of
Nebraska, rounded out an attractive programme, of
which the four-in-hand team racing already referred to
was one of the most distinguishing features.
At the time William B. Fasig was elected Secretary
of the Cleveland Club, he and "Uncle Ben" Wright
owned two mares in partnership. They were Fearless, by
Western Fearnaught, and Lilly Bloom, by Daniel Lam-
bert. As a starter in a breeding venture they farmed
them on shares with the owner of Ambassador, and five
colts were foaled before the stock was divided. Finally
they went to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where Ambassador
was owned, and found that the entire outfit was so poor
that the bunch had to stand twice in one place to make
a shadow. When it came to picking, Fasig selected the
yearling colt out of Lilly Bloom and the two-year-old filly
out of Fearless. "Uncle Ben" did not consider them up
to the mark, so Fasig purchased his interest and gave the
WYANDOT AND KEOKEE. 63
owner of the horse some money and the other three colts
for his interest in the pair. The two selected were the
only trotters in the bunch. The filly was named Keokee,
and raced successfully, taking a record of 2:20*^, but in
the last heat in which she ever started she was timed sep-
arately in 2:1334, while Fasig also drove her a mile in
2 .22 to a road wagon over the Cleveland track. Wyan-
dot was the name selected for the colt. He was a nervy
little chap but unfortunate, and he finally died on Septem-
ber 11, 1 89 1, the day after he trotted to a record of 2 119^.
The following year William B. Fasig selected a picture of
Wyandot's head as a trade mark for his sale business.
The first block was made from an instantaneous photo-
graph, but at a later date he had Frank Whitney, at the
suggestion of the writer, make the drawing from which
the trade-mark used at a later date by William B. Fasig
& Co., and at the present time by the Fasig-Tipton Com-
pany, was reproduced.
In the fall of 1882, William B. Fasig made his first
trip to Kentucky as a horse buyer. After swinging
around the circle, he returned to Cleveland with a four-
year-old black gelding which he purchased from a school-
teacher back in the country between Winchester and
Mount Sterling. When the sale of this gelding had been
completed and the money paid, the blue-grass pedagogue
took Fasig to one side and said : "Now, I'll tell you why
I sold this horse. I want a better one, and am going to
have as good a one as any of my friends in the neighbor-
hood." This was not very encouraging for a beginner,
but according to report the Buckeye buyer was equal to
the occasion, as he replied : "Horses are like the darkey's
opinion of white men, 'onsartin'. You may get a better
one, my friend, and then again you may only think he
64 MEMOIR.
is better." Fasig paid $175 for the black gelding and sold
him to Thomas Axworthy for $225. He used him for a
saddler, but in time turned him over to George W. Baker.
On joining the Baker stable the gelding was broken to
harness, and during the winter of 1884 he was the boss of
the snow path in Cleveland.
In 1883 the Cleveland Driving Park Company suc-
ceeded the Cleveland Club, while the Northern Ohio Fair
Association passed out of existence. William Edwards
was elected President of the new organization ; George
W. Short, Vice-President ; Sylvester T. Everett, Treas-
urer, and William B. Fasig, Secretary. William Ed-
wards remained in office up to the day of his death, Sep-
tember 21, 1898, and in no racing organization that I
know of was a man ever given more loyal support than
that accorded "the Colonel" by his associates and the
stockholders of the Cleveland Driving Park Company,
and it remained so to the end, as it was known that what
he did at home and abroad was on account of his love for
the light harness horse and not in the hope of making a
few dollars. With William B. Fasig racing was a busi-
ness, but the "almighty dollar" never came between him
and his love for a horse. His enthusiasm and earnest-
ness carried him through, as he was not a good business
man, while, like many who have worked for years on a
salary, he did not have much confidence in his splendid
qualities until success came to him as it were in a night.
Fasig retained the Secretaryship of the Cleveland Driving
Park Company until 1892, when he was succeeded by Sid-
ney W. Giles, who had been for years identified with
Island Park, at Albany, N. Y. George W. Short was
Vice-President when he died in 1898. He was buried on
one of the days of the meeting. Sylvester T. Everett is
1883 MEETING. 65
still (1902) in office, having been Treasurer continuously,
of the Cleveland Club and its successor, since 1875. It is
to be regretted that William Edwards and William B.
Fasig were not favored with the allotted span of life.
While they were in the field they labored zealously for the
cause with which they were identified, and when they
stepped aside they left it better than they found it. Let
us hope, dear reader, that when the bell taps for you and I
someone can say as much for us.
As there were a number of important stables in train-
ing at Cleveland in the spring of 1883, the Cleveland
Driving Park Company decided to make a change and
give a meeting in June instead of September. June 5 to
8 were the dates selected, and while that week was handi-
capped by unfavorable weather, it had four days' racing
above the average. As a curtain-raiser, Bither stepped
out and won the 2 134 class, with Phallas giving him a
mark of 2:18^4 in a fifth heat, while the Case stable also
won the 2 40 class with Dixie Sprague. St. Julien and
Fanny Witherspoon met in the free-for-all trot, the Vol-
unteer gelding winning in straight heats, while Flora
Belle defeated Fuller in the free-for-all pace after carry-
ing him to his record of 2 113^4 i n the second heat. Tony
Newell, Joe Bunker, Edwin A. and Eddie D. were the
other winners at the only June meeting ever given at the
Cleveland Driving Park. The scene was changed when
the Grand Circuit horses appeared at the track on the last
day of July. At this meeting trotting stallions were in
the ascendant. Both Phallas and Maxie Cobb, the future
champions, won races during the week, the first named
placing his record at 2 :i5^, within a quarter of a second
of Smuggler's championship mark in the second heat of
the race in which he defeated Duquesne. Maxie Cobb
66 MEMOIR .
also filled the public eye when, as proud as a peacock, he
marched in front of the field in the 2 129 class. The star
event of the week was the struggle between Director and
Wilson in the 2 :22 class. Both of them made their rec-
ords in this race, and before the sixth heat was finished,
Director, favored by his handy breaks, had trotted the
George Wilkes gelding into the ground. Splan laid Wil-
son up in the first heat, while Gladiator carried Director
to the half in 1 :o8^, and was within a length of him at
the wire in 2:19^2. In the second heat Gladiator and
Wilson closed in on Director and pocketed him. They
went in this order to the half in 1 :oa^, when John Gold-
smith took back and pulled outside of the leaders. As
soon as clear sailing was secured he started after Wilson.
He was at his wheel when the three quarters was passed,
and at his neck as they swept by the distance. Then for
a few strides they were head and head. Wilson wavered
under the strain, and broke into a scrambling run. As
he did Goldsmith touched Director with the whip and he
broke. Both horses ran under the wire, and as the judges
could not separate them it was declared a dead heat, and
the time 2 117. Wilson won the third heat by two lengths
in 2 :i6^4, and in the fourth heat finished on a break, the
finish between him and Director being so close that only
the judges could decide. They said Director, and the
time was 2 11754- In the fifth heat Gladiator and Wilson
were on even terms at the half in 1 107^. The Blue Bull
gelding fell back in the third quarter, but as Goldsmith
was forced to go around him and Kate McCall he could
not reach the flying leader, the heat going to Wilson in
2:18. With the non-heat winners out of the way, Di-
rector made short work of Wilson, and won in a walk in
2:2834. Santa Claus was the fourth stallion to win at
OX THE SNOW IN NEW YORK. 67
this meeting. He was in the 2:18 class. The facers for
the week came in the two pacing races which were won
by Eddie D. and YYestmont, and the free-for-all trot in
which both Fanny Witherspoon and Edwin Thorne fin-
ished in front of St. Julien. The Association did not say
much about the showing made by the lateral gaited
horses, but when making his announcement in 1884, Sec-
retary Fasig, in a letter to the "Spirit of the Times," said
that "The owners of pacers can thank themselves for not
receiving more encouragement from the circuit. The pace
has the elements of a grand contest, but the managers of
that mode of going started with the idea that it was nec-
essary to rob the public on each and every occasion possi-
ble, so that the name of pacing has become synonymous
with jobbery, and it is well enough to allow these smart
ones to stay at home with their wives and children, and
plow their side-wheelers one season. A quiet summer's
reflection may bring them to a sense of their duty."
Sleepy Joe, Stranger, Richball, Clemmie G. and Jay Eye
See were the other winners at the meeting in 1883, the
last named defeating Majolica in a match in 2 120^4, 2 :i6,
2:15^4. This was the first Cleveland meeting at which
the average time was below 2 :20, and it was also the first
at which it offered installment plan purses, the two pro-
grammed being won by Phallas and Eddie D.
During the last week in January, 1884, New York was
favored with a fall of snow, and for about two weeks
everv horse that had a little speed or was supposed to
have a little of that desirable quality, was out on Seventh
Avenue for an airing, while those who were not so fortu-
nate as to have a turnout or a friend that would give them
a lift, knocked their heels on the curb as the procession
moved up and down the road. Almost every afternoon
6S MEMOIR.
when the racing was fast and furious Shepard F. Knapp
dropped into the bunch of leaders with his bay geldings
Charlie Hilton, by Vigo Hambletonian, and Sam Hill, the
only trotter that Electioneer sired while at Stony Ford.
They were a perfect road team, and that they were fast
was evidenced by the fact that John Murphy had taken
them in road condition and drove them over Fleetwood
in 2\2\y 2 . During this spell of sleighing "Shep"
Knapp drove up to Barry's with William B. Fasig as his
guest. It was Fasig's first visit to New York, and that
he was initiated into the ways of the road is evidenced
by what he told S. Freeman over a mint julep .at
Benny sclifYe in the fall of 1901.
"On my first visit to New York I had a ride with
Shepard F. Knapp, who died on Christmas day in 1886,
behind his famous team that he afterward sold to Charles
Schwartz, of Chicago. They were the best on the road,
and how Mr. Knapp, who was acknowledged to be one
of the best team drivers in America, could pilot them !
We drove into 'Barry's.' This was at the time of the
Vanderbilt-Work rivalry, when the followers of Vander-
bilt took one end of the room and those of Work the other.
From there we went to Gabe Case's, across the river, and
what a night we spent ! The last I remember was seeing
John Murphy ride the Kerry cow into the barroom. I
awoke in my room at the old St. James, and I knew I had
been out for a ride. Another incident of the trip I remem-
ber well : Mr. Freeman owned the fine and fast little
gelding Star, 2:25^4, by Aberdeen, that Billy Weeks
campaigned the summer before. He also owned Stilletto,
one that could outbrush Star. Capt. Jake Vanderbilt had
a bay named Boston, Dan Mace a. horse called Bill Thun-
der; a man named Akins had a fast mare of great repu-
SEALSKIN BRIGADE. 69
tation on the roads, by some Clay horse; Capt. Jack
Dawson had his old black mare that could hold her own
in any company, and three or four others whose names I
do not recall ; all trotters, not a pacer on the road in those
days on your life. Well, this crowd headed into the park,
going- down town. Capt. Jack Dawson was then super-
intendent, or something, of the parks, and we cut loose.
The sleighing was prime and we went a merry clip. I
was driving Stilletto. One policeman after another
rushed out to stop us, when Capt. Jack would yell at
them, and they'd touch their hats and retire, so the race
was fast and furious. The Clay mare led at the end of
the brush, Capt. Jake Vanderbilt was second with Bos-
ton, I was at his necktie with Stilletto, while Mace, Daw-
son, Freeman and the others were close up in a bunch.
It was gay sport, that ; sleighing through the park under
the protection of its boss, the big-hearted Jack Dawson,
who was a power in those days. Seems to me that folks
had more fun then. It was the time of the 'sealskin
brigade,' when the powerful were Americans, practiced
American ways, drove American trotters and were proud
to be Americans. No perching up on an eighteen-foot
high cart, holding the lines against one's bay window,
driving a mutilated horse that couldn't do fast enough
time for a funeral from a workhouse. I may be a bit old
fogyish for these new fangled notions, but I can't help it."
While on this trip William B. Fasig made his first
appearance as a delegate at a Congress of The National
Trotting Association. He did not take an active part in
the proceedings. A short time after his return home,
Fasig was, on the suggestion of Colonel Edwards and
W. J. Gordon, employed by the representatives of the
estate of H. B. Hurlburt to dispose of his stable of road
70 MEMOIR.
horses and equipment. He decided to sell the horses at
auction, and fixed May 7 as the date of sale. On April
19, 1884, William B. Fasig made his first announcement
as a sale manager, the following four-inch single-column
advertisement appearing in the columns of the "Spirit of
the Times" of that date:
TROTTERS
Under the Hammer.
The representatives of the estate of the late Hon.
H. B. Hurlbut having placed in my hands for disposal
his fast Road Horses, Wagons, Harnesses, etc., I will
sell them at auction, at the track of the Cleveland
Driving Park Company, Cleveland, O.,
Wednesday, May 7, 1884,
Commencing at 11 A. M. SHARP.
LYSANDER BOY, .... Record 2:20^
SMALL HOPES, '* 2:26^
BLUE MARE, " 2:23
ALECK S " 2:28>(
SQUIRREL Trial 2:25
NEVA, . *« 2:29
STAR ' 2:35
Sale positive, to close the estate. No reserve or by-
bidding.
In addition to above, there will also be sold
From Ten to Fifteen
OTHER TROTTERS,
with speed from 2:25 to 2:50,
among them some young and handsome horses that
beat 2:30 under the watch.
Send for catalogue. Address
WM. B. FASIG,
Secretary Cleveland Driving Park.
In the same issue the Cleveland sale was favored with
the following reading notice, which was, so far as appear-
ances go, except the clause designated by quotation
marks, written by Fasig :
fasig's first sale. 71
TROTTERS UNDER THE HAMMER.
"The so-called trotters advertised and lauded in the
daily papers are subjects of disappointment to the pur-
chasers, who are made to believe almost anything in the
way of speed, by fellows who will undertake to prove
that "two tortoises can run faster than a stag." It will
be refreshing to sufferers at the hands of such worthies,
as well as others seeking genuine trotters, to attend the
auction sale, at the track of the Cleveland Driving Park
Company, near Cleveland, O., on Wednesday, May 7,
commencing at 11 a. m. This sale has been brought
about by the death of the late Hon. H. B. Hurlburt, and
the representatives of his estate have employed "the con-
scientious horseman and excellent judge, Mr." Wm. B.
Fasig, to sell all the fast road-horses and driving para-
phernalia, which the deceased millionaire had accumu-
lated, regardless of cost. The list of trotters to be sold,
without reserve or by-bidding, comprises the tested track,
road, and pole horses, Lysander Boy, 2 '.20^4, double-team
record 2:20; Small Hopes, 2:26^2, exhibition mile, with
Lady Mac, 2 123, driven by Mr. W. H. Vanderbilt ; Blue
Mare, 2 123 ; Aleck S., 2 128^4 ; Squirrel, trial 2 125 ; Neva,
2:29; Star, 2:35. In addition to the above, a further
field of choice will be thrown open to buyers, in the shape
of from ten to fifteen other trotters, possessing speed from
2 125 to 2 :5c A young and handsome lot. Some of
them can beat 2 130 under the watch. Send for catalogue
to Wm. B. Fasig, Secretary, Driving Park, Cleveland,
Ohio."
In order to complete the record, the following report
of the sale is taken from the columns of the "Spirit of
the Times" for May 18, 1884:
72 MEMOIR.
W. B. FASIG'S SALE.
This sale took place on the 7th inst.. at the Cleveland, O.,
Driving Park. F. Herdic officiated as auctioneer and David
Muckle showed the horses to the best advantage.
Squirrel, b. g. (reported time 2:2s), by American Ethan.
L. W. Sanford. Niles, O $ 575
Small Hopes, br. g., 2:2614 , by Rysdyk's Hambletonian,
dam unknown. Eli Yager, Wilkesbarre, Pa 490
Blue Mare, rn. m., 2:23, by Wood's Hambletonian, dam
by Potter's Clay. W. J. Gordon, Cleveland. O 650
Quaker Girl, ch. m., by Hailstorm, dam by Independence.
T. Axworthy, Cleveland, O 830
Alex S., rn. g., 2:28^ , by Gurney, dam unknown. J. W.
Harrison, Fremont, O 410
Neva, ch. m., trial 2:29 (with colt at foot by Nugget), by
a son of Gen. Knox. James McCrea, Cleveland, O .... 660
Star, br. g., trial 2:35. R. M. Freeman, Cleveland, O.... 725
Ly sander Boy, ch. g., 2:20^4, by Lysander, dam by Wine-
creek Black Hawk. C. J. Clark, Pittsburg, Pa 1600
The above animals, the property of the Hurlbut estate,
brought $5,930, an average of $741.25.
The following, owned by various persons, were also sold:
Lambert Boy, b. g . by Daniel Lambert. H. Darlington,
Pittsburg, Pa $1000
Edward S., b. g., by a son of Gen. Knox. H. Darlington,
Pittsburg, Pa 1450
Silvermount, b. m. Fred Leffler, Canton, 190
Grayling, gr. m., by Ned Hunter. John Morgan, Mercer.
Pa 400
Little Dart, br. m., by Daniel Lambert. John Morgan,
Mercer, Pa 250
Lucy C, ch. m., 2:30, by Hotspur, dam unknown. Thomas
Heller, Massillon, O 475
Charley Tucker, blk. g. (pacer). J. F. Rust, Cleveland, O 315
Sister Easter, b. m., by Messenger Duroc. W. J. Gordon,
Cleveland, O 320
Patrol, b. s., by Florida, dam by Jupiter. Robert Lowe,
Medina, O 300
Joker, b. g., 2:22^2, by Parrish Hambletonian, dam by
Andrus' Hambletonian (nominal sale). Dave Muckle,
Cleveland, O 200
MAUD S., 2:09^. 73
Burt Sheldon, br. g. M. Glocker, New York $1000
Highlander, b. s. J. Gallagher, Elmira, N. Y 195
Thistlebloom. W. J. Gordon 320
Six others sold for $805, the twenty-seven realizing $7,270,
an average of $269.26.
By changing the world's record to 2:09^4, Maud S.
saved the Cleveland meeting of 1884 from being placed
in the ordinary list. It was the intention of William H.
Vanderbilt to start her against her record, and at the
same time be prepared to defend her laurels from the
attacks of Jay Eye See, but, before she had a chance to
take the word, the Dictator gelding turned Narragansett
Park in 2:10. The news reached Cleveland on the sec-
ond day of the meeting and, when announced by Colonel
Edwards, it was received with cheers and shouts to
"bring out Maud S." She came out to bridle and was
greeted with applause as Grant led her by the stand. At
the same time it was announced that she would be started
the following day to reduce the mark made at Providence.
As stated above, Maud S. trotted in 2:09^4. The timers
were David Bonner, John Cummings and William B.
Fasig. Mr. Bonner made it 2:09^4, Mr. Fasig made it
2:09^4, and Mr. Cummings 2:093/2. She was given the
time of the slowest watches, the fractional time for the
mile being 132^4, 1:0434, 1:3634, 2:09^4. Her driver,
W. W. Bair, described the mile as follows to a represen-
tative of the "Spirit of the Times":
"Now as to our movements after I got on the sulky.
You saw I jogged her the reverse way of the track and
opened her up from the quarter pole. As she moved past
the grand stand I saw she was a great mare, and said to
myself, 'You are yourself to-day.' Then I jogged her to
the head of the stretch and turned her slowlv around as
74 MEMOIR.
her custom is when about to do a great mile. She stood
a moment or two and walked, say 50 yards, and then she
started up of her own accord, and seemed to say, 'Now
let me go ; I see all the people, and will show them some-
thing they never saw before.' It does appear as if a
public day and big crowd stirred her up to do or die, for
she did just break loose herself. I did not mean to give
her such a long score, but then she was so willing I hated
to bother her, so away we went on the first score. As we
passed the wire she was going just about right. I coaxed
her back a little, and at the quarter noted we were going
at the rate of 2:11 ; fast enough. I chirped to her once
just after we left the quarter, as I desired to get to the
half in 1 104. I got there in 1 -.04 V^. Along the back-
stretch I met Hayes with Catchfly, and hailed him with
a 'How do you like that movement ?' for we were sailing.
He seemed astonished, and afterwards told the boys I
was going easy. I aimed to reach the three-quarter pole
in 1 136, and then we would have 33^ seconds to come
home in. She entered the homestretch very resolute, and
at the bend spurted, but did not carry it quite to the wire ;
then I tapped her lightly with the whip, and asked her
for one more effort. She finished without lifting, shak-
ing or swerving, and I stopped my watch under the wire
in 2 :09 3-5. Here it is ; I've not started it since. That's
all."
On referring to the report of this meeting it will be
found that Crit Davis won the 2:17 class with Phil
Thompson and the 2:19 class with Maud Messenger.
Each race was won in straight heats, and both of the
winners were marked 2\i6 l / 2 . The Red Wilkes gelding
defeated Edwin Thorne, Phyllis, and Clemmie G., and
was expected to show well, but Maud Messenger was not
A RINGER. 75
looked for, Catchfly being the choice. The other winners
during the week were Belle F., Zoe B., both of which
trotted their races in the mud; Lorene, Harry Wilkes,
Richhall, St. Albans and Nobby, Splan getting first
money with the last named after a seven-heat dispute with
Felix, Florence M. and Secret.
The first "ringer" ever seen at the mile track in Cleve-
land scored for the word in the first race at the fall meet-
ing in 1884. When the entries were sorted, Secretary
Fasig found one for a black mare named Baby Mine, in
the three-minute trot. She was represented as being by
Lambert Chief. The entry was signed P. Hinchey, Oil
City, Pa., and postmarked Boston, Mass. Advice was
received by local parties to follow the play of Eli Ager,
and when the betting began on the three-minute class
Baby Mine was the choice. This, with the fact that the
man in charge of the mare was not certain as to his own
name or the name of the man he was working for, caused
suspicion to fall on Baby Mine, and, as might be expected,
she was protested by Charles Frost, of Cambridge City,
Ind., the owner of Lena Swallow, one of the nine starters
in the same race. When the word was given Lady Cleve-
land stepped out and won two heats, Baby Mine finishing
4-2. On the next trip Lena Swallow finished in front,
with Baby Mine second. The Judges saw that the man
who represented himself as P. Hinchey, of Turners, An-
droscoggin County, Maine, was not trying to win with
Baby Mine, so they put up Volney French. He won in
short order in 2 \2yy 2 , 2 :2&%, 2 132^, the time in the first
heat being, as it was eventually shown, three-quarters of
a second faster than the record of the mare under her
true name. Through confidential sources Colonel Ed-
wards learned that the true name of Babv Mine was
76 MEMOIR.
Minnie Moulton, owned by John Goodwin, Lawrence,
Mass., and that the name of the driver was James L.
Keene. In order to complete the identification, The Na-
tional Trotting Association employed Captain W. H.
Boyce, who was then located at Pittsburg, Pa., to go to
New England and locate the mare, she having been
shipped to New York the day after her race at Cleveland.
He found her at Lawrence, Mass., and traced her to
Beacon Park, where she was entered to start in the 2 \2J
class October 9. A short time before the race was called
a closed carriage drove up to the rail near the distance,
and, as the horses scored, had any one been watching the
carriage they would have seen William B. Fasig's face
at the window. Nothing was said until after the heat,
which was won by Arthur, \Y. K. second and Minnie
Moulton third. When the announcement was made,
Secretary Fasig and Captain Boyce were at the Judges'
stand. Minnie Moulton's driver, James L. Keene, asked
for permission to draw her. The request was complied
with and Minnie Moulton, alias Baby Mine, retired from
the turf. A few days later the Cleveland Driving Park
Company issued an order of expulsion against her, as
well as her driver, James L. Keene, alias Pat Hinchey;
her owner, John Goodwin, Lawrence, Mass., and L. B.
Goodrich, Bradford, Pa., who was implicated in the trans-
action.
At this meeting Glenview Farm also made its first
step towards bringing a few of the colt records back to
Kentucky from California, its first banner bearer being
the black mare Elvira, by Cuyler, out of Mary Mambrino
by Mambrino Patchen. On the opening day of the meet-
ing she defeated Loretta F. in the 2 '.27 class, trotting a
fourth heat in 2 123, and, as George Fuller knew she could
A RACE TO WAGON. li
go faster, he started her three days later against 2:18^4,
the four-year-old record of the world, held by Bonita.
Her first trial was finished in 2:195^, but on the second
attempt Elvira earned a record of 2 :i& l / 2 . This filly was
a sister to Beatrice, the dam of Patron, Prodigal and Pat-
ronage, the sire of Alix, 2 103^ ; while, after being retired
to the stud on account of blindness, she produced
Ponce de Leon. On the same afternoon Fuller also gave
the yearling colt Nutbreaker, bv Nutwood, a record of
2 146, and trotted second to Jim Schriber in the 2 -.23 class
with Algath. The other events at this meeting were won
by Mambrinette, Uncle Ned, Jim Early and Oliver K.,
the King Wilkes gelding getting a record of 2:24^ in a
six-heat race, in which he defeated Darkness, Lena Swal-
low, Homewood, Gladys, G. E. B., Faro and Adam
Beebe. W. B. Fasig started the black gelding Boston
Davis in the race won by Jim Early, and drew him after
finishing sixth in the first heat. At this date the black
gelding had a record of 2:34, and could beat it, but he
was also as notorious a puller as Captain McGown, of
twenty-miles-in-an-hour fame. In November, 1901,
three months before he died, William B. Fasig related the
following incident in connection with the ownership of
Boston Davis, to S. Freeman, who incorporated it in an
article that appeared in the Christmas number of "The
Horse Review".
"Col. Wm. Edwards, one of the dearest men that ever
lived, was President of the Cleveland Driving Park, and
I the Secretary. There was hot rivalry between us. He
had an elegant bay mare named Faith, which he thought
could beat the Boston Davis family. The feeling was
at fever heat, and one day it culminated, after a heated
argument, in a match to wagon. The Colonel's son Clar-
78 MEMOIR.
ence, now a gallant officer in the army, then home from
West Point on a furlough, drove Faith, while your hum-
ble servant piloted the Boston Davis horse. The Colonel
and Clarence were so sure of winning that they notified
the swelldom of Cleveland about the match, and almost
all the handsome young ladies of Euclid Avenue's four
hundred were on deck pulling for Clarence, as he was a
fine-looking young fellow, while I — well, we won't dis-
cuss that. Singularly enough, the men were for 'Benny,'
but the women were for Clarence.
"My horse had a fashion of going away fast until he
hit the back stretch, and then slowing up until he rounded
into the homestretch, when he'd come again and trot a
whirlwind to the wire. He did so in that race. I was
in the lead at the quarter-pole when my opponent closed
up, and it really looked as if I was beaten. Mr. Edwards
stood in the stand shouting : 'Clarence has got him,
Clarence has got him !'
"John D. Rockefeller and W. J. Gordon, who were
among the spectators and on my side, said afterward
that they thought it was all over. But Clarence didn't
'have him,' for Boston Davis took more wind in his sail
at the three-quarter pole and beat Faith through the
stretch in fine style. I was more unpopular with those
handsome young ladies than ever, one remarking, 'I'd
like to stick a hair-pin in that odious fat man driving the
ugly black horse.' "
Encouraged by the success of the sale held in con-
nection with the Hurlburt horses in 1884, William B.
Fasig decided to hold another in r885, an d selected May
14 and 15 for the venture. J. B. Perkins, W. J. Gordon,
J. W. Pritz and D. M. Marsh sent small consignments,
and when John Rush called for bids there were about
A BATTLE FOR THE THRONE. 79
seventy-five head catalogued, this list including Ina G.,
2 :2^ l / 2 ; Lady Clark, 2 \2jy 2 ; Whirlwind, 2 124 ; Blue
Mare, 2 123 ; Molly Kistler, and that grand old-time pacer
Sorrel Dan, 2 114. A few of the fast ones failed to appear,
the most noted absentees being Lady Clark, who after-
wards produced Hettiemont, 2:16%, and Pattie Clark,
2:17*4; but when the returns were all in it was found
that sixty-five head had been sold for $23,947, the top
figure, $1,620, being paid for Ina G., while Myrtella G.
sold for $1,100 and Aleck L. for $1,010. •
In 1876, on the last day of August, Smuggler, in the
first heat of his memorable race with Goldsmith Maid at
Hartford, placed the stallion record at 2:15^4, and it re-
mained there until July 14, 1884, when Phallas created a
commotion by trotting a fourth heat at Chicago in 2:13^,
a mark which he equalled at Providence, R. I., on the
day his stable companion, Jay Eye See, reduced the
world's record for trotters to 2:10, and which stood as
his mark when retired from the turf. Another star ap-
peared on the horizon at Narragansett Park on the after-
noon that the Hickory Grove Farm stable was bidding
for the world's record. He was also started to reduce
the stallion record, but failed, his fastest mile being trot-
ted in 2 115^ . That horse was Maxie Cobb, and his flight
of speed encouraged John Murphy to go on with him.
At Hartford, August 28, Murphy drove the handsome
son of Happy Medium in 2:15, and on September 30
crowned him king of stallions by the record, with a mile in
2:I 3/4> a t Providence. During the winter months the
racing qualities of the two stallions were discussed very
freely from one end of the country to the other, and when
the warm weather stirred their respective owners' racing
blood the pair were matched for $10,000, to trot at Cleve-
80 MEMOIR.
land, July 4, 1885. In handling this race William B. Fasig
first demonstrated his skill as an advertiser. By the time
the bell rang he had all northern Ohio up and going,
every other holiday entertainment being cast aside for
a trip to Glenville to witness what he termed "3. battle for
the throne." The attendance was placed at twelve thou-
sand, which was more than could be well taken care of
at that time. They saw a heat and a half and were satis-
fied. In the preliminary jogging Maxie Gobb looked
every inch a king. He filled the eye as he swept by, while
Phallas, white with foam, had little to commend him to
those who build on appearances. As for the race, Phallas
was never headed after he took the pole on the turn. The
fractional time for the first heat was 35, 3334 , 3 2 ^4« 33-
This made the middle half 1 :o6 and the mile 2 114, which
equalled the track's race record for trotters, made by
Clingstone in his contest with Edwin Thorne.. Phallas
won by half a length, both horses being under the whip.
In the second heat the pair were lapped at the half in
1 :o6, the quarters having been trotted in 33^, 32^4 sec-
onds respectively. As they swung around the turn Maxie
Cobb gave it up, while Phallas went on and won the heat
as he pleased by two lengths, in 2:1534. The third heat
was only a matter of form, Phallas winning it in 2 \2oY\.
In 1884, after Maud S. reduced her record to 2:0934,
Colonel Edwards, as President of the Cleveland Driving
Park, sent the following despatch to her owner :
Race Track, Cleveland, O., Aug. 2. 18S4.
William H. Vanderbilt,
Saratoga, N. Y.:
Allow me to congratulate you. Maud S. still reigns supreme.
Her record is 2:09^ on a slow track. Before ordering her home
come and see her trot a mile in 2:07 or 2:08. We are all happy.
Wm. Edwards.
MAUD S., 2:o8^. 81
On the fourth day of the Grand Circuit meeting in
1885, Colonel Edwards had occasion to send another
despatch on the same subject. It read as follows :
Race Track, Cleveland, O., July 30, 1885.
Robert Bonner,
New York, N. Y.:
The Cleveland Association congratulates you most heartily
and thanks you most sincerely for allowing your peerless queen,
Maud S., to show the people how easily she beat her record in the
wonderful time of2:o8 3 4,on a track certainly one second slow,
having had a hard rain at midnight.
Wm. Edwards, President.
In the year that had elapsed between the two record-
breaking miles, Maud S. was sold by William H. Van-
derbilt to Robert Bonner for $40,000, and she had also
cut her record from 2 :09^J to 2 109^ in a trip against
time at Lexington, Ky., on November 11, Woodburn
Farm having given a cup for the performance in order to
make the time a record, no admission being charged at
the gate. In the season of 1885 Maud S. was, at the re-
quest of Colonel Edwards, sent to Cleveland for a su-
preme effort, and his telegram shows what occurred. It
may also be added that during the greater part of the day
both Bair and Robert Bonner's representatives hesitated
about starting the mare on account of the condition of
the track. There had been a heavy shower during the
night', and under such conditions a clay track does not
dry out very rapidly. Aside from the footing being soft
on the first turn, the day was perfect, and, as Secretary
Fasig was confident that Maud S. was in shape to reduce
her record, he gave Bair no rest until the mare was
hitched and on the track. The following is the report of
the performance as furnished the "Turf, Field and Farm"
by Hamilton Busbey :
82 MEMOIR.
"At a quarter- past five Bair came on the track behind
Maud S. He wore a Derby hat, and it was announced
that the queen would be driven a warming-up mile.
Cheer after cheer greeted the chestnut mare as she
walked slowly past the crowded stands. She went
the reverse way of the track, then turned and broke into a
vigorous jog. The watches were started on her, and the
circuit was timed in 2 128^4. She was taken to the stable
and rubbed down, and at six o'clock, when the flags were
hanging motionless, the shout went up, "Bring out Maud
S. We want to go home." The scraper was run around
the track, and the footing looked better next the rail,
although it was conceded by critics not to be the best.
The first turn, especially, was damp and cuppy. Bair
now appeared behind the mare in full jockey suit, and
his face was pale and anxious. The queen stepped reso-
lutely, and each outburst of applause caused her to merely
prick up her ears. Having reigned so long, the cheers
of the multitude did not excite her. She had grown used
to them. No pools were sold, but the private offers that
the record would not be lowered found no takers. Fred
Bonner himself had telegraphed his father that he did
not believe there was one chance in ten of beating 2 109^4.
After a slow jog the reverse way of the track, Bair went
to the head of the stretch, where Splan, with Mr. Gor-
don's running horse Dart, harnessed to sulky, was wait-
ing for him, and, starting up the mare, came strongly to
the stand. He nodded for the word, Mr. Thomas Ax-
worthy shouted "Go!" and hundreds of watches began
to register the flying feet. The pace was fast, and Splan
drew a little too close around the turn. The rush of the
running horse and the cuppy condition of the soil made
the queen forget herself, and she sprawled into the air.
A 2:04 GAIT. 83
The I-told-you-so fellows swelled with importance, while
the anxious friends of the great trotter felt as if they had
been called to a funeral. Bair pulled the mare up, and
came back with paler face, because he knew that one of
his three chances under the rule had been sacrificed. Go-
ing to the head of the stretch again, he came down a little
slower and nodded for the word. The plungers struck
and the hands of the watches re-commenced the steady,
remorseless journey around the dials. Splan was more
cautious with his runner, and the turn was safely
rounded, but the critics pronounced the pace too slow.
In the straight work it was more like flying than trotting,
and the hands split at the first quarter in 32^ seconds
— a 2:11 gait. Along the backstretch the old scythe-
bearer was tackled in awful earnestness, and exclama-
tions were heard, "See her go." The time at the half-
mile pole was 1 '.04^, which made the flight of the second
quarter 31% seconds — a 2:07 gait. The terrific contest
against the swaggering bully, Time, was kept up, and
fears were expressed that Bair would drive the mare to a
break. But she resolutely held her course, trotting the
third quarter in 31 seconds — a 2 -.04 gait, and making the
total time for the three quarters 1 135^2. Around the
upper turn Splan drew a little closer with Dart, and the
cloud of suspense deepened. When the stretch yawned
broad and straight before the peerless chestnut, she
seemed to falter and the cry was heard from excited
watch-holders, "Lift her. Come on!" With rare judg-
ment Dart was brought with clattering effort still closer
to her who was fighting so earnestly with the grim and
stalwart giant, and at the same instant the whip fell
sharply on her shoulders. The brave Boston blood in the
queen was aroused, and it quickened the action of lagging
84 MEMOIR.
feet. Under the wire she shot with a do-or-die rush, the
watches stopped and the crowd held its breath. The pent-
up feeling then found vent. Cheer followed cheer, and
the crowd rushed through the gates and fairly blocked
the quarter stretch. With difficulty the path was cleared
for the mare, who walked slowly back to the stand with
bowed head and throbbing flanks. The official timers,
Wm. Edwards, N. L. Hunting, C. F. Emery and George
AW Short, consulted their watches and unanimously
agreed that the record had been broken. I looked over
their shoulders at this supreme moment and noticed that
while Mr. Hunting's fifth-second watch marked 2 :o8 4-5,
the others were full 2:08^4. Leaning over the stand
President Edwards said : "Ladies and gentlemen, I am
pleased to inform you that on a track which the directors
do not consider fast, Maud S. has trotted and made a
record of 2 :o8^." The official announcement reawakened
the thunders of applause, and the storm did not abate
when a rich floral collar, from the garden of Mr. Gordon,
was placed on the neck of the queen."
To commemorate this performance the Cleveland
Driving Park Company ordered a golden horseshoe to
be hung in the arch over the entrance to the grounds with
the words, "Maud S., 2:08%," in the center of it. It is
still there to remind all race goers that the record made
July 30, 1885, is still the world's record to a high-wheel
sulky over a regulation track, and it is liable to be for all
time.
The 2:16 trot proved the best race at the Grand Cir-
cuit meeting in 1885. The starters were Maud Messen-
ger, Clemmie G. and Phyllis. Wagner had his big mare
in good fix and it might be added that he ordered her
according to his own idea. He hired a boat and every
PHYLLIS IN LAKE ERIE. 85
morning gave Phyllis a swim in Lake Erie. She came
out on the day of the race as limber as an eel and won
after losing the first heat in 2:17^4 t0 Clemmie G. by a
break near the distance. In the second heat Phyllis
trotted to her record of 2:15^, the last half of the mile
being' in 1 :o6%, and the third quarter of it in 32^4 sec-
onds. The time for the third heat was 2:16^4, there be-
ing but half a length between Phyllis and Clemmie G. at
the finish, while half a head in favor of Phyllis, in 2 wjYiy
was the way they finished in the deciding mile. Dunbar
drove Clemmie G. with commendable skill, but he could
not reach the Phil Sheridan mare. During the meeting
Dunbar also drove Clingstone a mile against time, equal-
ing his record of 2:14, and that "the demon trotter" was
as fast, if not faster, than at any time in his career was
evidenced by the fact that he checked oft" the fourth quar-
ter in 32^4 seconds. The other winners at the meeting
were Beauregard, Adelaide, Harry Roberts, Gossip, Jr..
William Arthur, Harry Wilkes, William T., Joe Davis,
Maggie G. Middleton and Westmont, while on the open-
ins: dav Almont Gift defeated Mohawk Gift in a $2,000
match race that was spun out to five heats before the
judges found a winner, and that the finding of the Judges
did not satisfy the owners was evidenced by the fact that
they made another match to be decided at the fall meet-
ing, when Mohawk Gift defeated Almont Gift in straight
heats, the fastest of which was trotted in 2:24^. At
this fall meeting the newly organized Ohio Association
of Trotting Horse Breeders gave its first races, the
events being sandwiched with the races offered by the
Cleveland Driving Park Company. The stakes of the
Breeders' Association were won by Reveille, Nettle Leaf
and Heresv, while the first moneys in the races on the
86 MEMOIR.
regular programme were won by Whitesocks, Little
Mack, Gladys, Gray Dave, Lace Dealer, Mable May, Jes-
sie B., Nobby and Harry Wilkes. In the pacing race Lit-
tle Mack defeated Argyle, Jordan, Tommy Lynn and
Conway and reduced his record to 2:15, while in the free-
for-all Harry Wilkes stepped around the track three
times in front of Glen Miller and Belle F. in 2 :i8, 2 12454,
2:18. The races won by Gray Dave and Nobby were
badly mixed. Eight horses took the word in the 2 125
trot and eight heats were trotted before Gray Dave won
three, the other heat winners being Victor, Tom Allen
and Sentry. In the 2:21 class Gus Wilson won the first
heat with Nellie G. in 2:21. The second was declared
dead between Nellie G. and Onward in 2:21. The race
then went over to the following day, when, after Albert
France had won a heat in 2 :20^4, Nobby gathered in the
money in 2 \20y2, 2 :2i, 2 :2i^.
. The average time for the Grand Circuit meeting in
1885 was 2:19^4, and for the fall meeting, not including
the stakes offered by the Breeders' Association, a small
fraction over 2 -.26. In addition to the events named
Cleveland race goers also witnessed two specials during
the season of 1885, one being a gate money race between
Harry Wilkes and Phallas, the gelding winning in
2:17%., 2:20% j 2:193^2, and the other the team perform-
ance of Clingstone and Guy, the pair being driven to a
record of 2:17, by T. J. Dunbar. This was the first pub-
lic appearance of the Kentucky Prince gelding that in
time became as notorious for his antics when scoring, and
flights of extreme speed, as his mate was celebrated for
his sterling race horse qualities. Guy was foaled at Stony
Ford in 1880. He was a small rugged looking youngster
when he was with a batch of others shipped to New York
AN EXPENSIVE WORK OUT. 87
to be sold at auction on October 24, 1882, by Peter C.
Kellogg & Co. While the sale was in progress L. D.
Packer directed the attention of J. B. Perkins, of Cleve-
land, to the black colt by Kentucky Prince, out of Flora
Gardiner, by Seely's American Star, and backed his re-
marks with the assurance of John Hogan that he was the
best prospect for a trotter ever foaled on the farm. When
the black colt was led out Jacob B. Perkins bought him
for $460. He shipped him to Cleveland with a three-
year-old filly by Messenger Duroc, purchased at the same
sale, and wintered him at the Twin Elm Farm on Lake
Avenue. When the spring came the colt was, on account
of his size, gelded and broken to harness. As the sum-
mer days were being marked off the calendar, stories of
the fast three-year-old at the farm on Lake Avenue found
their way across the Cuyahoga River and finally reached
Glenville. James McKeever was training him on the
farm track, and it did not take him long to find that the
Kentucky Prince gelding was a star in embryo. In due
time the youngster was named Guy, after one of Mr. Per-
kins' boys, and taken to the Cleveland Driving Park. W.
J. Gordon saw him step, and asked for a price. It was
$10,000. After a little sparring, he bought him for
$6,000 with the understanding that he would pay an ad-
ditional $4,000 if Guy should beat 2 :20 as a four-year-
old. From that time there was a standing order that Guy
was not to trot better than 2 :20, while it was understood
about the track that the first man who caught Guy a mile
below 2 :20 would get a new suit of clothes. Few watches
were idle when Guy was being worked and finally one
morning "Tom" McCabe timed him in 2:19. When
speaking of it he said that Guy was jogged to the half in
1 113 with the intention of letting him finish at speed, and
88 MEMOIR.
to the surprise of everyone, his trainer included, he broke
away and trotted the last half in I :o6. Mr. Perkins was
notified. McCabe received his suit of clothes and W. J.
Gordon paid the extra $4,000.
One hundred and forty of what Fasig termed "the
fastest and best horses ever offered for public sale" were
in the catalogue issued for the "great sale," May 12, 13
and 14, 1886. The list including George V., 2 :20 ; Tom
Allen, 2 :22, "the handsomest gentleman's roadster in the
United States ;" Tommy Norwood, 2 :26*4 ; King Philip,
2:21; the pacer, Jack Hart, 2:23^, and the handsome
pair of mares, Fannie Archer, 2 132^, and Gussie Archer,
2 133. The Archer team sold for $1,400, and Tom Allen,
although twelve years old, brought $2,000, the high-water
mark for the week.
Oliver K., a Forest City Farm product, was the star
at the Grand Circuit meeting in 1886. He started in a
$5,000 guaranteed stake, and won in commanding style,
his mile in 2:18 in the first heat equalling the record
which he had placed after his name at Detroit the week
prior to the Cleveland meeting. This success was the
beginning of a trip down the line, which culminated in a
victory in the Charter Oak Stake at Hartford, where,
after Belle F. had placed two heats in 2:15^4, 2:1^/4 to
her credit, the King Wilkes gelding went to the front in
2:16^4, 2:16^, 2:18. In addition to winning at the
places named, Oliver K. also won his Grand Circuit en-
gagements at Buffalo, Rochester and Albany. As has
been stated, Oliver K. was bred at the Forest City Farm.
Like many another good horse he was sold as a colt for
a trifle, but when given an opportunity he proved one of
the best horses foaled in Ohio and a worthy successor to
Parana and Mattie Hunter, both of which raced success-
BROWN HAL AND PALO ALTO. 89
fully for C. F. Emery. Two stallions that were destined
to earn world-wide fame on the turf and in the stud also
won races at the Cleveland meeting in 1886. Both of
them in turn reduced the world's record for stallions, one
at the pacing, and the other at the trotting gait, and both
of them sired extreme speed, although one died
in his prime. They were Brown Hal and Palo Alto. In
1885 Brown Hal was started at Cleveland as a trotter in
the race won by William T. He was tenth in the first
heat and distanced in the second. This showing led to a
change, and the following year Brown Hal was a pacer.
He never lost a race at that gait. In 1886 he was started
at Pittsburg, Cleveland and Rochester, where he won a
heat in 2:17^. In 1889 he again appeared at Cleveland
in a race with Roy Wilkes, Jewett, Bessemer and Gossip,
Jr. Brown Hal's feet bothered him and caused disas-
trous breaks, but he finally won after a six-heat contest
in which Roy Wilkes cut the pacing record for stallions
to 2 113, and Brown Hal recovered the honors in the next
heat with a mile in 2 :i2^. The deciding heat in the race
created a flutter in the stands. Brown Hal made a break
going away and appeared to be a double distance out
when the field swept by the half. As it was a case of life
and death for ''Old Tennessee" from a racing standpoint,
Geers started after the leaders. He soon picked up the
field, but was unable to reach Roy Wilkes. As the pair
swept by the band stand Brown Hal was all out and
swerving. To all appearances Roy Wilkes had the heat
and race safe, when John Dickerson let go of his head and
struck him. Roy went to a break and Brown Hal won
by a head. Frank G. Buford told me after the race that
he timed Brown Hal the last half in 1 :oi. This was to
high wheels and the showing was worthy of the horse
90 MEMOIR.
that sired Star Pointer, Hal Dillard, Hal Braden, Storm
and New Richmond.
Palo Alto was selected by his breeder as the colt
worthy of the name of the farm made famous by the get
of Electioneer. As a race horse he came up to expecta-
tions. No one ever saw a better, and an early death alone
prevented him from being equally successful as a sire. At
the Cleveland Grand Circuit meeting in 1886, Palo Alto
won the 2 129 class, in the second heat of which he trotted
the last half in 1 107^4 . At the fall meeting he also won
the 2 :20 class, his sixth heat in 2 \20]/\ being considered a
much better four-year-old performance than Manzanita'r
record breaking mile in 2:16*4 at the summer meeting.
In 1891 Palo Alto placed the stallion record at 2:08%.
He died the following July.
Lucy Fry won the first regular event on the pro-
gramme at the meeting in 1886. She was by Blue Bull,
out of the old race mare Kitty Bates, and made her rec-
ord of 2 :20^4 in the deciding heat. The following week
at Buffalo, Lucy Frv broke her les; in the first heat of a
race and was destroyed. Her race at Cleveland was sand-
wiched with the 2:21 class, in which Bonnie McGregor
disposed of Belle F. and half a dozen others in 2:17^4,
2:iSy 2 , 2:20. On the following day Manzanita cut the
four-year-old trotting record of the world to 2:16^4,
when she finished a length in front of Belle Hamlin in
the first heat of the 2 125 class. She also won the second
heat in 2:1954, after which the beautiful mare from the
Village Farm went to the front in 2:18^2, 2:19, 2:185-2,
Spofford driving her out in two heats and Kitefoot in
the third. The other winners at the meeting were Endy-
mion, who was afterwards exported to Italy, Centella,
Harry Wilkes, Gossip, Jr., Arab and Mambrino Sparkle,
A BUFFET OF FORTUNE. 91
who, after a contest that was on parade for two days, de-
feated T. Q., Prince Arthur, Felix, Billy Button, Tom
Rogers, Bessie, Deck Wright and De Barry in a nine-
heat race in which the time of seven of the heats was be-
low 2 :20.
The Palo Alto and Forest City Farm stables were very
much in evidence at the fall meeting in 1886. Marvin
won his engagement with St. Bel and Palo Alto, both of
the colts going to the front in six-heat races, while Caton
won with Nettle Leaf and Connaught and was second to
Ambassador with Brown Wilkes in the free-for-all stall-
ion race. The list of winners for the week also presents
the names of Civilization, Orphan Boy, Maud A., Cad
Wade, Argyle, Violet and Kit Curry, the race won by the
last named being described in "The Sandpiper" story.
Sometime during the season of 1886, William B. Fasig
decided to sever his connection with the Cleveland Driv-
ing Park Company, although nothing was said about it
until after the December meeting of the Board of Review
of The National Trotting Association. The eleventh Con-
gress of The National Trotting Association was held in
Chicago, February 10, 1886. At this meeting Fasig rep-
resented six Ohio associations, and he was again a dele-
gate at the adjourned session which was held at the Ken-
nard House in Cleveland, November 16. He did not take
an active part in the debates at either meeting, but when
the Board of Review met in New York in December,
Fasig was a candidate for the office of Secretary. In the
election that followed Thomas Axworthy, a director of
the Cleveland Driving Park Company, and the member
for the Central District, voted against him from the fact,
as I have been told, that his associates in Cleveland
wanted Fasig to remain there. The vote stood four to
92 MEMOIR.
three in favor of T. J. Vail, the deciding ballot being cast
by Judge Grant, the President of the Association. This
election led to the organization of the American Trotting
Association on March 2, 1887, and while at the time many
considered the split a step towards disaster, it has been
the means of broadening the field of harness racing, and
at the same time added a pillar to the stability of turf gov-
ernment. After his defeat, Fasig was offered all
kinds of inducements to cast his lot with the new organ-
ization. He told me that the office of Secretary was of-
fered him, but he declined and remained to the end loyal
to the National. In one of his Spectator papers, Addison
says that "at times the buffets of fortune have a sting that
almost brings a tear, but nine times out of ten in the end
they are for the best," and so it proved in the case of Will-
iam B. Fasig. While he never forgave Thomas Ax-
worthy for voting against him, he had to admit that the
defeat shaped his course towards a career that he never
dreamed of at the time, and for which he had all of the
qualities desired, while I am convinced that his horror of
detail and constant application day after day from one
year's end to the other would have made him anything
but a success in the office he was seeking.
Fasig's fourth sale was held at the Driving Park, May
17 to 20, 1887. Two hundred and fourteen horses were
catalogued, and of that number one hundred and forty-
nine were sold for $52,565, the Canadian mare, Big Fan-
nie, 2:2654, by John E. Rysdyk, being the highest priced
lot. She sold for $3,100, while John Huntington paid
$2,500 for Lottie K.,2 126^4, and the George Wilkes horse,
Waddell, went to George Forbes on a bid of $2,100.
Seven others sold for $1,000, while the prices of the bal-
ance were well up as was shown by the average of
PATRON AND HARRY WILKES 93
$352.78. Among the horses catalogued, but not offered,
there was a seven-year-old bay gelding by Ernest with a
mark of 2 132. He was called Protection, and as Fasig
had sold Boston Davis he made a deal for this rugged
looking trotter from the Sciota Valley. After a few trials
on the road Protection was put in training and started
for the races when the Grand Circuit meeting had been
disposed of. After winning at Wellington and Medina,
where he made a record of 2 127, Protection was unplaced
to Embassador at Cleveland in September and stood 3-2
in the summary of a race won by the Xugget filly, Xettle
Leaf, at Detroit in 2:2314, 2:27^. His next starts were
at Ravenna and Akron, where he finished inside the
money, both races being won by Lynn W. He was then
shipped to Lexington, where he was distanced by Wil'kes-
brino. After this performance. Fasig did not consider
Protection a "howling success" as a turf horse. He sold
him and the new owner placed the gelding in John S plan's
stable. The following year Protection made good by
winning at Philadelphia and Hartford, where he trotted
to a record of 2 :i9/4, after making no end of trouble for
J. B. Richardson and Frank Buford on the trip from
Cleveland to Charter Oak.
The special race between Harry Wilkes and Patron
was the feature at the Grand Circuit meeting in 1887. On
public form it looked as though the Forest City Farm
horse was over matched, as his mile in 2:16 in the third
heat of a winning race the preceding week at Detroit was
the fastest he had shown in public, while at the same
meeting Harry Wilkes in a race with the champion pacer
Johnston, who was handicapped to a wagon, showed that
he had all his speed and was in trim for a severe combat.
The records also showed that during the seasons of 1885
94 MEMOIR.
and 1886 he had lost but three races out of twenty-nine
starts and two of his defeats were driven home by Cleve-
land horses, Clingstone stepping away from him in
straight heats at Detroit, September 26, 1885, in 2:15^,
2:17^2, 2:16, while at St. Louis, October 9, 1886, he
trotted second to Oliver K. in 2 :i6ji, 2 :i6ji, 2:17, with
Arab, Charlie Hilton and Phyllis in the field. At the date
of the Cleveland race Patron was a five-year-old. He had
been before the public from the day that "Cope" Stinson
won a two-year-old race with him in 2 142^ over the half-
mile track at Brantford, Ont. This performance was,
however, scarcely noticed until he won the three-year-
old race at St. Louis in 1885, defeating Manzanita, Sil-
verone, Eagle Bird, Iona and Greenlander, after a contest
of six heats and followed it two weeks later with another
victory at Lexington, where he made a record of 2:19^2
in a third heat, and in doing it equalled the three-year-old
trotting record of the world held by Hinda Rose. A
first and a second was Patron's tally as a four-year-old.
The following season he acquired his reputation as a race
horse and also made the record of 2 :i4 T /\. that stood after
his name at the end of his turf career. In the first heat
of his race with Harry Wilkes at Cleveland, Patron
marched off in front and won as he pleased in 2 :i6. Van
Ness made his move on the next trip. Rushing Harry
Wilkes off in front he led at the quarter in 33 seconds
and at the half in 1 :o6. In the third quarter Patron came
to him. They raced like a team around the upper turn,
but before the three-quarters was reached the gelding
faltered and Fuller won the heat in 2 :i6y 2 . The regulars
that had followed Harry Wilkes for several seasons could
scarcely believe their eyes when they saw the popular idol
beaten by a five-year-old, but in the third heat, when Pa-
1887 MEETING. 95
tron won in 2 : 14.34 > after being taken back in the stretch,
they knew he had met what Monroe Salisbury termed
the great requisite of a race horse, "more speed." In the
deciding heat of the race Patron was at the three-quarter
pole in 1 40, after trotting the third quarter in 33 seconds,
and many thought that if Fuller had sent him along to the
wire Maxie Cobb's stallion record of 2:1334 would have
been beaten. What might have been is now a memory,
and Patron was never again so fortunate as to find a day
and track when he was on edge for a championship per-
formance. At Hartford, in September, when he won the
Charter Oak Stake without the semblance of a contest,
from Prince Wilkes, Loretta F., Astral, Myrtle and Dan,
a shower fell before the third heat, in which Fuller in-
tended to send him for the stallion record. Again at
Cleveland during the fall meeting he was started against
Atlantic, Orphan Boy and Tom Rogers, and won the
Ohio Association of Trotting Horse Breeders' stallion
stake the day before he was named to meet Clingstone in
a special. In the latter Patron won the first heat in 2:17
after passing the half in 1 '.ojy 2 . The next two heats
went to Clingstone in 2 119, after which Patron was drawn
on account of sickness. The pair met again at Detroit,
the following week, and the Rysdyk gelding was again
successful.
On the opening day of the Grand Circuit meeting
in 1887, James Goldsmith sprung a surprise in the bet-
ting ring when he won the 2 126 class with Misty Morn-
ing, defeating the favorite Class Leader and Globe, after
he had won two heats. Amie King, the first of Mambrino
King's get to earn Grand Circuit honors, was more for-
tunate the following day when she won the 2 \2J class,
which was sandwiched with the 2 123 trot, in which
96 MEMOIR.
McLeod defeated Astral, Garnet and Favonia, all three of
which were well thought of in the early betting. On the
next afternoon Loretta F. added another first to her chain
of victories, which was snapped at Rochester, when her
driver was expelled for dropping a race to Charley Ho-
gan. Arab, Rosaline Wilkes and Belle Hamlin were the
other trotters that won races during the week, the flying
gaited daughter of Hamlin's Almont, Jr., cutting her rec-
ord to 2:i6^4. Also for the first time in its history the
Cleveland Driving Park Company had three pacing races
on its programme in 1887. They were won by Jenny
Lind, Joe L. and Johnston, the last named cutting the
track record to 2:11^4 m the deciding heat of his race,
the fractional time for his mile being 32^, 32^4, 32^,
The Cleveland fall meeting in 1887 was a combina-
tion affair. The programme presented consisted of
twenty events, nine of which were stakes of the National
Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, four stakes of
the Ohio Association of Trotting Horse Breeders, of
which William B. Fasig was Secretary, and the balance
specials offered by the Cleveland Driving Park Company.
In one of the latter Clingstone defeated Patron, as has
been stated, and in another Belle Hamlin started against
her record, and reduced it to 2 :i3^4, and in doing so ful-
filled the prophecy of her breeder, who, in 1885, said that
she would train on to a faster record than that of; Gold-
smith Maid. The class races at this meeting were won
by Embassador, Trouble, Decorator, Maud and Chimes
E., while the stakes of the Breeders' Associations went to
Sphinx, Sally Cossack, Chimes, Bettina, Nettle Leaf, Bell
Boy, Holmdel, Iowa Harold, James Bailey and Eminence.
i 888 sale. 97
In 1888 Buffalo was looking for a new Secretary. C.
J. Hamlin, who was at that time at the head of the Buf-
falo Park, offered Fasig a few inducements to locate in
that town and act as Secretary of the Buffalo Driving
Club. After thinking the matter over, he decided to re-
main with the Cleveland Association and continue his
sale business, which was now beginning to look like a
fixture. Selecting May 15 to 19 as the dates for his fifth
sale, Fasig began to advertise for consignments. When
the catalogue was issued it contained three hundred and
fifty lots, W. J. Gordon having consigned all of his breed-
ing stock, together with William H., 2:1834, and Croxie,
2:1954, while S. A. Brown sent a consignment. This
with such racing material as Sarah B., 2 -.20^4 ; Decorator,
2:23^4; Patsey Clinker, 2:20; Windsor M., 2:20^4, and
over a score of others attracted many of the best buyers
and when the hammer fell for the last time, it was found
that two hundred and fifty head had been sold for $99,-
450. John H. Shults, the "Monarch of the Sale Ring,"
made his first appearance as a buyer at Cleveland during
this sale, and, as was the rule in those days, Sudie D., the
highest priced lot of the week, was knocked down to him
on a bid of $4,100. She was a six-year-old mare by Al-
cyone, out of the dam of Ambassador. Mr. Shults also
paid $2,500 for Miss Leontine, a two-year-old filly by
Robert McGregor, out of Leontine, 2:2334, and $2,000
for the twelve-year-old mare Kitty Wilkes, 2:34^, by
George Wilkes. Decorator sold for $3,200, Patsey
Clinker for $2,025, and Strategist, 2 128, for $2,000.
These were the days when a pedigree with a little speed,
or a pedigree with a good story, brought the money in the
trotting horse business. Everything was sacrificed to
the standard and a few speed producing lines of the tin-
cup variety.
98 MEMOIR.
The Grand Circuit meeting in 1888 was the first at
which the average time for the trotting races was below
2 :20, as well as the one at which the saddle record of the
world for pacers was made, and the special between the
brothers Fred Folger and Guy. Johnston was started
on August 3 to reduce the record of 2:1414, which Billy
Boyce made at Buffalo, August 1, 1868, in a race with the
trotter Rolla Golddust. George Starr rode Johnston, and
made the mile in 2:13, the fractional time being 32/4,
33^4, 34, 33. The special race between the Kentucky
Prince geldings was unique only on account of the rela-
tionship of the performers, as Fred Folger could not trot
fast enough to exercise the black horse. The regular
events at the meeting were won by T. T. S., Bessemer,
Jack, J. B. Richardson, Arrow, Junemont, Lady White-
foot, Favonia, Mulatto, Prince Wilkes and Kinsman. In
the race won by Mulatto, G. Grimes started a gray mare
named Mella G. She finished behind the money. The
following week at Buffalo she was named to start against
the same horses as well as Cypress, Sprague Golddust,
Blue Grass Hambletonian, Harvester and B. B. Custer.
The race was programmed for the last clay of the meet-
ing, and as Grimes thought she did not have a chance,
he loaded her on the cars with his other horses to ship
to Rochester. Fasig, as he told me one morning while
riding in one of the bob-tailed horse cars which in those
clays ran from Willson Avenue to Glenville, took a fancy
to the gray and had a premonition that she could win.
When he learned that Mella G. was gone he rushed to the
freight yard, succeeded in trading $600 and Jessie Hays,
2 :2s, for her, borrowed a harness, boots and sulky, and
started. Spurred on by a little touch of superstition,
which at times permeated every fiber of Fasig's body, he
TWISTING THE TALENT. 99
backed Mella G. to win at from $5 to $8 in pools running
from $80 to $100. When the race started Mella G.
stepped out and won two heats in 2:22^2, 2:22^. In
the third heat she was in trouble and Cypress won in
2 \22%. This did not help matters any as the money was
on Mulatto. The talent breathed easier when Cypress
broke in the stretch in the fourth heat and the favorite
raced home in 2:23^- Mella G. was laid up that trip,
but when the word was given for the fifth heat her driver
moved out in front and made a runaway race of it, win-
ning as he pleased in 2 124. Fasig cleared up $4,000 in
the race, the purse netting $800, while the balance be-
longed to the combination that laughed at him when he
was backing the little gray mare. Later in the season
Mella G. won another race for him at Medina, Ohio, but
she failed to get inside the money in the race that Fugue
won at the Cleveland fall meeting. At this meeting Fasig
also started Keokee and Wyandot, the two Ambassadors
which he had bred in partnership with "Uncle" Ben
Wrisrht. Wvandot won the Buckeve stake for three-vear-
olds after a five-heat contest with Clonmore, the Forest
City Farm entry, and Keokee was second to Heckothrift,
which was C. F. Emery's entry in the Excelsior Stake. At
this meeting Prince Wilkes and Patron met in a special,
the Red Wilkes gelding going to the front after Patron
had won a heat in 2:16. The other races offered by the
Cleveland Driving Park Company were won by Baroness,
Lettie Waterson, Lady Bullion, Argentine, Alcagetta,
Blue Grass Hambletonian and Belva Lockwood, while the
stakes of the Ohio Breeders' Association not already re-
ferred to were won by Gold Leaf, Mohawk Gift, Harry
Wade, Holmdel, Orphan and Brandoline.
100 MEMOIR.
What Fasig termed the "Red Letter Sale" was held at
Cleveland, May 13 to 19, 1889. Five hundred and sev-
enty-six lots were catalogued, the "boom horse" for the oc-
casion being the black gelding Guy, by Kentucky Prince.
At the time he was the only horse in sight that had a
chance to reduce the 2 :o8% of Maud S. which played
hide and seek with the sunshine in the center of the gilded
shoe under the arch at the entrance to the Cleveland Driv-
ing Park. The Gordon Glen and J. B. Houston consign-
ments were the star attractions for the week, Suisun in
the latter being written up in as glowing terms as Guy
and his stable companions. They were catalogued for the
first and second days and that every man with a horse or
two in the book wanted them sold on the same dates is
evidenced by the following characteristic petition to con-
signors which Fasig inserted in the catalogue:
"It is well for Job that the system of combination
horse sales was inaugurated in the latter part of the nine-
teenth century, for had they been adopted a long time —
'B. C — Job might have drifted into the management of
one. Then Job would have lost his reputation, because, had
he organized a six days' sale and not been able to sell
all the horses the second day — which it is fair to assume
he could not — the consignors would have said, d — n Job.
Then Job would have returned the argument in kind, and
history would have recorded on its pages the name of
some other man as the hero of the patience dodge. His
inspiring remark, 'He saith among the trumpets, Ha !
Ha!' would be lost in oblivion and the 'thunder' which
clothed his horse's neck would be transferred to his busi-
ness and have 'been to pay.' Job would have gone down
unwept, unhonored and unsung — a plain North American
combination horse sale manager and crank."
SALE OF GUY. 101
All eyes were turned towards Cleveland on the open-
ing day of the sale, and when it was learned that Guy
had been knocked down for $29,750, even those who knew
but little of such matters had no hesitation in expressing
an opinion that a fast trotter, even if he did have a few
"bees in his bonnet" was a very desirable piece of prop-
erty. It is only repeating ancient history to state that the
sale of this horse was a fizzle. W. J. Gordon did not have
the courage to part with him when he saw him in the sale
ring, and while all of his other racing material was scat-
tered, Clingstone and Guy were led back to their old stalls
in the big barn at Gordon Glen. Frank Brunell, who
was at that time sporting editor of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer, wrote the following description of the sale for
The Horseman :
Cleveland, O., May 13, 1889. — The Fasig sale opened
at 10 o'clock this morning with about two hundred and
fifty buyers present. Guy and Clingstone were to be sold
at 10 o'clock, but did not come to the stand until 12:40.
Then it was only to partially disappoint everyone. Guy
was sold and resold to his owner, and the other star of
the sale — Clingstone — was withdrawn by his owner, who
declared to keep the pair for his own private use as a
team. Guy never looked better. He has improved during
the winter. His black coat shone under the noonday sun
and he blinked at the crowd as though proud and amused
at the attention paid him. The auctioneers gushed over
him, and Secretary Fasig told the crowd what a wonder
he was, and that his mile last fall in 2:12 was as good
as 2 :oy l / 2 on an ordinary day, because he had been scored
a lot when he made it, had had his shoes changed from
11 to 9 ounces, the track was slow and dull, a wind blew
in his face, and he trotted the mile twentv feet from the
102 MEMOIR.
pole all around. All this was true enough. So was the
declaration that he was the only horse in sight likely to
break the record — Maud S.'s 2:08^. Millard Sanders
drove him up and down, and the crowd applauded some
more. Then it was told that he would trot a mile with a
fast last quarter. He did it in his own beautiful friction-
less way, coming home from the three-quarter pole in
31^2 seconds — a 2:06 gait. Meanwhile bidders had
drawn themselves nearer the auctioneer's box. Jackson
Case, Jerome I. Case's son, was on the box corner, with
W. H. Crawford and Ed Bither beneath him. Jackson's
father had missed the little wonder once, and the son was
going to try for him again. He was needed to replace
the sore-footed Jay-Eye-See, once a trotting king, but
hardly long enough to get measured for a crown. A
tall, dark man with English whiskers — Carlton, once a
ballplayer of fame; Dr. Stuart, the local vet; President
Campau, of The Horseman and Detroit Driving Club ;
all drew nervously near and waited. "There's the hoss,"
said Colonel Edmondson. "He is to be sold without re-
serve. Bid on him !"
"Fifteen thousand dollars !" shouted young Case.
"Sixteen!" said Mr. Campau.
President Edwards moved up. In his pocket was a
telegraphic request from Frank Work, the well-known
trotting amateur of New York, to bid up to $17,000 for
Guy. Colonel Edwards never got a chance. Dr. Stuart
bid $17,000, Carlton $18,000, and then it lagged a little.
Suddenly a peculiar-looking and quietly-dressed man who
was under the shadow of the auctioneer's box and hidden
from the stands, raised his pale and nervous eyes and
bid $19,000. Who was he? H. A. Stephens, of the local
tea and coffee firm of Steohens & Widlar, who married
GUY SOLD FOR $29,750. 103
a relative of Dr. Salisbury, Mr. W. J. Gordon's friend
and physician. He was known to have a liking for a
trotter, but never owned a good one. Carlton dropped
out. Case had long ago retired and Campau, Stuart and
Stephens carried on the fight. Up went the wonder's
price to the music of his twitching ears. At first each
raise was $1,000, and then it dropped to $500. At $29,-
000 Dr. Stuart laughed a farewell. He said that he was
there for Chicagoans, and didn't think Guy was worth
any more than $29,000. Besides that, he didn't think
$30,000 would buy him. Mr. Campau bid $29,500. "Are
you bidding for yourself?" asked the writer. "Sure! I'd
like to own him if I can," he said nervously. Mr. Stephens
was also, he said, after Guy for himself. Then he said
$29,750 to the auctioneer. Mr. Campau then retired and
left the local tea. and coffee merchant alone in the list.
Edmondson dallied with the crowd. It wouldn't rise an
inch, and through it went whispers that Mr. Stephens was
bidding for Mr. Gordon, and that such proceedings were
illegitimate and unfair. After a five minutes' plea Guy
was knocked down to Mr. Stephens for $29,750, the high-
est price ever paid for a gelding at a public sale. When
it was announced that H. A. Stephens, of Cleveland, was
the buyer, the spectators cheered. But the horsemen
grouped up and discussed the bids and bidders. Carlton
had been bidding for a New Yorker, who didn't want to
go over $20,000. Generally it was resolved that Mr.
Gordon had bid in the horse through Mr. Stephens. The
new owner of Guy was called by the old owner, and an
offer of $1,000 made for the bargain. Mr. Stephens ac-
cepted the offer later along, and the withdrawal of Cling-
stone followed."
104 MEMOIR.
A few weeks after the sale Guy was started at the
Grand Circuit meeting to reduce his record and Mr. Gor-
don had the pleasure of seeing Millard Sanders drive
him in 2 :io^4, a mark that he was never afterwards able
to equal to a high-wheel sulky. In the spring of 1893
Guy and Clingstone again appeared in the sale ring. W.
J. Gordon was dead and the executors of the estate de-
cided to sell the pair. When Clingstone was led into the
ring those present were advised that "the demon trotter"
was to be bid off at $100 by Daisy Gordon and to remain
on the place for the balance of his days. The programme
was carried out and Clingstone remained at Gordon Glen
until he was chloroformed December 23, 1899. At this
date Guy was thirteen. When he was led out Millard
Sanders wanted him. He run him up to $1,400, when I
said $1,500, and the horse was knocked down to me for
D. J. Campau, of Detroit, Mich. He put him in training
and that summer had the pleasure of seeing him reduce
the world's wagon record for trotters to 2:13, and two
days later cut the world's record for trotting geldings to
2:09^4. When he trotted in 2:13 Guy was hitched to a
top wagon with small wheels. His mile in 2 '.09^4 was
to an old-style sulky with bike attachments. Eight years
later, when acknowledging the receipt of a picture of Guy
taken when he was twenty-one, W. B. Fasig, under date
of October 11, 1901, wrote me as follows: "I always be-
lieved and always shall that Guy was one of the fastest
trotting horses ever harnessed." Guy died in Hartford,
Conn., November 11, 1902.
At the "Red Letter Sale" three hundred and ninety-six
horses were sold for $226,949, an average of $562.75.
With the sale of Guy cut out, the average for the three
hundred and ninetv-five head was a small fraction under
1889 MEETING. 105
S500. The report of the sale shows that twenty-six horses
sold at figures between Si, 000 and $2,000 and that eight
brought between $2,000 and $4,000. Suisun was pur-
chased by John Madden for $10,100, the Leland mare,
Clara, brought $7,500, Calhoun by Pilot Medium $4,900,
Mambrino Sparkle $3,950, and the Harold stallion, Hart-
ford, $3,750. A few minutes after Hartford was sold, the
ten-year-old mare Geraldine, by Jay Gould, was led in.
She brought $160. A yearling, by Hartford, out of Ger-
aldine, was not considered good enough to offer, and his
breeder told Champ Brown, of Williamsport, Pa., to take
him. Brown raised the little knee-sprung gelding, broke
him. and found that he had a flying pacer. He named
him Robert J., started him a few times, and after killing
Pendennis in a race at Fleetwood Park, Xew York, sold
him to C. J. Hamlin. The purchase was made at the sug-
gestion of Ed Geers, and in his hands the Hartford geld-
ing, after proving one of the best pieces of racing material
that ever wore harness, reduced the world's record to
2:01^, over the "four-cornered" track at Terre Haute.
The Cleveland Driving Park added two world's rec-
ords to its list at the Grand Circuit meeting in 1889. One
of these was scored in the free-for-all, in which Roy
Wilkes, in the second heat, equalled the world's record for
pacing stallions when he won in 2:13, and which was re-
duced to 2 : 12^/2 in the next heat, when, after stalling Roy
Wilkes off at the distance, Brown Hal finished half a
length in front of Gossip, Jr. Axtell was the second
champion. He was started against the three-year-old trot-
ting record of 2 '.1^/2 and reduced it to 2 '.\-\Y\. Later in
the season he placed the figure for three-year-old trotters
and trotting stallions at 2:12, and was sold for $105,000.
While at Cleveland. C. W. \\ llliams also reduced Aller-
106 MEMOIR.
ton's three-year-old record to 2:19. At this meeting
Geers sprung a surprise on the wise men, who think
they know a thing or two about pacers, when he literally
tramped on the flashy gray gelding, William M. Singerley,
and won the 2 125 pace with Hal Pointer, giving him a
record of 2:15^4. Fasig and a few others knew what
Geers had under cover and profited by their knowledge,
but after this meeting it was a difficult matter to find a
man that was willing to give odds against the "Pointer
Horse," the greatest and gamest of Tom Hal's get. The
other races programmed for the Cleveland meeting in
1889, were won by Reference, Lady Bullion, Annie H.,
Jack, Colvina Sprague, Thornless, Veritas, Gean Smith,
and Lillian. The thirty-one heats trotted on the five days
averaged 2:19%, and the sixteen paced averaged 2:16,
making the average time for the meeting 2:18%. The
Cleveland Driving Park Company did not give a fall meet-
ing in 1889, the racing at Glenville that season closing
with the Ohio Breeders' meeting the last week in Septem-
ber and the Spirit of the Times Futurity, in which the
Director filly, Margaret S., defeated Palo Alto Belle, For-
tuna and San Malo in 2:233/2, 2\22]/ 2 , 2:24. The stake
was worth $5,340, with a cup valued at $1,000 to the
winner.
While attending the February sale at Lexington in
1889, Fasig purchased a bay horse by Victor Bismarck.
After a trial he thought well enough of the colt to name
him Oakhurst, after the gambler in Bret Hart's story,
"The Outcasts of Poker Flat." With his eye ever on the
silver lining of the cloud, Fasig also planned to have each
of Oakhurst's colts carry the name of a gambler that had
made a reputation somewhere between Monte Carlo and
'Frisco, but after he had tried his new stock horse on the
EMERY AND FASIG. 107
turf and in the stud, he found that Oakhurst was not
''worth the water he drank," and away he went to another
owner.
The catalogue for Fasig's May sale in 1890 presented
the names of four hundred and fifty horses, and in that
number there was not one that could be considered high
class. By the records, Newton B., 2 :iy}i, and Company,
2 :ig}i, were the fastest. Of this pair, the gray had seen
his best days, and the Kentucky Prince gelding was such
a puller that he was worthless for racing purposes. Dur-
ing the week two hundred and sixty-five head sold for
$98,782 ; Holstein, 2 129^, being the highest priced
lot. He sold for $2,950, while Strategist brought $2,500,
Prince Hogarth $2,150, Newton B. $1,535, tne blind geld-
ing - , Five Points, $1,526, and Company, $1,500. On the
second day of the sale three two-year-old fillies, by On-
ward, sold for $3,905, and Dessie Wingate, a six-year-old
mare by the same sire, brought $2,325. During the sum-
mer of 1890, William B. Fasig and C. F. Emery made ar-
rangements to hold a breeder's sale, under the firm name
of Emery & Fasig, in the amphitheater at Gordon Glen, in
connection with the fall meeting of the Cleveland Driving
Park Company, at which three stake races offered by them
were also decided. During the week eighty-five head
were disposed of for $63,720. Eighteen of this number
sold for over $1,000, the highest priced one being the
three-year-old filly Jeanne, by Kentucky Prince, out of
Suisun, in foal to Axtell, whose service fee was at that
time $1,000. The filly was consigned by John Madden.
Prior to the sale C. F. Emery was requested to make a bid
of $6,000 on Jeanne for W. E. Spier, Glens Falls, N. Y.
He made it and the filly was knocked down to him. The
following day W. H. Crawford, in a sneering way,
108 MEMOIR.
approached Mr. Emery, and asked him if he knew who
Spier was. When Mr. Emery said that he did not, Craw-
ford gave him to understand that Madden and Spier were
partners in a number of horses, Robert McGregor being
one of them. This was news to Mr. Emery, and when he
met Madden he requested him to telegraph W. E. Spier
and ask if he would let him have Jeanne for the amount
bid. On the following day Madden advised him that he
could. The filly was sent to the Forest City Farm, and
as she did not prove in foal it looked as though she were
a "gold brick." As the years rolled by, however, time
balanced the account, as, when mated with Patron, she
produced Miss Delia Fox, 2:io^J; Cretonnes, 2:1354;
Bernalda, 2:1754; Merlo Erlandi, and the colt Del Toro,
that was timed separately in 2:i6y 2 in a race at Lexing-
ton, Ky., as a two-year-old.
Small fields and fast time was the order of the day at
the Cleveland Grand Circuit meeting in 1890. There
were but sixty-seven starters in the fourteen regular events
and two specials, against ninety-eight starters in four-
teen events in 1889. What the card lacked in quantity,
however, was more than balanced by quality, as the aver-
age rate of speed for the meeting was 2:17^4, the thirty-
eight heats trotted averaging 2:18^4, and the thirteen
heats paced averaged 2:16. A world's record was also
beaten when Adonis was awarded the second heat of the
free-for-all pace in 2:ny 2 , it being the fastest heat paced
in a race up to that date. Two days later Dallas also won
a heat in the same time, the time made by the pair being
the records with which they retired from the turf. Hal
Pointer forced Adonis to his record. In the heat in ques-
tion, Pointer was timed the last half in 1 :02y 2 , but a break
at the finish gave the Sidney gelding the heat. Pointer
1890 MEETING. 109
then went on and won the race, while from that day
Adonis was a back number. Dallas also failed to win the
race in which he made his record, the big end of the purse
going to Cricket, the first mare to make a pacing record of
2:10, and the only one that ever did so to a high-wheel
sulky. The spotted mare, Leopard Rose, created a ripple
of excitement on the opening day when she won the 2 130
class from "Second Money" Pixley, and made a record
of 2 :iS/4- Prince Warwick also showed fast in this race,
but failed to win a heat. Later on he was sold for export,
and is now a well-known sire in Austria. James H. Gold-
smith had two winners at this meeting in Mambrino Maid
and Simmocolon. R. Stewart also had two, his repre-
sentatives being Grant's Abdallah and Walter E. The
other successful starters were Alvin, Alfred S., McDoel
and Rosaline Wilkes, while Harry Wilkes trotted a
special in 2:14^, and Sunol, after showing a quarter in
31 seconds, made a mile in 2:15.
Xo one ever saw a better series of races than were
programmed by the Cleveland Driving Park Company for
its fall meeting in 1890. All of them, with the exception
of the two-year-old stake, were closely contested, and in
that event Sternberg reduced the race record for colts
of that age to 2 :26 l / 2 when he defeated the St. Bel filly
Free. The three and four-year-old stakes proved two of
the best races ever trotted over the Cleveland track. Na-
vidad. on the showing made in Chicago, where he defeated
Kremlin in a seven-heat race and won the deciding heat
in 2:22^4, was the favorite for the latter. Sir Walter
Scott, a natty gray from Pennsylvania ; Merle Moore,
Coralloid, and Twist, also had admirers, but none of them
except Twist could march through the mud with the
Whips gelding when Marvin cut him loose in the third
110 MEMOIR.
heat. Coralloid tired after going two heats, and Merle
Moore was drawn after the fourth. There were eleven
starters in the three-year-old stake, but after it was once
under way the race settled down to a struggle between
Ponce de Leon, Conductor, and the favorite, McGregor
Wilkes. In the first two heats it was Ponce de Leon all the
way in 2 125^4 > 2 :26^J. The slippery footing made the big
colt leg-weary in the third heat, and when he made a break
in the stretch, McGregor Wilkes slipped by and won in
2 126^4. The race was then postponed. On the following
day Ponce de Leon's driver decided to make a runaway
race of it. After laying with the field to the quarter in
36 seconds, he picked him up and drove him the second
quarter in 34^ seconds. This opened up a big gap of
daylight, but when the field came to the black colt in the
stretch he had nothing to finish with, and McGregor
Wilkes won by a length in 2:22^4, with Conductor at
Ponce de Leon's wheel. In the fifth heat McGregor
Wilkes made a break in the first quarter and was out of it,
the struggle from that time to the finish of a record
breaking seven-heat race for three-year-olds being be-
tween Ponce de Leon and Conductor, the latter winning
the fifth, sixth and seventh heats in 2:26^, 2:25^4, 2:28.
The time in the sixth heat was the fastest ever made in
the sixth heat of a race by a thrte-year-old, the perform-
ance taken the place of Patron's 2 :26y 2 in the Gasconade
stake at St. Louis in 1885, when he defeated Manzanita
and Silverone. In the race at St. Louis, a son of Pancoast
defeated a daughter of Electioneer, while at Cleveland the
tables were turned as Conductor, by Electioneer, defeated
Ponce de Leon by Pancoast. Another peculiar feature in
connection with the breeding of the two colts, caused con-
siderable comment, on account of Ponce de Leon being
THE INTIMIDATORS. Ill
out of Elvira, the Cuyler filly that reduced the four-year-
old record to 2 :i8}4> but was, inside of three months, de-
prived of the honors by Sallie Benton, 2 '.17 $4, a gray filly
by General Benton, out of Sontag Mohawk, the dam of
Conductor, while Elvira was also a sister to Beatrice, the
dam of Patron.
During the week Budd Doble won his engagement with
So Long, Veritas and Godilea, and finished behind the
money in the 2 :i6 class with Houri, this race proving only
a work-out for Alfred S., with Susie S. second, and Mary
Marshall third. C. F. Emery also won two races with
Tom Arden and sold him for about five times what he
paid for him at the Wellington, O., fair, a few weeks prior
to the meeting. Wyandot was the favorite for the second
division of the 2 125 class, and won it after being rather
gay in the first heat. In a team race Pickpania and Won-
der defeated Keokee and Five Points, driven by W. B.
Fasig, the last quarter of the third heat being trotted in
34^4 seconds. The pacing races on the programme were
won by Cousin Jim and Pickaway. On the third day oi
the meeting Marvin drove Palo Alto an exhibition mile in
2 :i6 and Sunol in 2 113^4. Guy was also started twice to
reduce his record, but failed, his time being 2:12^2,
2 :i23^.
It was at this meeting that W. H. Crawford and Orrin
A. Hickok made their first move to put a damper on turf
writers, who had little hesitation in calling a spade a spade
when reporting a race or repeating tales of the past. The
writer of these notes was the first victim selected by this
noble band of intimidators and their allies. Tom Gal-
lagher, the only and original "let her go Gallagher,"
wrote a very plain story about Crawford and Hickok for
a New York and a Chicago daily. They read it, and
112 MEMOIR.
without making an inquiry, decided that it was my work.
Like the giant in the story, they wanted blood, and on
their way to Cleveland drew up the plan of attack. James
Dustin afterwards told me that the original plan was to
wait until an opportunity presented itself and have two
or three swipes do the work, but Crawford threw the fat
on the fire by making an assault with a cane in front of
the grand stand. His friends gathered him up and led
him away, while Hickok, the "Counsellor's" chief of staff,
turned Alfred S. loose on the track to bring up the reserve,
consisting of the rag-tag and bob-tail of creation which
always springs to the surface when a disturbance is started
on a race track. Like the king in the story, after leading
the swipes up to the grand stand, Hickok led them back-
again and the war was over. At the request of Colonel
Edwards, Secretary Fasig, and a number of other gentle-
men who were present, the matter was allowed to blow
over. Later on at Lexington, Crawford served notice on
a number of turf correspondents to leave town or there
would be a funeral. Xo one fled, there were no vacant
chairs, and some one put Crawford to bed. The bad man
was a bluff.
In the fall of 1890, when the stakes of the National
Association of Trotting Horse Breeders were being de-
cided over the Cleveland Driving Park, it was learned
that W. G. Pollock had purchased a twenty-acre lot to the
south-west of the track and near the quarter pole. In a
short time he had a bachelors' hall on a bluff overlooking
Doan Brook, which winds from Wade to Gordon Park-
before falling into Lake Erie. The old farm house was
repaired for John Splan and wife, and a 300-foot training
barn built. The place was called Doan Brook Farm, the
approach to it at that date being through Apple Tree Lane.
1891 sale. 113
It disappeared in 1894 to make way for the Boulevard,
which also necessitated the removal of W. G. Pollock's
house to a lot between Splan's and the Driving Park. Be-
fore the training stable was completed, Brasfield & Co.,
of Lexington, Ky., made arrangements to hold a sale there
the last week in April of each year for an indefinite period.
A short time after this announcement was made in the col-
umns of the American Sportsman, it was learned that
William B. Fasig and C. F. Emery had decided to con-
tinue the sale business under the firm name of Emery &
Fasig, and that they had purchased a tract of land on St.
Clair Street, opposite the Cleveland Driving Park, on
which they built the largest and most complete sale mart
in America. Brasfield & Co. selected April 27 to May 2
as the date for their first sale, and continued in the field
until the middle of March, when it was abandoned on ac-
count of the firm's inability to lease the stabling of the
Cleveland Driving Park for the use of horses consigned
to their sale. While the plan on the south side of the track
failed to mature, Emery and Fasig were building on the
north side and cataloguing stock for a sale May 4 to 9.
The building was completed before the catalogue was is-
sued. It contained the breeding of five hundred and fifty
head, and presented consignments from New York to Cal-
ifornia. Seven days were required to dispose of four hun-
dred and nine lots for $166,080, an average of $406.11.
H. S. Henry had the highest-priced consignment, the re-
turns for his lot showing that Count Wilkes sold for
$5,600, while $17,030 was paid for the five Electioneer
mares Suisun, Unique, May Bud, Cora Bell and Coraline ;
Suisun brought $7,000 and Coraline $3,950. The report
of the sale also shows that Don Monteith sold for $3,400,
Viola Clay for $3,100, Abbiedeen $2,500, and eleven
others at figures between $1,000 and $2,000.
114 MEMOIR.
Two world's records were made at the Cleveland
Grand Circuit meeting in 1891, and if I am not very much
mistaken one of them will stand for many a day, if not for
all time. The record referred to is the triple team mark
which was made when Geers drove Justina, Globe and
Belle Hamlin in 2 114, the last half of the mile being trot-
ted in 1 :o6^4, and the last quarter in 33 seconds. This
performance was a special triumph for the Village Farm,
as the three horses in the team were by Hamlin's Almont,
Jr., and all of their dams were bred by C. J. Hamlin. The
other world's record was also made by a member of the
Village Farm stable when Hal Pointer defeated Yolo
Maid and Dallas in 2 :io^4, 2 :io}4, 2 :io}i, the time made
being the three fastest consecutive heats on record, Hal
Pointer in this race making a faster average than the
2:09^4, 2:12^2, 2.13 which was placed to his credit when
he defeated B. B. at Terre Haute in 1890. In the first
heat of his race at Cleveland, Hal Pointer paced the last
half in 1 105, and in the second heat he stepped the last
quarter in 31 seconds. Two trotters by Mambrino King
also showed well at this meeting. In the 2 :2i class Night-
ingale forced Lakewood Prince out in 2:16^4, in a de-
ciding heat, and Nettie King, the dam of The Abbot
2:03^4. won a fourth heat in 2:22, and second money in
the 2 :2i class which was placed to the credit of Little Al-
bert after a five-heat struggle in which Dandy, Honest
George and Walton Boy were very busy. On the same
afternoon, George Starr also won a race with Direct, that
created consternation in the betting ring. The "little
black rascal'' had been sick, and it was understood that
he would not try to defeat Mascot. On this account it was
considered sure money to back Mascot, while there was
also a strong play for Direct to come second. Starr was
TEMPLE BAR EXPELLED. 115
not familiar with that kind of racing, and instead of shoo-
ing Mascot out, he was eighth in the first heat and third
in the second. Mascot won the first in 2 :i6^4, with Frank
Dortch second, and the next in 2:15^, the place going to
Mary Centlivre. As soon as Monroe Salisbury ran his
eye over the summary, he instructed Starr to go on with
Direct. In the third heat Mascot gave it up when Direct
came to time in the stretch, and the black horse won in
2:1$%. The next two also went to Direct in 2 : 18, 2 :i9^4,
Frank Dortch being beaten a head in the deciding heat.
At this meeting the Cleveland Driving Park Company w T as
also forced to place its stamp of disapproval upon the un-
sportsmanlike methods adopted by those who controlled
Temple Bar and Leicester. Up to that day James H.
Gpldsmith had not lost a race with Leicester, while Tem-
ple Bar had won seven races out of eight starts in seven
weeks, his last triumph being in the Merchants and Manu-
facturers' Stakes at Detroit, where he defeated Prodigal.
Leicester started favorite in the 2:19 class, and won the
first heat in 2:18, Temple Bar not being out for it. On
the second trip the two stallions were lapped at the three-
quarter pole in 1 43 yi. As they passed the distance
George Spear stopped driving, while Goldsmith moved
out and won the heat by two lengths in 2:17^4. Colonel
Edwards did not like the drive and spoke about it at the
time. Prior to the third heat he requested H. M. Hanna,
who was one of the judges, to keep his glass on Temple
Bar. The two stallions trotted away from the wire like a
team and lay together to the three-quarters, where Tem-
ple Bar made a break. Leicester was all out, and when
he made a mistake Aline stepped by and won the heat in
2:20 T 4- Spear's driving showed plainly why Leicester was
the favorite, and the judges requested Gus Wilson to drive
116 MEMOIR.
Temple Bar. As is well known, he went on and won in
2:j8^4, 2:19^4, 2:23, after showing Temple Bar's tre-
mendous flight of speed by trotting the last half in the
fourth heat in 1 \oj %, and the third quarter of it in 32^2
seconds in order to stall a rush made by Junemont. At
the conclusion of the race there was a brief consultation
in the judges' stand, and then William Edwards stepped
to the rail and announced that the manner in which Tem-
ple Bar had been driven by Spear was an insult to the
ladies and gentlemen who had come to the track
to see an honest race, and that it was the order of the
judges that Temple Bar, his owner and driver, be ex-
pelled. It was a sad ending to Temple Bar's brilliant
campaign, or as C. A. McCully put it in one of his let-
ters : "Last week he had roses on his stall door in De-
troit. Tonight there is nothing but crape on the latch."
The other races programmed for the meeting were won
by Commonwealth, Maggie R., Happy Bee, Alambrino
Maid, Ivorine, Ryland T. and Alvin, while Pickpania and
Wonder won the team race, in which they trotted a fourth
heat in 2 .22, Splan carrying them to the three quarters in
1 47^2 with Problem and Abbie V.
In September Cleveland had two week's racing over
the mile track, the fall meeting of the Cleveland Driving
Park Company being followed by a four-day meeting un-
der the auspices of the Ohio Association of Trotting
Horse Breeders. On three of the mornings of the first
week, Emery and Fasig had a sale, at which forty-two
head were sold for $41,870. On the opening day Fred
Folger was bid off for $1,150, and on the second day
Millard Sanders sold ten head of Count Valensin's
stock for $29,485. In this consignment Simmocolon sold
for $13,000, while Ferndale, a yearling filly that had the
MOLLIE A. A RINGER 11"
day before trotted a quarter in thirty-six seconds, brought
$6,000, and. Duchess, by Sidney, $3,000. Lea, a sister
to Adonis and Gold Leaf, sold for $1,750, and Willow, a
black colt by Simmocolon, $2,100.
The fall meeting of the Cleveland Driving Park Com-
pany opened with a two-year-old stake, in which Monbars
distanced Roman, his only competitor, in 2:22^4, the last
half of the mile being trotted in 1 :o834. This event was
followed by a 2:40 class, in which an unknown mare
named Mollie A. defeated the favorite, Myrtle R. The
Mollie A. people made a good winning in the betting
ring, and had smooth sailing until the following morn-
ing, when L. H. Eckhart, a Buffalo breeder that had a
few horses in the sale, remembered that Mollie A.,
owned bv H. Allen, of Buffalo, was lame and turned out.
This caused Secretary Fasig to look up his correspond-
ence, and he found that while the mare was entered from
Buffalo, the party making the entry telegraphed from
Palmyra. N. Y., to learn if it had been received. On the
dav of the race, Mollie A.'s driver had given his name to
the clerk of the course as Hall. On the following day.
when he arrived at the track, he was identified by at least
a dozen men as the expelled driver W. B. Wright. Look-
ing up Secretary Fasig, Wright asked for the winnings
of the mare, and was told that he would have to wait for
Colonel Edwards to sign the check, and that he would
not be out to the track before noon. In the interval, a
warrant was sworn out for Wright and he was arrested.
Mollie A. was placed under lock and key and everybody
in the city was busy guessing what mare Wright and his
confederates had. On the third day of the meeting, C. F.
Emery, taking the mare as security, went on Wright's
bond. As soon as he was free, Wright came forward and
118 MEMOIR.
stated that the mare he had driven under the name of
Mollie A. was Tempest, 2:19, by Hawthorne. She was
bred at Stockton, Cal., had been shipped to South
America and brought back to the United States by Ver-
mont parties, who were then shipping horses to the Ar-
gentine Republic. As soon as these facts were laid be-
fore the judges, they expelled Wright, together with the
mare and her owner. The other races at this meeting
were won by Abbie V., Major, Rosa C, Caesar, Happy
Bee, Lobasco, Jerry L., Franceps, Reuben W. and Po-
cahontas Prince. Fasig's horse, Wyandot, trotted to a
record of 2 w^/z in the fifth heat of the race won by Jerry
L. While being cooled out, a hernia trouble that had
bothered him before, developed. He died the following
day and was buried under the big tree in the infield near
the quarter pole. The Ohio Breeders' meeting the follow-
ing week opened with a surprise, when Nickel Plate, a
45 to 1 shot, won the 2 135 trot in straight heats. That
race, and the 2:17 trot, in which Lobasco defeated Gold
Leaf after the latter had won two heats, were the best
events during the week, while Myrtle R. atoned for her
defeat by Mollie A. by winning the 2 130 trot after Gar-
net had scored twice. The first premiums in the other
events on the programme were awarded Heward H.,
Dutch Girl, St. Vincent, Cadmus Jr., Prince M., Martha
Washington, St. Lookout, Elyrina, Coralloid, Bashford,
Keokee, Coastman, Belle Cassett, Jessie L. and Patroclea.
In her race Keokee trotted to a record of 2:21^2, and
later in the season Fasig drove her a mile to wagon in
2:23^, last half in 1 :io^.
Emery and Fasig held two sales in the spring of 1892,
the first being billed for February 29 to March 5. For
this sale four hundred head were catalogued, and two
1892 MEETING. 119
hundred and seventy-seven lots sold for $141,590. The
Shady Side Farm consignment from Louisville, Ky., was
the star feature, and as the sale, as Fasig termed it in his
advertising, was "imperative and absolute," the pros-
pective buyers bid freely. The handsome stallion
Greenlander, 2:15^4, was the highest-priced lot. He
sold for $9,500, while Earl, 2:23^4, his stable companion,
realized $5,100. Of the other members of the consign-
ment, Greenlander Boy sold for $2,800, Gypsy Earl,
$2,050 ; the brood mare Aurelia, $4,800, and Katie Wilkes
$3,000. At the sale thirty head sold for $1,000 or over,
this list including in addition to those already named,
Persica, $3,600; Fanchion, $2,700; Brilliant, $2,525, and
Edna, $2,025. The second sale was held May 17 to 20.
It failed to come up to expectations, there being but four
of the one hundred and eighteen head sold for four fig-
ures. They were Dirigo, for which $10,500 was bid;
Wilmarch, $2,625 ; Elda B., $1,950, and Tip Tyler, $1,000.
At the March sale, W. B. Fasig purchased in partnership
with Volney French, the black gelding Rifle, by Elyria,
for $520. In due time the youngster developed into a
trotter, and after being campaigned by Fasig, who event-
ually became sole owner, trained on to a record of
2:1124.
Nine of the twelve class races, on the programme for
the Cleveland Grand Circuit meeting in 1892, were won by
the favorites, the three that failed to connect being Kath-
erine S. in the first race on the card, which was won by
Myrtle R., the Texas horse, H. C. T., and Kitty Bayard.
On the opening day Martha Wilkes and Robert J. made
good, the Hartford gelding reducing the race record for
four-year-old pacers to 2:12^, a mark that he cut to
2 109^4 at Buffalo the following week in his memorable
120 MEMOIR.
five-heat battle with Flying Jib. Martha Wilkes and
Grant's Abdallah won their engagement on the second
day, while The Raven, after a postponement over night,
won the 2 \2j class in which Magnolia and H. C. T. each
had two heats to their credit. The 2:17 class proved the
best race of the meeting. The list of starters presented
the names of Walter E., Little Albert, Abbie V., Hazel
Wilkes, Honest George, J. B. Richardson, Sadie M., Min-
nie Wilkes, Lakewood Prince and Sprague Golddust. Of
the ten starters six had a strong individual following until
the weight of the Hamlin money made Honest George a
favorite. Geers had had him hitched to a bike sulky,
there being but two or three on the grounds, and the dif-
ference between it and the high wheels enabled the In-
diana bred gelding to pull off the race after losing a heat
on account of a break, and three very close finishes, there
being only "an eyelash/' as a local reporter remarked,
between him and Little Albert when they dashed under
the wire in the third heat in 2 :i55^. In the deciding mile
Abbie V. was at his shoulder in 2:15*4. Turner drove a
splendid heat, but the Aberdeen mare could not reach.
The race won by Honest George was sandwiched with the
2:19 pace, in which Flying Jib won as he pleased, after
an easy mile in the first heat which went to Expert Prince
in 2:13*4- The other winners for the week were Belle
Vara, Alvin and Merry Chimes, the last named going to
the front in the 2 123 pace in which Hal Dillard won the
first and second heats, and Walnut Boy the fourth and
fifth. In the line of specials there was a team race in
which Captain and Edith defeated Wonder and Blue
Charlie, the third heat in the event being trotted in 2 '.2^/2,
while Belle Hamlin and Globe stepped a mile to pole in
2:13^, and Nancy Hanks trotted in 2:13.
the elyria's winning. 121
The races at the Cleveland fall meeting in 1892 were
np to the Grand Circuit standard. The horses, hitched to
bike sulkies, the high-wheelers having disappeared with-
in a week of the summer meeting, at which there were
two or three, reeled off miles at a rate which proved that
the ingenious Yankee who had attached a pair of bicycle
wheels to a sulky frame had opened another door for rec-
ord-breakers. In the first heat of the free-for-all, George
Saunders, the driver of Clingstone in his palmy days, re-
duced his old favorite's race record of 2 114 to 2 113^4 with
Evangeline, and made a still further cut in it in the fifth
heat, when the magnificent four-year-old romped under
the wire in 2:1 1^4, with Lakewood Prince, Junemont, and
the stout-hearted Nightingale behind her. In a four-year-
old stake Hulda defeated Muta Wilkes and four others in
2:iSy 2 , 2:15*4, 2:1534, while Midnight Chimes, a three-
year-old filly that dropped dead in a race at Mystic Park
a few weeks later, stepped away from Mambrino Queen
and Trevillian in 2:18*4, 2:16*4, 2:19*4. In the two-
year-old stake Sabledale defeated Princess Royal, Mam-
brino Swift and Tuscarora, in 2:23^, 2:21^, her race
beino; sandwiched with the 2:18 class in which the four-
year-old colt Moquette, by Wilton, sailed off in front of
Lady Belle, Una Wilkes, Fred S. Wilkes and Bonhomme
for three miles in 2:14*4, 2:15*4, 2:13^, a record which
he reduced to 2:10 at Richmond, Ind., the following
week. The get of the Mambrino King horse, Elyria,
made a remarkable showing at this meeting. He had
seven starters. In the 2 :2~ class Muggins defeated a field
of fifteen in a four-heat race, and made a record of 2 :2oy 2 .
Gertrude won the 2:16 class from a field of nine, her
fastest heat being trotted in 2:15^4. In the three-year-
old stake Mambrino Queen was second to Midnight
122 MEMOIR.
Chimes in 2 :i6j4- Her sister, Mambrino Swift, was third
to Sabledale in the two-year-old stake. Peveril finished
third in his race, while Sam Bassett was unplaced, and
Elixir divided the honors with Eloise in the team race,
which they won in 2:34, 2:35, 2:31^. The other win-
ners during the week were Robert J., Incense, Wilkie
Knox, Cassie, Riverside, Duchess, Jean Wilkes and Ed
Eastin. At the Ohio Breeders' meeting the following
week, the regular events on the programme were won by
Citizen, Patroclea, Mambrino Swift, Belleflower, Ah
There, Florida Monarch, Sam Bassett and Harry Davis.
Two sons of George Wilkes also started at this meeting,
Bud Crook making a pacing record of 2 :iS J A, and Wilkie
Collins a trotting record of 2:30^. W T ith this meeting
William B. Fasig's connection as an official with racing
affairs in Cleveland terminated. Sidney W. Giles, of
Troy, N. Y., was elected to succeed him as Secretary of
the Cleveland Driving Park Company, while the writer
was selected to wind up the affairs of the Ohio Associa-
tion of Trotting Horse Breeders, all of the money on
hand being added to three stakes that were trotted the fol-
lowing September, Operetta winning the race for two-
year-olds, Lea the race for three-year-olds, and Joe Gale
the four-year-old event.
Before following William B. Fasig to New York,
where he took charge of the newly organized Trotting
Department of the Tattersall Companies in America, a
brief resume of the meetings given by the Cleveland Driv-
ing Park Company from 1892 will be presented in order
to complete the record. When the bell rang for the Cleve-
land Grand Circuit meeting in 1893 the high-wheel sulky
had become a thing of the past, and the marked reduction
in the average rate of speed at the meetings that season
1 893 MEETING. 123
showed plainer than words the difference between the two
styles of vehicles, or, in other words, the little wheels had
added four seconds, and in some cases more, to the speed
of the light harness performer. In 1892, with a few bike
sulkies in the races at Cleveland, thirty-four heats trotted
averaged 2:20^4, and seventeen paced averaged 2:15^4.
In 1893, when there were two and three-year-old events
on the programme the thirty-six heats trotted averaged
2:16, and the fourteen paced averaged 2:12, making the
average for the meeting at both gaits 2:14^4. The race
records of the track for both trotters and pacers were also
reduced during the week, the gray horse, Guy, winning
the first heat of the free-for-all pace in 2 :o8, while Little
Albert reduced Evangeline's mark to 2:10 in the first
heat of the free-for-all trot, which proved the best open
event ever trotted over the Cleveland track up to that
time. Ten horses took the word and no one appeared
to be very anxious to name a winner. Muta Wilkes and
Ryland T. were considered the pick, but both of them fin-
ished behind the money, the Guy Wilkes mare being
drawn after trotting three heats. In the first heat Muta
Wilkes rushed off in front, and led to the half in 1 105^2,
with the black mare, Nightingale, at her wheel. After
passing the half Little Albert began to close on the lead-
ers. He trotted the third quarter in 31 seconds, passed
Muta Wilkes at the head of the stretch, and beat Night-
ingale a head in 2 :io. The black mare, Nightingale, and
Little Albert were out in front in the second heat when
they struck the stretch. At this point Walter E. began
to show. Stewart forced him between the leaders. The
three raced head and head to the wire, W T alter E. leaving
his feet in the last stride. Little Albert was awarded the
heat in 2:11, with Nightingale second, and Walter E.
124 MEMOIR.
third. On the next two trips Little Albert broke at the
finish and Walter E. won in 2:10 and 2\n l / 2 , Nightin-
gale being out of it on account of a break in the first quar-
ter of the third heat, and on the next trip she made an-
other mistake and was distanced. The struggle in the
fifth heat was between the two heat winners, and the
Mambrino King mare, Nightingale. The three were
lapped at the half in 1 :o8, but from that point the Village
Farm mare was unsteady, while Walter E. broke inside
the distance, Little Albert winning the deciding heat in
the fastest five-heat race on record to that date in 2:13.
The official records for the meeting show that the other
winners were Alejandri, Miss Lida, May Marshall, Or-
iole, Jay Hawker, Hal Dillard, Director's Flower, Ellard,
Hal Pointer, Hazel Wilkes and E. T. H., while Directum
was started to high-wheel sulky to reduce the 2 :o8^J of
Maud S. Hitched to a sulky that had been used by Cling-
stone, the horse that eventually reduced the stallion record
to 2:05^4, passed the half in 1 104^4, the second quarter
having been trotted in 3134 • As he swung into the turn
Kelley took him back a little and his hocks hit the axle of
the sulky. This was followed by a break, the mile being
finished in 2:14^, which stands as the last attempt of a
trotter to bid for the record to the old style sulky. The
fall meeting in 1893 was held in October. It proved a
plain, every-day trotting meeting, with large fields and
close finishes, but nothing sensational, the first money in
the different events going to Nellie Hardwood, May
Homer, Lora, Racine, Gertrude, Red Line, Chimes E. and
J. M. K. In the first heat of the 2 124 trot the cream-col-
ored gelding, Elixir, by Elyria, gave a remarkable ex-
hibition of trotting without a driver. In a collision on the
first turn his driver was thrown out and the reins caught
1 894 meeting. 125
in the guard of the sulky wheel so as to steady him. When
the dust cleared away Elixir was trotting off in front, and
finished first, his time being very close to 2 :2c He was
placed last, the heat going to May Homer in 2:2134.
Elixir continued in the race, winning the third heat in
2 \22y 2 , and second money. On the third day of the meet-
ing Hal Dillard started against his race record of 2 :o8^
and reduced it to 2 :oy^4, the last half being paced in
1 102^4. He was driven by John Call.
A series of track records and a number of world's
records were changed at the Cleveland Grand Circuit
meeting in 1894. On "Big Thursday" Alix won the free-
for-all in 2:08, 2:08^4, 2:09^, the three fastest consecu-
tive heats ever made by a trotter up to that time, the aver-
age time being 2 :o8 7-12. The ink that recorded the fact
in the judges' book was scarcely dry before Ryland T.
changed the figures by winning the 2:11 class from a
field of seven which included Ellard, Lord Clinton and
Pamlico, in 2 :o8^4, 2 '.oy}^, 2 :o8^4, an average of 2 :o8>4-
In the first heat of her race Alix reduced the track record
for trotters to 2 :o8, and this was in turn reduced to
2 :oy}i by Ryland T., that time also being a new world's
record for geldings. On this memorable day Joe Patchen
won the 2:20 pace in 2:11^, 2:10^4, 2:10, and Ballona
the 2 :io trot in 2 :iij4, 2 :n^4, 2 :i2,/i- The returns for
the afternoon showed that the nine heats trotted averaged
2:092-3, while the three heats paced averaged 2:102-3,
making the day's average 2:09 11-12, which was the first
time in the history of the turf that a day's average was
below 2:10. The free-for-all pace on the following day
also presented another series of record-breaking heats.
The first mile was won by Crawford in 2:o8 T 4, an d the
second by Saladin in 2:06*4., a new track record for
126 MEMOIR.
pacers, that time taking the place of the 2 :o6j4 which
Johnston made to the old-style sulky in 1889. Saladin
caught Robert J. napping in the second heat, and when
Geers came out for the third he had a blind bridle on the
Hartford gelding. From that time there was nothing in
the race but Robert J., his first winning heat being in
2 :05^4, a new track record. Cobwebs and Alar also won
races on that afternoon, while on the last day of the meet-
ing Moonstone and Azote went to the front, the latter
trotting the deciding heat in his race in 2 no. In the first
race at this meeting, Red Bud, a five to one favorite, was
distanced for fouling Expressive in the fourth heat of the
three-year-old stake, first money going to the Palo Alto
bred filly, and second to Limonero, who was foaled on the
same farm. The other winners on the opening days were
Sally Simmons, Miss Nelson, Mary Best, Clayhontas and
Eloise. There were twenty-one starters in the race won
by Clayhontas. He drew seventeenth position, started
favorite, and after three heats managed to work his way
into the front tier and win. In the Alary Best race, Rose
Leaf started at $25 to $15 over the field. She failed to con-
nect, as, after Mahogany had won two heats, Goldsmith
won in 2:1254, 2:13^, 2:15^, with but a trifle to spare.
Eloise, the winner of the 2 :20, trot, was owned by Wil-
liam B. Fasig. She was a black mare, by Kentucky Prince,
out of Camille, by Hambletonian. Charles Backman bred
her at Stony Ford. She was foaled in 1886, and sold to H.
M. Hanna, of Cleveland. In 1891 he placed her in Gus
Wilson's stable. At that time the black mare was referred
to as a sister to Stevie, 2 119, a tried and true trotter that
had been "down the line" in fast company. Wilson con-
ditioned Eloise, and after winning a first and second with
her at Lima, drove her to a record of 2 130 in a match
1 3 127
race with Neri Newcomb, on October 21. Her next ap-
pearance was in a team race at the Cleveland fall meeting
in 1892, when Eloise and Elixir, driven by William B.
Fasig, defeated two other pairs and made a record ot
2:31^4. The following spring Eloise was consigned to
the May sale and purchased by Fasig and Greenwood for
$1,025. They placed her in Cope Stinson's stable but she
failed to stand the preparation and was turned out in
August. About this time Fasig also purchased T. Green-
wood's interest, and in 1894 "Benny" and Pat Shank
started out to win Grand Circuit races with Eloise. After
trotting second to Rensselaer Wilkes at Columbus, they
shipped to Detroit, where Eloise was entered in the 2 127
class for trotters, and according to Fasig, the race that
followed upset all of his hoodoo calculations. Aside from
meeting a cross-eyed girl with red hair or crossing a
funeral, Fasig considered the number thirteen as unde-
niable evidence of defeat in anything he might be con-
nected with, from playing marbles to flying a balloon. On
this point the vein of superstition ran close to the surface,
but Eloise knocked it into smithereens when she put her
right foot forward at Detroit. The 2 127 class was the
third race on the card for the first day of the meeting, and
when Fasig stepped off the car at Grosse Pointe, he found
that Eloise was number thirteen on the score card. This
set Fasig thinking, and in a short time he remembered
that Eloise had been shipped from Columbus on Friday,
July 13, that the numbers on his room door at the Russell
House, when added together made thirteen, and on locat-
ing Pat Shank he found Eloise in a stall, the figures on
which when lumped made the unlucky number. Vowing
vengeance on Lem Ullman, the programmer, for putting
such a number on his trotter, Fasig climbed into the grand
128 MEMOIR.
stand, satisfied in his own mind that either Pat Shank or
Eloise would break a leg or fall over the fence before the
race was finished. When the race was called it was found
that there were but twelve starters and Fasig breathed
easier. He even bought a few pools, but told everyone if
that thirteen combination could win they could have all
they wanted of it. Sixty-six was the favorite. He did not
get away well in the first heat, and Clemmie G. II. won in
2:1854, with Eloise second. Sixty-six won the second
heat, Eloise driving him out in 2:i8y 2 , and on the third
trip the Kentucky Prince mare was in front in 2 :i8}4- By
that time Sixty-Six had the thumps and was drawn, while
Eloise went on and won in 2 119, 2:17.
When Eloise won at Cleveland, Fasig was as happy as
a boy with his first pair of red-topped boots. Time and
again he told me how, on the morning of the race, "Knap"
McCarthy called and told him how fast Anna Mace could
go. The wily "Knap" also hinted that it would be bad
business to kill off such a fast pair of mares when they
had the race between them. A settlement was what "Knap"
was after, and what he did not get, as the crisis was
reached when Fasig jumped out of his chair in the office
at the sale building and pointing towards the race track
said : "Knap, there is the race track. If you can beat
Eloise, put on your trotting shoes and do it!" He tried,
but that was all the good it did him, as after Anna Mace
chased Sixty-Six out in 2:15^ in the first heat, Eloise
went to the front in 2:17, 2:15, 2:19^, the last half of
her second winning heat being trotted in 1 :o6^4. Eloise
scored another first at Buffalo the following week, after
which she was laid up until the Medina fair, where she
landed the free-for-all, and was then shipped to Cleveland
to start in the 2 114 class at the fall meeting. This proved
RIFLE. 129
one of the worst snarled up races ever seen on a track.
There were seven starters and nine heats were trotted, the
time in all of them being below 2 :20 before the Judge
announced Newcastle as the winner. Of the other starters
Bourbon Wilkes, Jr., Eloise and Count Robert each won
two heats, while Belle Cassett had two seconds and Io
one before they were ruled out. At this meeting, Fasig
also won a race with the black gelding Rifle. He was a
handy little fellow and at that time acted as if he were
always looking about for a bird or a shadow to scare him.
Volney French brought him out as a two-year-old at the
last meeting of the Ohio /\ssociation of Trotting Horse
Breeders, where he was defeated by Operetta. As a
three-year-old, Rifle won two races at Ashtabula and one
over the Longview track at Cleveland, where he made a
record of 2:3454. He also trotted third to Red Bird in
a stake race at Milwaukee. During the winter Fasig
purchased Volney French's interest in Rifle and turned
him over to Pat Shank. In 1894 he started Rifle in five
races and won four of them, giving him a record of
2:18^4 in the fifth heat of a postponed race at Tiffin, O.,
where he defeated a field of fourteen. At this race meet-
ing, Eloise won third money in the free-for-all, her sec-
ond to Magnolia in 2 :i2>/i being the fastest mile she ever
trotted in a race. Later on Fasig also hooked Eloise and
Rifle double. The first time they turned around together
they reeled off a mile in 2:17, and, by the way, if you
will make a note of such performances, you will find in
nine times out of ten the first time a pair of fast harness
performers are hitched double they will step faster than
they ever will afterwards. This was true of Clingstone and
Guy, Boralma and Senator L., Direct Hal and Prince
Direct and a dozen other pairs that I can now call to
130 MEMOIR.
mind. But this is a long jaunt from the Cleveland fall
meeting in 1894, at which Fasig won a first with Rifle and
a third with Eloise. The other winners that week were
Autrain, Belle J., Patience, Wilkie Knox, Sable Gift and
Florida Monarch.
In 1893, the Cleveland Driving Park Company, when
fixing the amount of purses for its Grand Circuit meeting,
decided to give the -pacers the same amount of purse
money in the class races as the trotters. From that time
to the present it has annually increased the number of
pacing races, until, in 1901, more money was offered for
pacing than for trotting races. In 1894, the association
also decided to add one more day to its meeting, and from
that time to the present (1902) the Cleveland summer
meeting has run for five instead of four days. For its
meeting in 1895, the Cleveland Association presented a
$38,000 programme, the list of events showing eleven
races for trotters and four for pacers, $28,000 being set
aside for the former and $10,000 for the latter. One of
the trotting events was declared off on account of unfa-
vorable weather, reducing the number of races at that
gait to ten and the premiums to $35,000. The two free-
for-alls were the star events at the meeting. In the trot,
Azote, Hulda and Ryland T. started. The Guy Wilkes
mare had received a special preparation for the event,
while Azote took it in in his regular run of races. A few
of the wiser ones thought that Hulda, who had recovered
from the mishap which cost her first money, in the Colum-
bian free-for-all at Chicago in 1893, would win, but, when
it came to racing, Azote smothered her. In the first heat
McDowell rushed out in front with Azote and won as he
pleased in 2:06^, Hulda giving it up when inside the
distance. The first half of the heat was trotted in 1 :02^4
BIKE SULKY CUT RECORDS. 131
and the middle half in I :oi^. The time made also
reduced the track record for trotters and was a new
world's record for geldings. In the second heat, Azote
passed the three-quarters in I 133^2, a quarter of a second
slower than in the preceding heat, and, as Hulda was all
out, Azote won as he pleased in 2 :o8^. A third heat in
2 :io finished the race. In the free-for-all pace, Robert J.
was considered invincible, so much so that he was barred
in the early betting, the bulk of the play being on Joe
Patchen or Directly for the place. \\ nen it came to
racing there was a very different state of affairs, as in the
first heat Joe Patchen had Robert J. beaten, when he
slipped on a wet spot near the long distance and made a
break. Robert J. won the heat in 2:05^, a new track
record. The next three heats were won by Joe Patchen,
the first in 2 :o4j4, by a head, and the next two each by a
length in 2:05, 2:05^4. The mile in 2:04% reduced the
track record a second, while the 2 105^4 in the fourth heat
was a world's record, and the time for the race was six
and a quarter seconds faster than the best on record for a
four-heat race. Those who attended this meeting will
recall Larabie's fourth heat in 2 :i2}^, when he won the
three-year-old race and the straight heat victories of Bas-
sora, Sunland Clay, Bright Regent, Altao, Bouncer and
Beuzetta, and the stubbornly contested races which were
won by Bravado, Klamath, Yalleau and the hoppled trot-
ter El Rami. One hundred and thirty horses started in
the fourteen races. They trotted and paced sixty-one
heats, for which the average time was a small fraction
under 2:11^4. The twenty-one heats paced averaged
2 :09 1-7, and the forty trotted averaged 2:13 1-20. Eight
of the heats trotted were in 2:10 or better, the fastest
being Azote's mile in 2:06^, and the slowest during the
132 MEMOIR.
week, 2:17^4, by El Rami. Twelve of the heats paced
were in 2:10 or better. Joe Patchen's mile in 2 104.34
was the fastest at that gait, while the slowest of the
twenty-one was finished in 2 : 12^. These figures, when
compared with the column of averages in the synopsis of
the Cleveland meetings, show plainer than words the part
played by the bike sulky in the reduction of the uniform
rate of speed in harness races and this applies not only to
the mile tracks where the footing is as smooth as a bil-
liard table, but also over the "cow path" at the fairs. This
change in equipment also came at a time when it looked
as though the regulation track records of Maud S. and
Johnston would never be beaten, although Sunol had
trotted in 2:0834, and Palo Alto in 2:08% over the kite
track at Stockton in 1891, and Direct had paced in 2:06
over the kite track at Independence the same season, and
since that time the landslide of race and time records
towards the two-minute goal, which Star Pointer passed
in 1897, has been so marked that one can be pardoned, if
after looking over the field, for stating that the bike sulky
did more to increase the uniform rate of speed in harness
races than breeding and training had accomplished in the
preceding fifteen years.
The last fall meeting of the Cleveland Driving Park
Company was held October 1 to 3, 1895. They had not
been a success pecuniarily, notwithstanding the large
entry for several seasons, and after this venture it was
decided to abandon them. At this meeting one hundred
horses started in the ten events which, under the old ten
per cent, of entry plan, would have paid the purses, but
which fell a trifle short under the new plan, five per cent,
to enter and five per cent, additional from the winner of
each division of the purse. The winners for the week
THE GENTLEMEN'S DRIVING CLUB. 133
were Yiotta, Avana, Piletta, Ouida, J. B. S., Sanjak,
Guinette, Wanda, Jim Corbett and Bourbon Wilkes, Jr.,
and that the races were well contested and the perform-
ances high-class was evidenced by the thirty-eight heats
recorded in the judges' book and the average time of
2:16^ for the twenty-five heats trotted, and 2:1314 f° r
the thirteen heats paced, making the average for the
meeting a fraction under 2 :iS 3 A- During the week Miss
Rita and Josie B. made a pacing record of 2 113^ to pole,
and the two-year-old colt Ananias, by Patron, 2:1434,
out of Annie W., 2 :20, paced an exhibition mile in
2 :i424-
For a number of years a few horse owners in Cleve-
land were anxious to organize a driving club and hold
regular matinees over the mile track. The plan had been
tried at Buffalo and was a success until those who took
an active interest in the work drifted from matinee rac-
ing into the professional field, while a club at St. Louis
had for time out of mind raced regularly for the amuse-
ment of its members. The Gentlemen's Driving Club of
New York had also from time to time offered cups for
members' races, but had never entered what could be
termed the matinee field, where a gentleman is willing to
strip the fastest trotter in the land and race him to wagon
for a "bit of blue ribbon." Whenever the subject was
broached to Colonel Edwards he objected, and with cause,
as he knew that the steel tires of the old-style wagon
would soon cut through the skin of clay that covers the
sandbed on which the Cleveland track is built. It ran on
in this way, from year to year, the enthusiasts fanning the
flame of their desire by a few skirmishes late in the fall,
before the track was cut up for the winter. With 1895
came the desire to do something in this direction. My
134 MEMOIR.
attention was first called to it on Monday, May n, by the
late Harry Stephens. I was at the time on the staff of
the American Sportsman. On that morning, while on his
way down to business, he called at the office and intro-
duced the subject. From what he said I learned that it
had been discussed very freely the preceding day at the
Roadside Club, and before he left we decided to look up
W. P. Murray and talk the matter over with Colonel Ed-
wards. Within an hour the three of us called on Colonel
Edwards at his store in Water Street. The subject was
introduced, and when the Colonel was convinced that the
rubber tired wagon with small wheels would not tear up
the track, he was as enthusiastic over the project as those
who introduced it. With the Rubicon crossed, the three
of us took a street car for the Driving Park to interview
W. B. Fasig, who had a sale on for the following week.
The idea was to have him act as Secretary. Fasig was
sitting on the steps of his office when the car stopped.
He was advised of the movement and fell in with it, but
stated that he was situated so that he could not accept the
office. This was a damper, but when Fasig suggested
Frank Chamberlain, the Secretary of the Roadside Club,
the way towards perfecting the organization was made
clear. The matter was canvassed thoroughly during the
next few days, and finally a call was issued for a meeting,
Saturday, May 25, at the Weddell House. The meeting
was held in a bedroom near the top of the stairs on the
second floor, and at it The Gentlemen's Driving Club of
Cleveland was organized. The officers elected were
Colonel William Edwards, Honorary President; C. E.
Grover, President, and Frank Chamberlain, Secretary,
and arrangements were made for an impromptu matinee
the following Saturday, June 1. At that time there were
the gentlemen's driving club. 135
but two pneumatic-tired wagons with small wheels in
Cleveland. John D. Rockefeller had one, but the axles
were so low that it was not of much use for fast work, and
Harry Devereux had an ordinary top road wagon with the
axles cut and U-shaped forks, in which the little wheels
turned, welded to them. The first heat in a race
at a matinee of the Gentlemen's Driving Club was won by"
Harry Stephens with the Young Jim gelding Jim Wilkes.
The next heat went to M. A. Bradley's mare, Mattie Bas-
sett, and the race to George T., a chestnut gelding by
Elyria, owned by C. G. Barkwell. The races at this meet-
ing and the following one were at half-mile heats, but
from that time on they were at a mile, and in a short time
the doings of Firefly, Mattie Bezant, Peep O'Day,
Wyreka, Tague O'Ragan, East End, Incense, Doc
Sperry, Tom Shannon, etc., were the. talk of the town,
the first spark of enthusiasm being struck on
July 6, when O. G. Kent wheeled in from the
road behind Incense to a high-wheeled wagon and
won in 2:17, 2:16^. This was a remarkable perform-
ance, and it was not beaten during the season of 1895. In
the pacing division Harvey Goulder's road horse, Tom
Shannon, fought for first honors with Doc Sperry in
hopples, and the latter won with a mile in 2:17^, Tom
Shannon's fastest mile being in 2:19. With the begin-
ning of 1896 the hopples were barred in the wagon races,
and from that time up to the present The Gentlemen's
Driving Club of Cleveland has grown in strength and
popularity, until it has become the leading amateur organ-
ization of the kind in the world. Its signal success can
be attributed, not to the work of any one member or group
of members, as is the case in many associations, but to
the harmony that has prevailed in its ranks, and the con-
136 MEMOIR.
stant development of that sportsmanlike spirit among
horse owners who can take a defeat good-naturedly and
at the same time congratulate the winner.
A short time after the Club was organized, it was de-
cided to purchase two championship cups, one of which
was to be awarded each year to the owner of the trotter
making the fastest time during the season, and the other
to the owner of the horse pacing the fastest mile. Incense
was the first trotter, and Doc Sperry the first pacer, to
have their names engraved on the cups. The following is
what appeared on the cups at the close of 1902 :
THE CHAMPIONS.
TROTTERS.
1895 — Incense, b m, by Young Jim; O. G.
Kent 2:\6y 2
1896 — Eloise, bl m, by Kentucky Prince; W.
B. Fa^ig 2:16%
1897 — Elloree, ch m, by Axtell; C. Morris. . . .2:10
1898— Temper, ch m, by Elyria; W. M. Cum-
mer 2:13^
1899 — Temper, ch m, by Elyria; W. M. Cum-
mer 2:og)4
1900 — John A. McKerron, b s. by Nutwood
Wilkes; H. K. Devereux 2:09
1901 — John A. McKerron, b s, by Nutwood
Wilkes; H. K. Devereux 2:06^
1902 — John A. McKerron, b s, by Nutwood
Wilkes; H. K. Devereux 2:06^
PACERS.
1895— Doc Sperry, br g, by Altamont; W. F.
Dutton 2:17^
1896 — Prussia Girl, ch m, by Russia. W. J.
White ^ 2:16^
1897 — Pine wood, b s, by Artemas; W. B.
White ' 2:13^
1898— Ripper, blk s, by Texas Jack; H. K.
Devereux 2:16%
1899 — Sunland Belle, b m, by Bourbon Wilkes;
J. H. Outhwaite 2:07^
1900 — Ananias, br s, by Patron; C. F. Emery. 2:06^
1901 — Nicol B., br s, by Alcalus; J. Sherwin. .2:nX
1902 — Tiger, gr g, by McEwen: J. Ray 2:07^
THE CHALLENGE TROPHY. 13
In 1900 the Gentlemen's Driving Club of Boston,
which was organized the preceding year, on the same lines
as the Cleveland Club, offered a $1,000 cup, to be known
as the Amateur Drivers' Challenge Trophy, and which
was to become the property of the Club winning it three
times. The first race for the trophy was trotted at Boston,
where John A. McKerron, one of the Cleveland Club's
representatives, was returned as the winner. As is shown
by the following summaries, the same horse was also the
winner in 1901 and 1902, when the cup became the prop-
ertv of The Gentlemen's Driving Club of Cleveland, by
which it was presented to H. K. Devereux, the owner of
the three-times winner :
Boston, Mass., September 19. 1900.
Amateur Drivers' Challenge Trophy. Free-for-all
trotting.
John A. McKerron, b s, by Nutwood Wilkes
(H. K. Devereux) 1 1
Senator L., b g, by West Cloud (J. Shepard) . 2 2
Temper, ch m, by Elyria (W. M. Cummer).. 3 3
Miss Whitney, ch m, by Edgemark (H. Rus-
sell) " 4 5
Burlington Boy, ch g, by Alcander (H. O.
Aldrich) 6 4
Nemoline, blk m, by Jersey Wilkes (Dr. Car-
michael) 5 dr
Time — 2:10, 2:11.
Cleveland, Ohio, September 4, 1901.
Amateur Drivers' Challenge Trophy. Free-for-all
trotting.
John A. McKerron, b s, by Nutwood Wilkes
( Ff . K. Devereux) 1 1
Temper, ch m, by Elvria (W. M. Cummer).. 4 2
Dr. Book, b g, by McKinney (C. K. G. Bil-
lings) .. . 2 4
Tudor Chimes, b g, by Chimes (A. E. Perrin) 3 3
Time— 2:12^, 2:11.
138 MEMOIR.
Cleveland, Ohio, September 5, 1902.
Amateur Drivers' Challenge Trophy. _ Free-for-all
trotting.
John A. McKerron, b s, by Nutwood Wilkes
(H. K. Devereux) 1 1
Lord Derby, b g, by Mambrino King (E. E.
Smathers) 3 2
The Monk, b g, by Chimes (C. K. G. Billings) . 2 3
Time — 2:07^, 2:08.
Five of the fifteen races programmed for the Cleveland
Grand Circuit meeting in 1896 were won by Ohio horses,
three of them having been bred in the state, and the other
two owned and developed in Cleveland. In addition to
this they had three third moneys and three fourth
moneys placed to their credit. The Forest City Farm
won a first and a fourth with the Patron mare Helen K.,
the other winners being Rifle, who was only a head in
front of Franklin, by Gold Leaf, when he made his rec-
ord of 2:11^4, Derby Princess, Newcastle, and Dan T.
W. B. Fasig won a third and a fourth with [Marguerite,
a handsome little mare that, according to her owner,
"doesn't ask to have her track taken around with her to
trot on, but says: 'Come on, boys; if that track is good
enough for you it is good enough for me ; let's have a
race' ;" while W. C. Ong was awarded a third with Atlan-
tis, and both Franklin and Rubenstein saved their en-
trance. A heavy track on the opening day and the ab-
sence of a free-for-all trot on the programme made a cut
in the rate of speed, the sixty heats contested averaging
2:13^2. The forty heats trotted averaged 2:15^, and
the twenty paced, 2:09^4. The free-for-all pace was the
best race of the meeting, and proved the greatest surprise
when Frank Agan defeated Joe Patchen and Robert J. in
2:05, 2:04, 2:04^4. The finish in the second heat was
very close, Frank Agan winning it by a head from Joe
1897 MEETING. 139
Patchen. In the third heat Robert J. chased Frank Agan
to the three quarters in 1 132^4, but he could not reach on
the trip to the wire. Alonzo McDonald created a ripple of
excitement when he stepped out in front with the four-
year-old filly, Miss Jennings, and won the 2 125 pace, giv-
ing her a mark of 2 :o8*4- Joe Rea also had his day when
he won two races with the Gambetta Wilkes mares, Emma
Offutt and Lottie Loraine, while the Fred S. Wilkes geld-
ing, Walter S., won two races during the week. The
other winners at the meeting were Corie McGregor,
Frank Bogash, Klamath and Elloree.
Four of the fifteen races programmed by the Cleve-
land Driving Park Company for its Grand Circuit meet-
ing in 1897, were won by the Village Farm stable, its win-
ners being The Abbot, The Monk, Dare Devil, the hand-
somest fast horse that ever stepped on a race track, and
Passing Bell. In addition to the above the Village Farm
was second to Oakland Baron in the 2:15 class, with
Valence second to Bumps in 2:05^, 2:07, 2:06^, with
Heir-at-Law, third to Satin Slippers in the 2 125 pace with
Elsinore, while Athanio was unplaced in the 2:11 class,
which was won by Grace Hastings after Elloree had
scored two heats and Bouncer one. The stable's win-
nings for the week amounted to $5,875. The record shows
that the other races were won by Frank Bogash, Bessie
Leach, Octavia, Sally Toler, Senator A., Rilma, and Star
Pointer, the last named defeating Joe Patchen and Lottie
Loraine in 2:04, 2:05^, 2:04^. The speed rate of the
trotters at this meeting was very uniform, the thirty-three
heats averaging 2:123/2, William Penn's two heats in
2 :o8^4 being the fastest, and Dare Devil's second heat in
2:15^4 the slowest. Seventeen of the twenty-eight heats
paced were below 2 no, while the average was 2 108^4.
140 MEMOIR.
For its Grand Circuit meeting in 1898, Cleveland pro-
grammed eight trotting and six pacing races, the purses
offered for the trotters amounting to $17,500, and for the
pacers $13,500. Sixty-three heats were required to clear
the card and dispose of two specials to wagons, the aver-
age time for them being 2:11^2. The trotters required
thirty-five heats to win their events and the two specials,
the time averaging 2 \i2 l / 2 . Seventeen of the twenty-eight
heats paced were below 2 :io, the average time for the en-
tire number being 2:09^. The showing made by T.
Keating's stable was the feature of the week. His score
was five starts and five firsts, his winners being Search-
light, Klatawa, Anaconda and Dione, three pacers and a
trotter. Dione won the 2:24 trot in 2:10^4, 2:12^,
2 109^, with a field of eleven behind her, the lot including
W. B. Fasig's black gelding Alrich. Anaconda won the
2 105 pace after losing two heats to Frank Bogash, his fast-
est heat being finished in 2 :04^J. Klatawah, a three-year-
old, won the 2 114 pace in 2 107, 2 :09^J, 2:11^, after losing
the third heat to Pentland in 2:11^, and Searchlight the
2:08 pace in 2:05^4, 2:05^, 2:06^, and 2:10 pace in
2:04^4, 2:093/2, 2:09, after losing a heat to Lena N. in
2:05^4. In this race Lena N. made a world's record for
pacing mares and Searchlight a world's record for pacing
colts. The Village Farm stable also made a very strong
showing. It won with The Abbot, Lady of the Manor, and
Tommy Britton was second to Directum Kelly in the 2 123
trot, with True Chimes third to Gayton in the 2:18 trot
with Battleton, and unplaced with Incarnate in the 2 125
trot, which was won by Angelina after Percy and Belle J.
each had a heat. The race won by Tommy Britton was one
of the uncertainties that add a charm to racing. He won
the first heat in 2 : io l / 2 . In the second heat Cresceus made
1899 MEETING. 141
a break going away, losing four lengths. Geers sailed out
in front to the half in 1 :o$y 2 and three-quarters in 1 138.
Ketcham made a drive for the heat and stepped Cresceus
the last half in 1 :03^4. He caught Britton when within
a few feet of the wire, made a break and Tommy Britton
was given the heat in 2 :09?4- The next two heats went
to Cresceus in 2 109^4, 2 iii^J, and Geers had stopped driv-
ing in the fifth heat when Cresceus made a double break
at the draw gate. Seeing a chance Geers roused his horse
with the whip ; he was too tired to break, and won in
2:11^4. The other winners that have not been named
were Mattie Patterson, Split Silk and Annie Lee. On the
last day of the meeting J. Curry also started Kentucky
Union to reduce the world's trotting record of 2 112^2 to
wagon and cut it to 2:10^4. A few minutes later N. W.
Hubinger appeared with Grace Hastings and started to
beat that figure. Going away rather slow for such a task
he passed the half in 1 :o6^4. At that point he was joined
by a runner, and like a bird on the wing, Grace Hastings
flew from there to the wire in 1 102^4, making the mile
in 2 :ogy2.
When the bell rang for the Grand Circuit meeting at
Cleveland in 1899, there were new men at the helm. Both
Colonel William Edwards and George W. Short had
passed from the scenes that had known them so many
years. Their places were taken by H. M. Hanna and W.
G. Pollock, while H. K. Devereux had also become one of
the working forces of the Association. Twenty events
were programmed for the week, the pacers for the first
time being given the same number of races as the trotters.
Seventy-six heats were required to clear the card, the
average time for them being a fraction over 2:11. The
time for the series was, however, very irregular, on ac-
142 MEMOIR.
count of a number of split heat races, in which the win-
ners were literally raced into the ground. This did not,
however, prove to be the case in the 2:10 class, in which
there were ten starters, Tommy Britton winning the first
two heats in 2 :io, 2 :i2^, Cresceus the third in 2 :io, and
Elloree the next three in 2:08^, her record, 2:12^,
2:12. The 2 :04 pace was sandwiched with this event, and
in it Searchlight made the best race of his career. Ana-
conda started favorite, and won the first heat in 2:04^.
Searchlight then went on in 2:03^, 2:06%, 2:04. Dur-
ing the week Ed Geers won his engagement with The
Queen, Merriment and The Abbot, trotted second to
Copeland with Tudor Chimes, was unplaced with Battle-
ton in the 2 :io trot, and behind the money with Lady of
the Manor in the race won by Miss Logan. The other
winners at the meeting were Sphinx S., Dorothea S., Bob
Fitzsimmons, Fritz, Hal B., Hydrogen, Surpol, The Maid,
Dainty Daffo, Harry O. and Owyhee.
Cresceus, Coney and Prince Alert were the record-
breakers at the Cleveland meeting in iqoo. On the first
day of the meeting Cresceus won in 2 :oy}4, 2 :o6^4, the
time made being the two fastest consecutive heats trotted
in a race to that date, the trotting race record of the track
being reduced in each pi the miles. On the following day
Coney, after flitting about on the turf on a reputation
established by T. Keating's faith in him, made good by
winning in 2:02^, 2:043/2, after losing a heat to Prince
Alert in 2:04^. In the fast heat Coney started in sixth
position and finished with a little to spare. His time,
2 10234, was a new track record. On the last day of the
meeting Prince Alert made his second appearance in the
2 :04 class with Anaconda and Indiana. In the first heat
Anaconda made a break going away and Prince Alert won
19OO MEETING. 143
in 2 :o8. On the next trip the pair went away flying, with
Prince Alert in front. He was never headed, the frac-
tional time for the mile being 30, 1 :oi^, 1 131^, 2:02, a
new track record for pacers, as well as a world's record
for hoppled pacers and a world's record for pacing geld-
ings in a race ; being a reduction of half a second in the
mark made by Robert J. During- this meeting the horses
driven by Geers and McHenry were on edge. The lat-
ter won two races with Bonnie Direct, and one each with
Coney and Gay ton, while he also drove Anaconda in the
race won by Prince Alert. Gayton's race was the best of
his career, and one of the best ever won by a stallion un-
til Cresceus began to cut and slash all kinds of trotting
records. Gayton, Dare Devil and Charlie Herr were the
contending horses, the other starters being . Precision,
Monterey and Who Is It. The first heat was won by Dare
Devil in 2 ioo,^, while Charlie Herr was second. On the
next trip Geers laid in fourth place until the stretch was
reached. McHenry was at his wheel with Gayton. \\ nen
Geers made a move McHenry followed suit. The pair
soon pulled away from the field, and when the wire was
reached the judges said Gayton by a nose in 2:08^4. In
the third heat Dare Devil made a break at the word and
lost four or five lengths. He also took a couple of jumps
at the half. From the three-quarters to the wire the pair
raced head and head, the lead alternating- with each stride.
At the wire Gayton's head showed in front, the time being
2 109. In addition to trotting second with Dare Devil in
this event, Geers won with Lord Derby and Onward Sil-
ver, was second to Annie Burns, with Lasso, fourth to Sis-
ter Alice with Memorial, and at the request of Renick
took a mount behind Midway prior to the fourth heat and
won the 2 123 pace. The other winners at this meeting
144 MEMOIR.
were White Hose, Cornelia Belle, Sidney Pointer, Helen
Simmons, Hetty G., Dumont W., Boralma, Arch W. and
Johnny Agan. Sixty-nine heats were contested. The
average time for the meeting was a shade under 2:11^,
the thirty-five heats trotted averaging 2:12^4, and the
thirty-five paced 2:09%.
On two occasions Maud S. trotted to a world's record
over the Cleveland track, her 2 :o8$4, which still stands
as the fastest mile over a regulation track to high wheels,
being made over the ''strip of yellow dirt" at Glenville.
Nancy Hanks, Alix and The Abbot made their records
at other points, although all of them started there, but in
1901 the flight of time was once more checked at Glen-
ville, when Cresceus stepped inside of the top figure by
trotting a mile in 2 :o2^4, the fractional time being 30, 31,
30^4, 31. This record-breaking mile made the meeting
memorable, while the races, although short and snappy,
failed to arouse that old-time enthusiasm which stirs the
blood of a devotee of harness racing when the heats are
split in fast time. Of the twenty events programmed, Sis-
ter Alice, Martha Marshall, Metallas, Audubon Boy, Dan
Patch, The King, Eleata, Richard A., Tom P., Billy H.,
Anaconda and Harold H. won their engagements in
straight heats. The other winners were Palm Leaf, Riley
B., George, Star Pugh, Charlie Herr, Charley Mac,
Coxey, and Onward Silver. Sixty-seven heats were con-
tested in the twenty races, the average time being a small
fraction over 2 '.11%.
In 1902 seventy-five heats were required to dispose of
the twenty events offered for a five-day meeting, the aver-
age time being a small fraction over 2:11. The thirty-four
heats trotted averaged 2:11^4, and the forty-one paced
2.09^4. The time in twenty-six of the heats paced was
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while The Monk trotted in 2:07^, Lord Derby, with
George Saunders behind him, in 2 107^4, and Hesperus in
2:09^/2. That the uniform rate was up to the standard
established in the past was evidenced by the fact that the
ten races averaged 2:11^, the slowest heat of the week
being 2:16, by Betsey Tell. As a high-class meeting the
one held in 1902 compares favorably with any of those
which preceded it. It was the first under the manage-
ment of George J. Dietrich, who succeeded Siiney W.
Giles when he retired on account of broken health, after
being in harness for eight years at Island Park, Albany,
N. Y., and nine at Cleveland. Scott Hudson made a rec-
ord on the fourth day of the meeting when he won every
race on the programme with Alice Russell, Audubon Boy,
Chase and Twinkle. During the meeting he also won a
third with Tertimin, a fourth with Don Riley, and was *
unplaced with Baron Bell. Ed. Geers also had a good
week, his stable winning with Direct Hal, The Monk and
Dandy Chimes, while it was also credited with two seconds
and two thirds. Eight of the twenty races on the pro-
gramme were won in straight heats by Major Delmar,
Directum Speir, Dandy Chimes, Dan Patch, Anzella,
Greenline, Chase and Betsey Tell, while the events in
which the heats were split went to Dan R., Direct Hal, The
Monk, Wentworth, Daphne Dallas, Alice Russell, Audu-
bon Boy, Twinkle, The Roman, Martha Marshall and
Sylviaone.
In 1892, when William Easton, the managing director
of the Tattersall Companies in America, decided to add a
trotting department to the business, William B. Fasig was
146 MEMOIR.
placed in charge of it. The American branch of the old
English sale firm absorbed the Emery & Fasig business,
taking the sale building at Cleveland, while it also estab-
lished sale marts at Chicago, where R. E. Edmonson was
manager, and at Lexington, Ky., where W. R. Brasfield
looked after its affairs. This change transferred Fasig
from Cleveland to New York, where he made his debut as
a sale manager December 20, 21 and 22. This sale was
held in the Cyclorama building, on the corner of Seventh
Avenue and Fifty-fifth Street, on the evening of the days
selected by Peter C. Kellogg & Co., to dispose of the horses
owned by the Hobart estate and a few other consign-
ments. At this date Kellogg & Co. controlled the big rink
on Third Avenue, and with the exception of Madison
Square Garden, it was the only available building in New
York in which a horse could be shown at speed in harness.
The stock in the Tattersall sale was not of a character to
warrant an outlay of $1,000 a day, which was the figure
'asked for Madison Square Garden, when John H. Shults,
H. N. Smith and A. A. Bonner held the first sale in that
building, January 12 and 13, 1892, but by taking advan-
tage of so many out of town buyers being in the city,
Fasig sold one hundred and eight head, the majority of
which were youngsters on the end of a halter, for $49,830.
At this sale J. B. Haggin sold fifty-nine Rancho Del Paso
yearlings and weanlings, forty-two of which were by
Albert W., for $30,435, an average of $515.84, but the bal-
ance of the consignments did not bring what was consid-
ered a fair price at that period, when a man usually bought
a pedigree and learned later as to whether he had a horse
or not. At the Kellogg & Co. sale the same week the
Hobart estate sold sixty-eight head for $207,860, an aver-
age of $3,056.76. Stamboul, with a cloud on his record
1 893 sales. 147
of 2:07^, sold for $41,000, while H. S. Pierce paid
$32,450 for five mares, his selections and prices paid being
By-By, $10,000; Biscara, $8,250; Bon Bon, $7,500; Alma
Mater, at that time twenty years old, $4,100, and Xola
$2,600. Nancy Lee, the dam of Nancy Hanks, sold for
$7, 100, Astrione for S5.300, Silverone for S6,ooo, My
Trinket for $4,000, Dainty Bell $4,200, Almeta $4,800,
Alameda $5,000, and the saddest part of it is that none
of these high-priced ones' foals ever came up to expecta-
tions, although Bon Bon at a later date produced Bonnie
Direct, 2 105^4 .
The Tattersall Companies held five sales of trotting
horses under William B. Fasig's management in 1893, at
which they sold six hundred and ninety-one head for
$319,729. Three of the sales were held in Xew York and
two in Cleveland. The year's business opened in New
York on February 23, with Monbars under the hammer.
He was bid off at $13,000 after John H. Shults intimated
that there was by bidding and declined to raise his offer
of $12,000. This was a damper on the sale, and after it
was over, so many other horses were returned by devious
ways to their original owners, the outlook for the new
management was not very encouraging. Of the lots put
up at this sale to test the market Pixley and Beuzetta were
destined to become the most prominent. Pixley was run
through the sale for $4,000. At the time she had a record of
2 :i6, and was considered marked for life. After the sale
she was placed in Budd Doble's stable, and during the sea-
son of 1893 proved one of the fastest but most unfortunate
mares that ever took the word. As the season rolled by
the daughter of Jay Gould became known as "Second
Money" Pixley, and she remained true to the record, al-
though many contend she was entitled to first money in the
148 MEMOIR.
Columbian free-for-all at Washington Park, Chicago, dur-
ing the World's Fair. In the first heat of that race Alix
and Pixley finished heads apart in 2:07^4. Hulda broke
down in the fourth heat and Alix won the money after
a three days' siege, Beuzetta, at the time an unknown two-
year-old filly, as wild-eyed as a startled fawn, was bid off
for $500 and shipped back to Kentucky. The following
year she won the Kentucky Futurity worth $27,480, and in
her four-year-old form was invincible until she met Azote
at Fleetwood Park, New York. At that time she had a
record of 2:0634, but when Azote was turned loose he
stepped away from her' and won in 2 :ogy 2 , 2\o$y 2 , 2 107.
Early in 1893 the financial depression stuck a pin in the
boom prices which were being paid for trotting race stock.
Many buyers and breeders had been looking for it for
some time and had their houses in order, John E. Madden
being one of the first to come out boldly and state that a
pedigree without the individual was worthless. Opposed
to him and others, who read the signs of the times cor-
rectly, was an army of buyers and breeders who con-
tended that so long as a standard bred horse by a fashion-
able sire could command a service fee of from $100 to
$300, and double that figure if he had a fast record and
two or three colts in the 2 130 list, there was money in the
business even with the prices in the thousands. And
there was, so long as the trotter was a plaything and there
were men who would book mares at top figures, but they
disappeared as soon as they found that when they wanted
a little money they could not realize as much for the colt
as the service fee of its sire, to say nothine of the keep
and the interest on the monev invested in the mare. This
fact, backed by the hard times, put a crimp in the market,
and in a short time hundreds wanted to sell, and while
1893 SALES. 149
there were always buyers, the prices were so low, even for
stock above the average, that many expected the trotting
horse industry to peter out. As men wanted money more
than horses, the by bidder and the capper had to step
aside, and in the sales that followed consignments were
scattered in every direction. In the end this proved a
blessing in disguise, as many of those who had learned to
shun the sale ring came back, and they continued to buy
when the market improved.
The Cleveland sales of the Tattersall Companies in
1893, were held February 28 to March 3, and May 15 to
19. During the two weeks two hundred and eighty-eight
horses were sold for $149,589. Sydney was the star of the
first sale. He brought §27,000. Had he been sold during
the boom when his colts were breaking records, he would
have brought over three times that amount. At the sale
fourteen others brought $1,000 or over, the highest priced
lots being by Sidney. Frou Frou sold for $3,500, Odd-
fellow $2,000, Sidmont $2,550, Fausta $2,100, Red Sid
$1,100, and San Souci $1,050. At the May sale Bon-
homme, 2:17^4, Incense, 2:17%, Instant, 2:14%, and
Eloise 2 130, were the stars. Alex McLean added Bon-
homrne to John D. Rockefeller's stable of road horses at
$5>75°- O- G. Kent gave $5,300 for Incense, the first
champion trotter of The Gentlemen's Driving Club of
Cleveland. Instant sold for $4,200, and W. B. Fasig paid
$1,025 for Eloise, the best trotter he ever owned. She went
for the money and won it. That is the test.
After a two days' sale in New York in June, at which
a consignment from the Valensin Farm and a few local
horses were disposed of, Fasig began to map out his first
sale in Madison Square Garden. Selecting the first week
in December, he started off with what he called "the four
150 MEMOIR.
hundred," and in four days disposed of two hundred and
eighty-eight head for $88,755. The highest priced lots
were Director's Flower $5,100, Delmarch $4,100, Repe-
tition $3,900, Charlie C. $3,500, and Captain Walbridge
$2,500.
In 1894 the Tattersall Companies held three sales of
trotters in New York and two in Cleveland, at which seven
hundred and ninety-eight horses were disposed of for
$266,022, an average of $333.36. The Cleveland sales
were held February 28 to March 3, and May 23 to 25.
The catalogue for the winter sale presented a very ordi-
nary lot of stock, and the prices were on a par with the
offerings, one hundred and eighty-seven head selling for
$30,030, an average of $160.58. Percy S., a two-year-old
bv Red Wilkes, was the only one that sold for four figures,
his price being $1,000. The Robert Rysdyk horse Guy,
that later on proved a useful trotter, passed through this
sale for $620. Courier, 2:15^4, and the Clay colt, Isaac,
were the features of the May sale. The former went back
to Kentucky on a bid of $4,300, while Isaac sold for
$2,200. The only others that exceeded the $1,000 mark
during the week were Maud A., 2 :ig T /4, and Jim Wilkes,
2 :2i, the mare selling for $1,600, and the Young Jim geld-
ing, that afterward became a well-known matinee trotter
in Cleveland, for $1,100. All of the New York sales were
held in Madison Square Garden, the first one being an-
nounced for April 23 and 24. For it, Murat, by Director,
out of the Volunteer mare Lady Morrison, 2:27^, was
boomed as the "fastest horse in the world without a .rec-
ord." Fasig's magical advertising drew all eyes to him,
and with a trial of 2 117 to build on, Murat sold for $5,250.
He is still "without a record." At this sale Myrtle R.,
2 :i534> Dv Monaco, sold for $3,500, and Clochette brought
i 895 SALES. 151
$2,200. The balance of the New York sales in 1894 were
held in November, the Kalamazoo Farm consignment be-
ing- the attraction at the first one. It sold sixty-four head
for $44,065, the highest priced lots being Belle Vara
$4,100, Ambassador $3,000, Dancourt $2,100, Vassar
$2,200, Nell, dam of Belle Vara, Yassar, etc., $2,000, and
Suisun, now a brood mare, $1,800. Matthew Riley also
sold seven head for $6,685, John H. Shults paying the top
figure when he bid $3,000 for Kitty Bayard, 2 \i2 l / 2 . This
sab and the one that followed the Horse Show, proved
that the tide was beginning to turn, as $157,748 was real-
ized for three hundred and forty-five head, an average of
$454.34. At the second November sale George Ketcham
disposed of eight head for $10,100, while Monroe Salis-
bury sold thirteen from his racing stable for $14,820, and
the \Yedgewood mare Wistful, 2 :i 3^, brought $6,900.
Of the Ketcham lot Miss Lida, 2:10^4, sold for $3,200,
Nyanza, 2:12%, for $3,000, and Miss Rachel, 2:20, for
$1,100. Of the others that sold for over Si, 000 the re-
port of the sale shows Lena Holly $2,500, Uncle Josh
$2,250, Edenia, $1,750, Celaya $1,900, and Glen Mary
$2,100, and the colt trotter Dick Russell, that failed to
come up to expectations, $2,450.
But two more sales of trotters w T ere held by the Tatter-
sall Companies. The first of them was cried at Buffalo,
January 16 to 18, 1895, when one hundred and forty head
were disposed of for $24,260, the highest priced lot in the
catalogue being the pacing filly Whirligig, 2 :io. She sold
for $1,115. Their last sale was in Madison Square Garden,
New York, February 27 to March 1, when $51,500 was
paid for one hundred and sixty-eight head. At this sale
Pixley, 2:o8}4, and Monbars, 2:11^4, again appeared.
Monbars was sold for $3,500, and Pixley for $3,100.
152 MEMOIR.
Charles M. Reed's team Evangeline and Lunette were also
in this sale. They went to Cleveland on a bid of $3,600.
A few weeks after the above sale, William B. Fasig
issued. an announcement for a May sale at Cleveland un-
der the name of William B. Fasig & Co., the other mem-
ber of the firm being Ed. Hedges, who had been associated
with him at Tattersalls. At their first sale three hundred
and fifty horses were sold for $92,055, thirteen of the lots
running over the $1,000 mark. The fast colt, Red Bud,
2:14^2, was the star. He brought $4,000, while $3,500
was paid for Token, 2 114^2, and $2,650 for the Electioneer
mare, Utility, 2:20^4. In November, the week following
the Horse Show, the new firm made its first bow in New
York with a three-day sale in Madison Square Garden, at
which $102,085 was realized for three hundred and sixty-
two head, an average of $282. The Canadian bred mare
Wanda, 2:1734, proved the highest priced lot, John C.
King, of Montreal, buying her for $2,700. After two sea-
sons he brought her back and sold her for $1,650. Fred
Gerken's pair of Inter City Cup winners, Little Sport and
Stoneridge, sold for $2,900, and the big Wilkes Boy
mare, Nellie A., 2:13, that was one of the fastest colt
trotters of her day, for $2,025.
In 1896, the firm of Fasig & Co. sold one thousand one
hundred and forty-seven horses for $409,689, an average
of $365.90. It held six sales, four of them being in New
York and one each at Cleveland and South Elkhorn, Ky.
The season began with a sale in New York in February,
when the Jewett Farm disposed of ninety-four head for
$42,545, Patchen Wilkes, the first lot offered in the con-
signment, realizing $10,025, while eleven others were sold
at figures between $1,000 and $2,100. During this three-
day sale, sixteen others sold for four figures, the list in-
STAR POINTER. 153
eluding Alice Dorman, $2,075; Yenita Wilkes, $2,050;
Baronet, $2,500 ; Phoebe Wilkes, $3,400, and John R. Gen-
try, $7,600. At that time, John R. Gentry had a record of
2 :0324. William Simpson was the purchaser. He placed
the Beau Brummell of the pacing world in the Empire City
Farm stable, which was being trained by W. Andrews.
During the season that followed, Andrews drove Gentry
to a record of 2 :oo^ over Rigby Park, Portland, Ale.
Many thought that he was the first "two-minute horse,"
so Air. Simpson sent him to the auction in December. As
John R. Gentry was led into the ring, a band, which was
concealed in one of the balconies, played "See the Con-
quering Hero Comes." No one ever heard of a brass
band at a horse sale. It was one of Fasig's original ad-
vertising novelties, startling and at the same time pleasing.
It also put everyone in good humor for the surprise that
followed when John R. Gentry was sold to L. Tewkesbury
for $19,900, the top figure for a pacer at auction.
April 28 to Alay 1, Fasig & Co. held another sale in
Aladison Square Garden, at which three hundred and six-
teen head were sold for $91,234. But ten of the horses
disposed of reached four figures, the $3,000 paid for Ce-
phas, 2:n l / 2 , being the top figure. At Cleveland, three
weeks later, the firm presented the champion of the sale
ring in Star Pointer, one of the two hundred and twenty-
nine lots sold for $61,550. At that time the half brother
of Hal Pointer had a record of 2 104^, and a few thought
he would not stand training. Ed Geers wanted him, but
C. J. Hamlin shook his head when $5,000 was reached.
Star Pointer went to Boston on a bid of $5,500 and, as
Wallace Pierce expressed it, "Geers lost his first chance
of driving a horse in two minutes." Pointer was turned
over to D. McClary, and, after a series of mishaps, he cut
154 MEMOIR.
his record to 2:023/2. In March, 1897, Star Pointer was
again led into the sale ring, this time at Madison Square
Garden, New York, where a band again greeted a con-
quering hero. James A. Murphy, of Chicago, bought
him for $15,600 and had the pleasure of seeing Star Point-
er reduce the world's harness record to 1 :59/4> at Read-
ville, Mass., August 28, 1897. McClary drove him and
went with the champion when, after another trip to the
auctions amid the inspiring notes of "Hail to the Chief,"
W. J. White, of Cleveland, O., paid $15,000 for the only
two-minute horse, to place at the head of the Two-Minute
Stock Farm. In September, 1896, the firm of Fasig & Co.
made its first and only trip to Kentucky. It disposed of
the South Elkhorn Farm stock. According to the incom-
plete published report, but thirty-six head were sold. Of
that number, Onward, then twenty-one years old, sold for
$7,250, Acolyte for $5,100 and Norval for $1,200. No-
vember 12, Fasig & Co. sold in Durland's Riding Acad-
emy, New York, twelve head of record horses owned by
the estate of Major Dickinson for $8,870, and on the fol-
lowing week opened its regular fall sale in Madison
Square Garden, at which three hundred head realize'!
$107,800, an average of $359.33. It was at this sale that
John R. Gentry touched the top figure, while during the
week George Starr paid $4,500 for the colt by Director
out of Winifred by William L., which has as yet failed
to come up to expectations, and Trevillian, 2:08^4, went
to Europe on a bid of $3,050.
In 1897, Fasig & Co. held four sales in New York and
two in Cleveland, at which one thousand six hundred and
sixteen horses were sold for $439,897, an average of
$272.21. The season opened in January with a four-day
sale in Madison Square Garden and was followed by sales
1897 SALES. 155
in February and March before the firm moved its head-
quarters to Cleveland for the May sale, to which Fasig
always requested his friends to bring their watches, and
buy the speed offerings on what they could show. At the
January sale, three hundred and one head were disposed
of for $74,510, the price on but twelve of the lots running
into four figures. The top price was $2,300, the amount
paid for the pacer Nelly McCrory, 2:11^4, while Miss
Nelson, 2:1134, sold for $1,800, and Don L., 2:12^4, for
$1,650. Star Pointer was the attraction at the February
sale, when two hundred and seventy head realized $73,490.
At this sale, Lilly Young, 2\io]/ 2 , sold for $3,400; Kate
Angell for $1,800; Keeler, 2:14^4, for $1,650, and Bert
Oliver, 2:08^4, f° r $ I >35o. The March sale was held in
the American Horse Exchange, one hundred and fifty-
seven head being sold there on three days for $29,120.
The top figure, $4,500, was paid for Cephas, 2:11%. The
May sale in Cleveland in 1897 was almost a failure, the
two hundred and ninety-one head sold averaging but
$157.09, while only seven of that number brought $1,000
or over. Iago sold for $3,000, Derby Lass sold for $1,400,
Candy for $1,000, and Bridal Bells for $1,010, and Al-
koran for $1,500. In November, Fasig & Co. had another
sale in Cleveland, at which they disposed of a consignment
of California and a few local horses, sixty-three head sell-
ing for $19,045. The sale ran for two days, the highest
priced lots being Jasper Ayers, $1,750; Franklin, $1,310,
and Jaspine, $1,000. Two weeks were claimed for the
Horse Show sale in 1897, and for nine days the auctioneers
were kept busy. During that time they knocked down five
hundred and thirty- four horses for $188,017, an average
of $352.09, a figure which proved that there was a change
in the market. At this sale, C. W. Williams disposed of
156 MEMOIR.
twenty Allertons for $16,415, an average of $820. James
Butler selected the flower of the flock when he purchased
Gayton, with a record of 2:18^4, for $1,150. He raced
him for two seasons, reduced his record ten seconds, and
sold him under the hammer at the February sale in 1901
for $9,000 to a European buyer. At this sale, Mr. Butler
also sold Royal Victor, 2:08^4, f° r $3>6o°> an d Cephas,
2:1 1% , for $2,000 or $2,500 less than the gelding cost
him in March. The $6,200 paid for Alice Leyburn was
the top figure at this sale, the report of which shows that
Brignoli Wilkes, 2 :i4>4, was bid off for $5,000; Que Al-
len, 2:09^, for $4,600; Emily, 2:11, for $4,200; Intact,
2:19^4, for $3,500; Hornelia Wilkes, 2:16%, for $3,600;
Athanio, 2:10, for $2,800; Bowman, 2:17^, for $2,500,
and Valence, 2 :i2^, for $2,025.
In 1898, Fasig & Co. held five sales, three of them
being in New York, one at Cleveland and one at Clover
Dell Farm, Colmar, Pa. During the year one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-eight horses were disposed of for
$543,522, an average of $289.90. At the first sale in 1898,
the Hermitage Farm, of Nashville, Tenn., sold thirty-one
head for $25,370, an average of $818, its highest priced
lots being Ponce De Leon, $3,500 ; Percy, $3,800 ; Admiral
Symmes, $1,800; Preston, the disappointment of the Ken-
tucky Futurity, $1,415; Tosca, $2,000; Rosy Morn,
$1,300, and Belle Archer, $1,025. Sphinx at $2,500 was
the best bargain at this sale at which Planet, 2 104^4, sold
for $6,000, the top figure; Chanty, $1,550; Dan O.,
$2,000; Ansel Chief, $1,200, and Gazette, 2:07^, for
$2,150. In March, $59,742 was paid for two hundred and
seventy-one head, the yearling record breaker Adbell,
2 123, at $3,000 being the highest priced lot. He was pur-
chased by W. E. Spiers for the Suburban Farm, and when
CHANGE IN THE FIRM. 157
the stock from that place was disposed of in the fall of
1 90 1, Adbell brought $10,000, his get having in the inter-
val shown that he was a sire of early and extreme speed.
He was taken to Kentucky, where he died, October 8,
1902. In April, Fasig & Co. sold one hundred and forty-
six head at Clover Dell Farm. The returns show that Di-
rector sold for $1,275; Josephine Young, dam of Joe
Patchen, for $2,000; Mambrino Maid, 2 11514, for $1,350;
Ballona, 2:11^, for $1,250, and the stake winner Mar-
garet S., 2:1214, for $1,025. At this sale, forty-seven
yearlings averaged $289, while the old brood mares, many
of which were barren or doubtful breeders, cut the aver-
age down to $329.93.
The amounts paid for the twelve lots in the Palo Alto
consignment at the May sale in Cleveland recalled the days
when the bids for Electioneer' s get soared into the thou-
sands at the Kellogg sales in New York. The big Califor-
nia establishment was then selling pedigrees and expecta-
tions, while Marvin was making world's records with the
flower of the flock. At this sale Frank Covey had racing
material, four of the lots having records. The twelve head
were sold for $20,535, an average of $1,712.08, the highest
priced ones being Betonica, $7,800; Idolita, $4,700; Pa-
sonte, $2,080; Hijita, $1,900; Peko, $1,000, and Nordeau,
$1,000. These were, with the exception of Incense, the
only horses in the sale that sold for $1,000 or over, C. F.
Emery paying $1,250 for the daughter of Young Jim.
In 1898, William B. Fasig and Ed. S. Hedges, who
had been in bad health for some time, parted, Fasig con-
tinuing the business under the old name, while Hedges
entered into another partnership, which was continued
with varied success until blindness and other bodily ills
forced him to retire. He died January 20, 1903. Fasig
158 MEMOIR.
held two sales after the change. At the first, which ran
from November 21 to December 2, seven hundred and
fourteen horses were sold for $258,265, an average of
$361.71. It was at this sale that W. J. White purchased
Star Pointer for $15,000, and Cresceus, at that time with
a record of 2 109^4, passed under the hammer for $14,000.
Bitter Root Farm also sold twenty head for $28,115, an
average of $1,405.75, the highest priced ones in the con-
signment being Handspring, $4,025 ; Improvidence,
$3,100, and Cuprum, $2,500. The report of the sale
also shows that Praytell, 2:11%, sold for $5,100; Lena N.,
2 105%, for $3,000; Jolly Bird, 2 115^, for $3,700; Courier
Journal, 2 :o8^, for $3,150; Split Silk, 2 :og J /i, for $2,650;
Klatawa, 2:05^2, for $7,000; Wilton, 2:19^, for $4,100,
and the counterfeit Great Barrington, 2:2334, for $2,100.
The last sale of Fasig & Co. was held February 15, 16 and
17, two hundred and seventy horses being disposed of on
those dates for $76,060. The Baron Wilkes horse Reuben-
stein, 2 :o5, brought $6,000, the highest figure, while Frank
Work paid $5,700 for Pilot Boy, 2:0934, and the white
mare, Bessie Bonehill, 2:05%, sold for $1,000. C. W.
Williams sold nineteen Allertons for $7,455, top price
figure in his consignment being paid for Kaffa, 2:2734.
She brought $1,775, while the race mare Precision, at that
time with a mark of 2:17, sold for $1,010.
The Fasig-Tipton Company was organized in Feb-
ruary, 1899, the new' member being Ed. A. Tipton. Its
first announcement appeared in the advertising columns
of the turf papers the second week in March, and the first
sale was held at the farm of E. S. Wells, Glen-Moore, X.
J., April 5, when sixty-one head were sold for $9,170.
May 15 to 20 were the dates selected for the inaugural
sale of the company at Cleveland. During the week, two
FASIG-TIPTON CO. 159
hundred and twenty-five head sold for $91,820, thirty-two
lots from Palo Alto realizing $18,145. The reports shows
that Advertiser sold for $2,600; Carrie Caswell, $3,000;
Juntoria, $2,100, and Eleata, one of the best race mares, if
not the best, ever bred at Menlo Park, for $900. The
highest price at this sale, $7,500, was paid for Askey,
2:o8>4; while Who Is it, 2:12, sold for $5,600; Queen
Alfred, 2:12^4, for $4,300; the champion gelding Azote,
2:04%, for $2,900; Red Seal, 2:10^, for $1,800, and
Flora Directum, $1,550. During the summer months the
Fasig-Tipton Company had a sale of thoroughbred year-
lings in Madison Square Garden, sold the trotters owned
by Charles E. Telford, of Rye, N. Y., disposed of a con-
signment from the Two-Minute Stock Farm at Cleveland
during the Grand Circuit meeting, and made another sale
for E. S. Wells at Glen-Moore, N. J., October 31. Six-
hundred and seventy-eight harness horses and forty-three
thoroughbreds were sold at the first fall sale of the
Fasig-Tipton Company in New York for $292,990. The
trotters averaged $432.13 and the thoroughbreds, all of
which came from Palo Alto, $445.90. Tommy Britton,
2 :o8, was the star. He went to Chicago on a bid of $20,-
000. The other high priced lots were Elloree, $4,750;
Sunland Belle, $3,025 ; Faustina, $2,500; what Thomas
Lawson termed the "highly polished gold brick ," Sagwa,
$7,100; Kentucky Union, $3,200; Kellar, $6,200; Locha,
$3,010; Flora McGregor, the dam of Elloree, $3,000;
Rubber, $3,500; Directly, $3,000; Louise Mac, $3,700;
Extasy, $3,500; Axtello, $3,600, and Grand Simmons,
$2,300
In 1900, the Fasig-Tipton Company added a thorough-
bred department and made arrangements with William
Easton, who had been conducting sales as The Easton
160 MEMOIR.
Company, to do the selling in connection with George
Bain. During the season this department held twenty-
four sales, at which it disposed of six hundred and thirty
thoroughbreds for $400,837, an average of $639.41.
This department proved much more profitable than the
harness racing field in which the firm of Fasig & Co.
made its reputation, as during the same period the com-
pany held six sales of trotters and pacers at which one
thousand five hundred and sixty-four lots were disposed
of for $654,495, an average of $418.47. In other words,
during the year 1900, the company sold two thousand
three hundred horses for $1,114,170, at an average of
$484.42.
The first sale of harness horses in 1900 was held in
Madison Square Garden, New York, February 13 to 17,
three hundred and ninety-three head being auctioned for
$139,460. Praytell, 2:09^, one of the lots in the Robert
Bonner Farm consignment, brought the highest figure,
$6,100, his stable companions, Maud C, 2:io34> sold for
$2,900; Sunol, 2:o8j4, for $4,000; Worthier, $3,500;
Alary Tudor, $2,125; Elfrida, $1,600; Don L., $1,000;
Prince Ansel, $1,025, and Harold S., $1,150. Before this
consignment was offered, Maud S., 2:o8^£, then in her
twenty-sixth year, was led into the sale ring, and, as the
crowd rose to greet the ex-queen of the turf, the band
played "Auld Lang Syne." The peerless daughter of
Harold, that had never failed when called on for a cham-
pionship performance, showed that the hand of time had
touched her with the passing years. A few weeks later
she died at Shultshurst Farm, Portchester, N. Y. The
hoppled champion, Prince Alert, was disposed of at this
sale for $4,600; Baylight, a speedway star, for $1,500;
Alice Dorman for $1,150, Queen Sphinx for $1,900, and
THE ABBOT SOLD FOR $26,500. 161
Carlvle Carne, 2:11^, the white king of the speedway,
for $1,325.
After the death of Charles F. Bates, the Fasig-Tipton
Company was requested to sell his stock, and on May 20
and 21 it disposed of sixty head selected by what Fasig
termed "America's Greatest Horse Exhibitor," for
$37,255. The report of the sale shows that Coxey and
Brown Donna, both of which were trotting bred, sold for
$3,250, Whirl of the Town and Sporting Life for $2,500,
the Only One and the Conqueror for $2,250, and the
Brown Wilkes gelding The Only Way for $2,200. At the
May sale in Cleveland, two hundred and twenty-four lots
were sold for $107,925, the pick of the bunch, according
to the bids, being Princess Derby at $4,100; Sally Hook,
$3,900; Sister Alice, $2,650, and Gusurro, a two-year-old
from Palo Alto, $2,000, while Tom Xolan, 2:i6 1 / 4, sold
for $1,500; Arch W., 2:i6j4, for $1,025; Lily Young,
2\\oY\, for $1,350, while Monterey, 2:0934, was run
through for $2,000 and shipped back to California. Dur-
ing the Cleveland Grand Circuit meeting, Arch W. was
one of the forty-two head sold for $12,570, his price on
this occasion being $2,050, while the big gelding Tacomis,
2 '.14%, sold for $1,000. After selling sixty head for E. S.
Wells at Glenmoore, N. J., October 17, for $8,785, the
Fasig-Tipton Company closed the season with an eight-
day sale, November 26 to December 4, at which The Ab-
bot, the reigning king of the turf, with a record of 2 103^4,
was sold for $26,500; Axtell, 2:12, for $14,700, his pur-
chaser being one of the members of the syndicate that paid
$105,000 for him the evening he cut the three-year-old
record of the world to 2:12. At this sale seven hundred
and fifteen horses were sold for $348,500, an average of
$487.41, the highest figures being paid for the Village
162 MEMOIR.
Farm consignment of forty-eight head. It sold for
$59,610, an average of $1,242. Praytell was back in the
auction ring, and on this occasion sold for $4,000, while
Sally Hook, after a season's campaign in which she made
record of 2 109 *4, but failed to race successfully, sold for
$1,100. The other high priced lots were Lady Thisbe,
$4,100 ; Erirange, $5,4°o ; Priola, $3,350 ; Lessadil, $2,950 ;
Lamp Girl, $3,000; Carolita, $3,550; Stranger, $2,050;
Contralto, $6,500; Neeretta, $3,200; Major Greer, $4,500;
Moth Miller, $2,400; Greenbrino, $5,100; Alice Mapes,
$4,000; Be Sure, $2,200; Onward Silver, $3,700; Heir-at-
Law, $2,550; Rex Americus, $3,550; Dan Q., $1,500;
Tudor Chimes, $1,350; The Monk, $1,025, and Derby
Princess, $1,025.
The thoroughbred department of the Fasig-Tipton
Company opened the 1900 season with the sale of W. H.
Clark's racing stable at Morris Park, May 11, thirty head
being disposed of for $38,025. Banastar, the Brooklyn
Handicap winner, brought $11,000, while Musketeer sold
for $3,000; Seminole, $3,000; Mayor Gilroy, $3,200, and
Lucky Bird, $2,600. On the following day twenty-two
head were sold for W. C. Whitney and others, the amount
realized being $10,180. The yearling sales began May 24
and 25 with the Rancho Del Paso and Elmendorf young-
sters. The one hundred and twenty-six head sent on to
Xew York realized $75,725, an average of $601. The
highest prices were paid for the colts by Goldfinch, Fleu-
rette's selling for $5,000, Lucania's for $3,600, and the one
out of Queen Bess for $2,500. On June 13, B. G. Thomas
sold twelve Dixiana yearlings for $26,200. In this draft the
colt by Hanover-Mamie Himyar sold for $10,000 and one
by Dr. McBride-Quesal for $7,500. None of the year-
lings from the Boone Creek, Melbourne, Silver Brook,
MILLIONS FOR HORSES. 163
Maplehurst, Sunny Slope, Fairview Studs brought as high
figures as the Dixiana bunch, still the Maplehurst Stud re-
ceived $3,000 for Wild Oats by Requital-Spinaway, half
brother to Strideaway, Spinalong, Lazzarone and Hand-
spin, and $2,525 for a colt Dy Requital-Renia Victoria. In
addition to the above the company sold the Nursery year-
lings, seventeen head, for $3,225 ; A. B. Spreckles' year-
lings, twenty-five head, for $7,735 ; Hurricana yearlings,
eleven head, for $1,925; F. R. T. Hitchcock's racing sta-
bles, nineteen head, for $13,325; Phil Dwyer's racing sta-
bles, twenty-three head, for $16,987; Marcus Daly's rac-
ing stables, twenty-four head, for $21,875-; L. O. Apple-
by's Silver Brook Stud of forty-two head for $64,700, one
of the horses consigned being imp. Knight of the Thistle.
He sold for $30,000, Charles Reed, the man who dazed the
ring with a $100,000 bid when he bought St. Blaise, being
the purchaser.
In 190 1, the returns from the thoroughbred depart-
ments were, on account of the clearance sales of Marcus
Daly's stock, more than double the amount realized at the
firm's four sales of harness performers. The published
reports show that one thousand four hundred and forty-
six thoroughbreds were sold for $1,746,145, an average
of $1,207.56, while the company also sold one thousand
eight hundred and seventy trotters and pacers for $814,-
445, an average of $424.73, making the year's business
amount to three thousand three hundred and sixteen horses
sold for $2,560,590, an average of %jj2.i6. The sale of
Marcus Daly's thoroughbred stock, when the number dis-
posed of is considered, is the best on record in America.
Two hundred and eight head, including stallions, brood
mares, yearlings, two-year-olds and three-year-olds were
disposed of at these sales for $661,175, an average of
164 MEMOIR.
$2,361.33. At the first sale, January 30 to February 1,
one hundred brood mares sold for $200,430, seven stal-
lions for $84,100, eleven three-year-olds for $37,750,
sixty-six two-year-olds for $78,300, and a yearling filly
by Persimmons for $6,100. W. C. Whitney paid $60,000
for Hamburg, while his stable companion, Tammany, sold
for $4,000; imp. Ogden, $4,200, and imp. Isidor, $6,000.
Of the brood mares, imp. Ayrshire Rose sold for $3,800 ;
imp. Berriedale, $4,000 ; imp. Boise, $4,000 ; imp. Cocker-
nony, $6,500 ; imp. Dartaway, $4,600 ; imp. Drusilla,
$3,100; imp. Goutte d'Or, $4,500; imp. Gwendolyn,
$4,000; imp. Mrs. Delancy, $8,200; Pastorella, $10,000;
imp. Rose of Hampton, $8,000; Sadie, $4,200; imp. Sis-
trum, $4,000; Starlight, $3,000; imp. St. Eudora, $5,000;
imp. St. Mildred, $5,600, and imp. The Task, $4,600.
Frankfort, a three-year-old brother to Hamburg, sold for
$10,100; Emporium, a three-year-old colt by The Pepper,
out of Cockernony, for $8,000; Choate, a two-year-old
colt by Meddler, for $9,000, and imp. Cathaire Mor, a
two-year-old colt by Kendal, for $6,500. The fifty-five
Daly yearlings were sold May 24 for $51,525, the highest
priced one in the lot being Moondyne, a colt by Hamburg-
Mint Cake. He sold for $10,000. In this consignment
twenty-seven fillies sold for $22,475, an d twenty-eight
colts for $29,050. The third sale of Daly's thoroughbreds
was held October 1, the forty-one head catalogued being
from his English breeding establishment. They brought
$205,100, an average of $5,002.39. At this sale J. R.
Keene paid $18,500 for the twelve-year-old mare imp.
Field Azure, by Bend 'Or, and August Belmont gave
$13,500 for a weanling colt out of her by St. Simon. J. R.
Keene also paid $11,000 for Lady Reel, the dam of Ham-
burg, her yearling filly by St. Simon going to W. C. Whit-
THOROUGHBRED SALES. 165
ney for $16,000, and her weanling, by the same sire, to
August Belmont for $25,000. August Belmont also paid
$17,000 for the ten-year-old mare imp. Lucy Cross, by
St. Simon, and $4,600 for a yearling filly by St. Frusquin-
Semper Fidele. W. C. Whitney paid $6,200 for Semper
Fidele, whose weanling filly by St. Frusquin was pur-
chased by J. R. Keene for $5,500.
The curtain was rung down on Marcus Daly's breed-
ing ventures at home and abroad at the November sale,
when eighty-nine head of trotting bred stock was sold for
$67,580, making a grand total of $728,755 realized by the
Marcus Daly estate for three hundred and sixty-nine
horses during 1901. Forty-two of the horses disposed of
at the last sale sold for over $1,000, the lot including Bow
Bells, $5,100; Ponce de Leon, $6,500; Prodigal, $4,100;
Extasy, $3,100; Impetuous, $4,200; Lady Wilton, 82,700;
Prelacy, $3,100; Rosy Morn, $2,700; Prelatess, $4,600;
Impractical, $4,000; Ettie Baron, $2,400; Silk Weaver,
$2,050; and the yearling, Miss Previous, $10,300.
Of the yearling sales in 190 1, the Rancho del Paso and
the Elmendorf proved the most important. At the first of
these, which was held June 14, 15 and 17, two hundred
and one were sold for $234,025, an average of $1,164.30.
The top price, $13,000, was paid for a colt by St. Gatien-
Turmoil, while a filly by St. Gatien-Fleurette sold for
$11,500, a colt by Golden Garter-Memento for $10,000,
and a colt by Goldfinch-imp. Silence for $6,000. The
thirty-four head in the Elmendorf lot sold for $39,950,
the highest price being $3,200, which was paid for a colt
by imp. Candlemas-Miss Maud. At the yearling sales,
B. G. Thomas sold fourteen for $22,025 ; Runnymede, ten
for $3,300; Raceland, nine for $21,425; Melbourne, twen-
ty-three for $21,525; Beaumont, twenty-four for $19,600;
Belle Meade, thirty-two head for $25,050; Silver Brook,
166 MEMOIR.
thirteen for $14,350; Maplehurst, twenty for $15,380;
Holmdel, sixteen for $34,725 ; Rancocas, forty for
$28,250; the list of highest priced youngsters, including
a colt by Dr. McBride-Ouesal, $7,400 ; a colt by Hindoo-
Cherry Blossom, $6,500; a colt by Iroquois-Wanda,
$6,500; a colt by His Highness-Carrie C, $10,300; a colt
by Knight of Ellerslie-Flash in the Pan, $4,800, and a filly
by Henry of Navarre-Sallie McClelland, $6,000. At the
sales of horses in training and other stock, the Fasig-Tip-
ton Company sold the three-year-old colt Watercolor, by
imp. Watercress, for $23,000, and Watercure, a three-
year-old gelding by the same sire, for $11,000, when the
racing stable of Charles Littlefield, Jr., was offered, thirty-
nine lots being disposed of for $81,750; Prince of Mel-
bourne for $20,500, when Frank Beard's racing stable was
scattered; Smart Set, by Halma, for $10,500; Blues for
$5,000, imp. Royal Flush for $4,500, imp. Saville, by
Hampton, for $10,000, and the black gelding, Paul Clif-
ford, for $5,000.
The first of the four sales of harness horses in 1901
was held February 13 to 16, three hundred and sixty-four
head of stock passing under the hammer in the four days
for $125,320. East View Farm sold seventeen for $26,-
675, an average of $1,569.53 ; the highest priced lots being
Gayton, $9,000, the top figure of the sale ; Anaconda,
$6,500; Coney, $4,100; Baron March, $2,000, and Miss
Beatrice, $1,000. Mascot, whose 2:04 was the world's
record when made, sold for $1,000, and Dariel for $2,100,
while Philip E. brought $2,525; Highland Baron, $1,600;
Baron Review, $1,600; Dollade Wilkes, $1,525, and Our
Jack, $1,600. At the March sale the Penn Valley Stud
sold thirty-one head for $33,240, an average of $1,072.22,
the highest priced ones being the Directum filly Emma
Winters, $8,000; Bay Star, $6,100, and Ed Winters,
SUBURBAN FARM SALE. 167
$2,100. The Oregon bred pacer Chehalis, 2\0J t 1 / 2 ,
changed owners at this sale for $2,200, and the Dexter
Prince mare Hijita for $3,700. The three-.year-old geld-
ing Rowellan proved the best racing prospect in the Cleve-
land sale, which was held May 21 to 25. James Golden
bid him off at $1,075, and after putting him in racing trim,
started him at Brighton Beach, where he won a heat in
2:15^4 and second money in the race that Carrie Bel
placed to her credit. At Readville, the following week, he
divided- third and fourth money with Hawthorne in the
race won by Nancy Hanks' colt, Admiral Dewey; while
at Hartford he defeated both Hawthorne and Carrie Bel
in 2:1654, 2:i6y 2 , 2:17, in the $5,000 Horse Review
Stake. Rowellan's gross winnings in the three races
amounted to $3,150. The only other high priced lots in
the Cleveland sale were Eula Mac, $2,700 ; Delma, $2,150 ;
Aylwin, $2,100; YVynema, $1,050; Pauline G., $1,975;
Boodler, $1,100; Rubber, $1,500; Lady Althea, $1,000,
and Dorothea S., $1,700.
The sale, November 25 to December 4, was referred
to above in connection with the disposal of the Marcus
Daly stock. The other important consignment in it came
from the Suburban Farm, Glens Falls, N. Y. That estab-
lishment sold one hundred and twenty head for $92,585,
an average of $771.54, its best figures being obtained for
Directum, $12,100; Adbell, $10,000; Directum Spier,
$6,000; Major Delmar, $2,900, who proved one of the
best horses in training in 1902 ; Dainty Daffo, $2,525 ; the
yearling Ethel's Pride, by Directum-Ethelwyn, $2,500;
Copeland, $1,850; Miss McGregor, $1,650; Nellie A.,
$1,550; the yearling Janey's Gem, by Directum-Janey T.,
$1,300, and the eight-year-old Dictator mare, Tintoret,
$1,800. Riverside Farm, Berlin, Wis., sold the Futurity
winner Peter Stirling, 2:11^, for $9,200; his half broth-
1G8 MEMOIR.
er, Black Robert, 2:13^, for $2,200, and Plumline,
2:1234, for $1,525; and the Village Farm disposed of
Lord Derby for $10,500; King Charles, $2,050, and
Shadow Chimes for $5,100. The M. & M. winner Lady
Geraldine, was sold for $3,000 ; Bi Flora, $6,000 ; Maggie
Mills, $3,000; Sally Simpson, $2,150; Valentine, $2,500;
Simland Belle, $1,400; the pacer Nathan Straus, $1,700;
Guy Onward, $1,500; King Chimes, $1,700, and Wilask,
$1,400. This sale proved that the market for trotting-
bred stock was stronger than at any time since the boom
days of the early nineties. On the nine days, nine hundred
and twenty-two horses were sold for $495,078, an average
of $536.95-
The Fasig-Tipton Company held one sale in 1902
prior to the death of William B. Fasig, the dates selected
being January 27 to 31. A consignment of one hundred
and fifty-seven head from the Penn Valley Farm was the
feature, the bunch realizing $80,720. Oakland Baron,
2 109^4, sold for $15,700, and was a bargain at that figure,
while Director Joe, a black horse by Director, out of the
dam of Joe Patchen, brought $2,500, and To Arms, $2,300.
Of the other lots in the sale, The King sold for $1,000;
Axtello, $1,125; Who Is It, $1,850; Kingmond, $3,000;
Democracy, the half-mile track champion, $2,100; Will
Leyburn, $2,300; Advertiser, $5,300; Helen Fife, $1,800;
Carmine, $2,400; Billy Andrews, $2,000, and Wilque,
$1,500. Five hundred and eighty-seven head were sold
for $220,075 at this sa l e > and with it the curtain dropped
on William B. Fasig's career as a factor in the sale busi-
ness. During nineteen years the firms with which he was
connected either as proprietor, partner or manager, sold
fourteen thousand seven hundred and thirty-five harness
horses for $5,364,084, and two thousand one hundred and
sixty-seven thoroughbreds for $2,186,572, making a total
SALES OF HARNESS HORSES.
169
of sixteen thousand nine hundred and two horses, sold
for $7,550,656.
SALES OF HARNESS HORSES.
Place and Date.
Number
Sold.
Total.
Average .
Top
Figure.
Cleveland, May 7, 1884
27
$ 7,270
$269.26
$ 1,609
May 14, 15, 1885
65
23,947
383.94
1,620
May 12-14, 1886
96
32,077
a34.34
2,000
May 17-19, 1887
149
52,565
352.78
3,100
May 15-19, 1888
2.50
99,450
397.80
4,100
May 13-18, 1889
396
226,949
562.75
29,750
May 12-17, 1890
265
98,782
372.76
2,950
Sept. 16-20, 1890
85
63,720
749.64
6,000
May 4-11, 1891
409
166,080
406.11
7,000
" Sept. 9-11, 1891
42
41,870
996.90
13,000
Feb. 29-Mar. 5, 1892....
277
141,590
547.26
9,500
" May 17-20, 1892
118
39,245
332.58
10,500
108
49,830
461.48
2,6.50
Feb. 23, 24, 1893
.54
55,105
1,020.46
13,000
Cleveland, Feb. 28-Mar 3, 1893.. . .
137
96,769
706.34
27,000
" May 15-19, 1893
151
61
52,820
26,280
349.80
430.82
5,750
New York, June 21, 23, 1893
1,5.50
Dec. 5-8, 1893
288
187
88,7.55
30.030
308.24
160.58
5,100
Cleveland, Feb. 27-Mar. 3, 1894.. ..
1,000
New York, April 23, 24, 1894
129
43,195
334 84
5,250
Cleveland, May 23-25, 1894
137
35,049
2.55.83
4,300
New York, Nov. 2, 3, 1894
133
212
72,960
84,788
548.57
399.99
4,100
Nov. 21-23, 1894
6,950
Buffalo, Jan. 16-18, 1895
140
168
24,260
51,500
173.28
305.35
1,110
New York, Feb. 28-Mar. 2, 1895. . . .
3,500
Cleveland, May 20-25, 1895
350
92,055
263.01
4,000
New York, Nov. 20-22, 1895
362
102,085
282.00
2,700
Feb. 13-15, 1896
2.54
316
120,185
91,234
473.16
291.88
10,025
April 28-May 1, 1896 ...
3,000
Cleveland, May 19-22, 1896
229
61,550
268.77
5,500
S. Elkhorn,Sept. 28, 29, 1896
36
20,0.50
556.94
7,250
New York, Nov. 12, 1896
12
300
8,870
107,800
739.16
359.33
3,525
Nov. 18-22, 1896
19,900
Jan. 20-23, 1897
301
74,510
247.-54
2,300
Mar. 3-6, 1897
270
73.490
272.18
15,600
April 6-8, 1897
157
29,120
185.47
4,500
Cleveland, May 23-26, 1897
291
55,715
157.09
3,000
Nov. 11, 12, 1897
63
19,045
300.23
1,7,50
New York, Nov. 21-Dee. 1, 1897 ....
534
188,017
35209
6,200
Feb. 14-18, 1898
492
271
117,520
59,742
238.86
220.45
6,000
Mar. 22-24, 1898
3,000
Colmar, April 5-7, 1898
146
48,170
329 93
1,350
170
SALES OF HARNESS HORSES.
Place and Date.
Number
Sold.
Total.
Average.
Top
Figure.
Cleveland, May 16-19, 1898
245
59,825
244.18
7,800
New York, Nov. 21-Dec. 2, 1898 ....
714
258,265
361.71
15,000
Feb. 15-17, 1899
270
76,060
281.70
6,100
Glen-Moore, April 5, 1899
61
9,170
150.32
735
Cleveland, May 16-20, 1899
225
91,820
408.08
7,500
July 2.5-27, 1899
53
12,895
243.31
700
New York, Nov. 20-29, 1899
678
292,990
432.13
20,000
Feb. 13-17, 1900
393
139,460
354.86
6,100
Mar. 20-21, 1900
60
37,255
620.91
2,200
Cleveland, May 21-26, 1900
294
107,925
366.75
4,100
July 28, 29, 1900
42
12,570
299.52
2,050
Glen-Moore, Oct. 17, 1900
60
8,785
148.27
810
New York, Nov. 26-Dec. 4, 1900 ....
715
348,500
487.41
26,500
" Feb. 13-16, 1901. . .
361
268
125,320
100,370
344.28
372.27
9,000
8,000
Mar. 19-21, 1901
Cleveland, May 21-25, 1901
316
93,680
296.66
2,700
New York, Nov. 25-Dee. 4, 1901 ....
922
495.075
539.95
12,100
Jan. 27-31, 1902
587
220,075
374.91
15,700
14,735
$5,364,084
SALES OF THOROUGHBRED HORSES.
Place and Date.
New York, June 19, 1899
Nov. 29, 1899
Morris Park, May 11, 1900
May 12, 1900
New York, May 24, 25, 1900 . . .
Brooklyn, June 12, 1900
June 13, 1900
Sheepshead, June 21, 1900
June 22, 1900
June 23, 1900
June 30, 1900
July 2, 1900
July 3, 1900
Aug. 25, 1900
Aug. 28, 1900
Sept. 4, 1900
Sept. 5, 1900
Sept. 6, 1900
Brooklyn, Sept. 22, 1900
Nashville, Sept. 27, 1900
Number
Sold.
48
43
30
22
126
24
12
14
25
19
17
23
24
11
25
9
9
12
9
49
Total.
Average.!
20,415
19.175
38,025
10,180
75,725
16,675
26,200
8,925
13,650
13,325
3,225
16,987
21,875
2,075
7,735
13,075
4,580
8,125
13,600
9,840
$425.23
445.90
1,267.-50
462.72
601.00
694 80
2,183.33
637 50
.546.00
701.31
189.70
738.56
911.46
159 61
309.41
1,452.77
508.88
677.08
1,511.11
200.81
Top
Figure.
$2,200
4,000
11,000
4,100
5,000
3,500
10,000
1,600
3,000
2,100
475
3,750
3,150
200
1,400
4,300
1,2.50
1,300
3,300
505
SALES OF THOROUGHBRED HORSES.
171
Place and Date.
Morris Park, Oct. 6, 1900
Oct. 11, 1900
Oct. 13, 1900
New York, Oct. 18, 1900
Oct. 19, 1900
Morris Park, Oct. 20, 1900
Lexington, Dec. 10-12, 1900
New York, Jan. 30-Feb. 1, 1901.
Morris Park, May 11, 1901
New York, May 24, 1901
Sheepshead, June 4, 1901
Brooklyn, June 5, 1901
June 6, 1901
June 10, 1901
June 12, 1901
June 13, 1901
Sheepshead, June 14-17, 1901
New York, June 17, 1901
Sheepshead, June 20, 1901
Chicago, June 20, 1901
Sheepshead, June 26, 1901
June 29, 1901
July 1,1901
July 2, 1901
July 3, 1901
Brooklyn, July 27, 1901
Saratoga, Aug. 10, 1901
Sheepshead, Aug. 31, 1901
Sept. 2, 1901
Morr
Lexi
Sept. 3, 1901 ....
Sept. 4, 1901....
Sept. 5, 1901 ....
Sept. 6, 1901 ....
Sept. 7. 1901
Sept. 9. 1901 ... .
Sept. 10, 1901 . . .
Sept. 11, 1901 . . .
Sept. 12, 1901...
Sept. 14, 1901 . . .
Oct. 1, 1901
Oct. 2, 1901 ...
Oct. 4, 1901
s Park, Oct. 12, 1901 ...
Oct. 19, 1901 ...
Oct 20, 1901 ....
gton, Nov. 11, 12, 1901
Number
Sold.
9
22
16
42
27
12
72
184
16
55
20
23
14
24
16
20
201
32
34
36
39
16
27
13
22
21
8
33
15
23
23
22
28
16
20
24
18
40
20
42
32
14
21
24
31
149
2,167
Total.
Average.
19,850
8,200
7,450
64,700
21,800
5,525
7,515
404,550
4,505
51,525
54,425
21,525
22,025
19,600
9,600
15,380
234,025
25,050
39,9.50
13,100
81,7.50
34,725
15,170
14,3.50
20,080
51,170
33,200
22,775
9,800
17,700
18,975
16,125
20,090
9,000
14,625
9,330
4,785
28,250
5,075
210,200
24,400
14,600
11,2.50
19,500
28,700
47.235
$2,186,572
2,205.55
377.77
528.12
1.544.70
807.40
460.41
104.37
2,198.51
281.56
9-54.63
2,721.25
935.87
1,573.21
816 66
600.00
769.00
1,164.30
782.81
1,175.00
366.99
2,096 00
2,170 51
562 64
1.103.85
912.72
2.437.14
4,150.00
69015
653 33
769.56
820 65
732.95
717.50
562.50
731.25
388.75
265.83
706.25
253.75
5.004.75
762 .50
1,042.85
53-5.71
812.50
925.80
317.00
Top
Figure.
8,700
1,900
2,500
30,000
7,700
1,600
1,000
60,000
1,500
10,000
6,500
2,600
7.400
3,100
1,600
4,000
13,000
6,500
5,000
1,1.50
23,000
10,300
2,100
4,800
2.050
20,500
10,500
3,500
2,100
2,500
3,-500
6,000
2,700
1,800
3,050
1,100
1,400
2.700
1,800
25,000
10,000
4,-500
2,600
3,600
5,000
2,425
172 MEMOIR.
In 1893, when William B. Fasig was located in New
York as manager of the Trotting Department of the Tat-
tersall Companies in America, he was elected Vice-Presi-
dent of the Driving Club of New York, and, while dis-
charging the duties of that office, contributed materially
to the success of the Grand Circuit meetings at Fleetwood,
not only that season, but also in 1894. In the spring of
1895, he returned to Cleveland and resided there during
the summer months of that and the succeeding year, the
most of his time during the racing season being devoted
to a stable of trotters which did not prove what he termed
a "glittering success." In 1895, he started Palo Chief,
Wyreka, Rifle, Eloise and Musket, the "unluckiest horse
in the world," while, in 1896, the old standby, Eloise,
kept up Benny's reputation in the Buckeye State by first
equaling Mayflower's mile in 2:16^2 at a matinee of the
Gentlemen's Driving Club, and finally landing the cham-
pionship honors for the year with a mile in 2:16^4.
In 1897, Fasig returned to New York and accepted
the management of Charter Oak Park, which had been
purchased by Orlando Jones and A. J. Welch. In June
of that year he made his first trip to Hartford, Conn., and
started to create a little interest in the inaugural meeting,
for which Monday, July 5, was selected. In a short time
he had every one who reads the newspapers in New Eng-
land, and that is about ninety per cent, of the population,
satisfied that the first mile in two minutes to harness would
be paced over Charter Oak. With quarter-page adver-
tisements in the daily papers, reading notices and posters,
he kept the interest alive to the last minute. It is not
necessary to give the details. For that day's racing twenty
thousand tickets were printed and all of them were sold
before noon. On a conservative estimate, there were over
THE END. 17
Q
thirty thousand people on the grounds. The day was
blistering hot and the racing a series of processions. John
R. Gentry pulled a high-wheeled sulky in 2 :oj ^4 m an
effort to reduce the record of 2 :o6*4 made by Johnston
years ago, and then started in the free-for-all with Star
Pointer and Frank Agan. Star Pointer won in 2:o6 1 /l,
2:0434. The other winners were Forest Herr, Grace
Hastings and Pastoral. After managing the Grand Cir-
cuit meetings in 1897, 1898 and 1899, William B. Fasig
retired from racing and devoted the balance of his time
to the sale business and developing the farm which he
purchased at Brewster, N. Y., in the spring of 1900.
There he planned to breed and develop a few colts, with
Tom Galliger as trainer, but sickness knocked all of his
plans "aglee." The breakdown came late in 1900, and
from that date until the end he was confined almost con-
tinuously to his home. In May, 1901, he attended the sale
at Cleveland and had a severe attack while there. In
August, he managed to make a trip to Boston to attend
the Grand Circuit meeting of the Xew England Trotting
Horse Breeders' Association. Those who saw him there
knew that he was passing into the shadow. Hopes of
recovery were, however, still held out to him, but this
trip, with the exception of a few visits to the Fasig-
Tipton Company's office in Xew York, was the last time
that he left his home until the end came, at BennysclifTe,
on Wednesday evening, February 19, 1902.
Enthusiasm and superstition were William B. Fasig's
two most striking characteristics. He loved a good horse
or a man that was fond of one, and had a horror for num-
ber thirteen or a cross-eyed girl with red hair. Any one
of the four would stop him, and the last two turn him
back from any project that he could control. The thirteen
174 MEMOIR.
story, when Eloise won at Detroit, has been told. It is
one of many that could be resurrected. Another sample
dates from the fall of 1895, when he made an appointment
with Col. Edwards and the writer to put in a day with
Pat Shank, at Litchfield, O. A visit to Pat's was one of
the Colonel's hobbies, the mere thought of a trip making
him bubble over with good nature, and, with all of his
tact, he had more than his share of it. The train was
due to leave Cleveland at seven, and, when it pulled out,
Fasig was not on board. At dinner, while the Colonel
was busy complimenting Pat's housekeeper on the flavor
of her chicken pie and the crispness of the biscuits, a boy
rushed in with a telegram. It read, "Missed train ; will
be with you at two-thirty. Fasig." On his arrival, we
learned that he met a cross-eyed girl with red hair when
he stepped off a St. Clair street car at Water street. Up
to that time he was trying to catch the train. All he had
to do was to walk down the Water street hill, but the girl
with the fatal combination made him fly the track. The
average man, who is bothered with such scruples, is some-
what diffident in making reference to them. Fasig was
just the reverse, and nothing pleased him more than spin-
ning a yarn in which he had a little the worst of it, even
when there was some money or pride at stake ; but nothing
nettled him so much as to have some one, that he did not
lean to, laugh over the same stories in which he was the
shining mark. The following is a sample that he told S.
Freeman one afternoon at Bennyscliffe :
"I have been on the speedway but little, and that little
has not encouraged me to long for a more extended expe-
rience. Once I drove the chestnut gelding Rob Roy,
2 123^, that I purchased for an English gentleman, paying
$1,000 in cold cash for him. He was supposed to be a fast
SALE RING REMINISCENCES. 175
wagon horse, and I set sail for the speedway with consid-
erable confidence that I could beat almost any horse ever
driven there ; but it appeared to me that it would be pru-
dent to tackle some of the unknown ones first and 'size up'
my steed before flying higher into the ranks of the top-
notchers. So I collared a bay mare driven by a big man
with a woman beside him. He beat me easily, waited and
tempted me into another brush, and again trimmed me
with ease. Again he waited, but I knew when I had
enough, so I said to him : 'Drive ahead, you are too fast
for me ; I don't want any of your game.' He replied :
'Don't you know dot mare, Fasis: ? I bought dot mare of
you in de sale. Don't you recomember I said to you, "Is
dot mare a good von for me to puy, Fasig?" und you said
she vas, so I bought her und baid a hoondred und twenty-
five dollar for her, und don't you forged it, her's a goot
un. Dey don'd tell aboud her in de pabers, but she can
beat lots of dem dey plow aboud.' I was knocked clean
off my pins. Here was a $125 nag, bought at my sale a
short time before, making my $1,000 horse look like a
piece of lemon that had done duty in a yesterday's whisky
sour."
At the same time he also recalled the following remin-
iscences of the sale ring which are worth preserving:
"There is no place in the world where all sides of
human nature, the ludicrous as well as the pathetic, are
so vividly portrayed. It is an ever-changing play and I
imagine has much to do with its popularity. Each year
adds to the crowds that gather about the ring. Did you
ever notice the foreigners at a sale? A foreigner who
is bidding against an American looks straight at the auc-
tioneer and never takes his eyes off of that functionary.
But directly two foreigners get to bidding against each
176 MEMOIR.
other, there is war. They are perhaps fifteen feet apart.
One starts the bidding this way : 'Dree hunterd dollar !'
The other looks fierce at him, takes a step nearer, and,
without so much as a glance at the auctioneer, shouts :
'Four hunterd dollar!" Xow they glare at each other,
seeing nothing, each advancing one step nearer to the
other at every bid. 'Fife hunterd dollar !' shouts the first,
with another step. 'Seven hunterd und feefty dollar!'
'A tousand dollar!' 'Fifteen hunterd dollar!' 'Dree tou-
sand dollar!' and so the game goes on. They become so
much excited and glare so fiercely at each other, you think
murder is about to be done, as their noses fairly rub.
Bombs, knives, guns, and hatred of the most murderous
type, are in their bosom's then. An hour after they are
having zwei lager together.
''Every one knows the genial Henry Fleishmann, the
pioneer foreign buyer of the American trotter. He's a
dream in a sale ring. The foreign contingent used to
think that whatever he bid on must be good, and some of
them would therefore bid against him. That almost set
him crazy. He resorted to this and that subterfuge to
throw them off. On one occasion we were selling a gray
mare with a fast record that Fleishmann wanted. He
got Gil Curry to do the bidding for him, so that other
buyers for the foreign market would not know he was
after her. The signal arranged between them was that
Fleishmann should hold a catalogue against his breast,
and every time he wanted to raise the bid he was to push
the catalogue against his chin. He took his position right
in front of the box, folding his arms across his breast,
crossing his legs in a dignified and ostensibly disinterested
manner. The bidding was spirited, and, with each raise
made by Fleishmann, he pushed the catalogue higher and
BOUGHT THE WRONG HORSE. 177
higher, forgetting in his excitement to lower it between
bids. So, higher and higher went the chin, until disloca-
tion of the neck was threatened, when, fortunately for the
prince of good fellows, the mare was knocked down to
him. The signal, however, had been so plain that the
crowd got 'next,' and the performance furnished many a
hearty laugh while the bidding was in progress.
"Another time he had examined a mare and decided
to bid on her when she was offered. It happened, how-
ever, that when her turn came another animal was led in,
but he, having kept track of the number preceding the
number of the mare, took it for granted that the animal
he wanted was in the ring, without consulting the figures
hung out on the stand. He hid behind the box and made
his bids where his rivals could not see him. The mare
was knocked down to him and he went down to the stalls
to look her over again. To his horror he then found he
had bought the wrong horse. An hour or two after, he
encountered one of his rivals. 'Mr. Fleishmann,' said he,
'you bought a mare awhile ago that I wanted. Will you
sell her to me ?' 'Yes,' answered Fleishmann. 'How much
profit do you want?' 'Well, you are a cavalier.' T am a
cavalier,' returned Fleishmann. 'We are friends. You
will not bid against me some time when I want another
horse, I let you have that mare at just what I bid. I
charge you no profit. You just go to the cashier, pay for
her and she is yours.'
'The new buyer thanked him profusely. They had a
drink and he paid for the mare. Then he went below to
look at her, and it was his turn to rush back.
" 'Air. Fleishmann, I don't want dot mare. That iss
not the mare I thought I vas buying".' 'Well,' said Mr.
Fleishmann, with a satisfied glitter in his eye, 'that is the
178 MEMOIR.
mare you did buy. She is not the mare I thought I was
buying either, so you just keep the mare.' And he proud-
ly strode to another part of the building."
Another of Fasig's stories was tacked on to an old
driver, who was located at the Cleveland Driving Park
for a number of years. In the spring of 188 — , this man
was training a mare that was owned by two young men
who had an idea that they knew a trotter on sight. After
the jogging days of April and May were over, they came
out to the track regularly twice a week to see the mare
work, but they could never strike the right time. She
had either been worked the day before or had just been
worked, was a little off, would be worked the next day,
or something of that sort. The weeks ran into months,
and, while the mare looked good, they never had a chance
to see her opened up. Finally, growing desperate, they
both appeared on the scene and demanded a trial, or a day
and hour when they could see one. About this time the
Knights of Pythias engaged the track for an entertain-
ment and an exhibition drill. In order to give the occu-
pants of the Grand Stand an unobstructed view of the
infield, the Judges' stand was moved almost half way to
the distance. The trial was fixed for the day after the
drill and was limited to two fast quarters. After a couple
of slow miles, this cautious trainer stepped the natty little
mare, to the unbounded delight of her owners, the last
quarter in thirty-four seconds, and repeated it in thirty-
three seconds ; all of which was in the day of old-style
sulkies with high wheels. Pledging the driver to secrecy,
the happy pair of owners decided then and there that as
the season was well advanced they would keep the mare
over and make a killing in the "big ring" the following
year. The trainer never said boo, and never made a
COMBINATION OF CONTRADICTIONS. 179
complaint when they took the mare away from him the
following spring and turned her over, for the "grand prep-
aration," to a swell trainer. Finally, when the workout
days of June came again and the "apple of their eye" could
not trot a quarter better than forty seconds, rigged with
the best that money could buy, they took a tumble. The
mare was taken home, her owners bought a yacht, and the
trainer told Fasig the story.
From the day that I first met William B. Fasig, until
the end, I found him a combination of contradictions.
His sympathies were always with the weaker side, but
even with that knowledge to bank on, no one could deter-
mine in advance what stand he would take on any propo-
sition, from flipping a copper to a change in the Constitu-
tion of the United States. Then he had his hobbies, and
when in the saddle he could make Uncle Toby look like a
blue chip in a jack pot. To convince him with an argu-
ment was out of the question, but if you were satisfied
that you were right, if you walked off and left him for a
day or two, he would wheel into line. His vanity, and he
had no small share of that quality, would not let him ad-
mit it ; but if he did not take up the argument again on
sight, he was with you. For many a day it was a hard
matter for Fasig to say a good word of any one who dif-
fered with him, but when he was with you, like Jack
Batchelor's poker game, the limit of his support was
bounded by the green earth and the blue sky.
When completing this memoir, instead of giving my
estimate of William B. Fasig as a horseman, advertiser,
reinsman, writer and a man, I requested a few of those
who knew him best to contribute a few lines. It was a
happy idea, as will be seen by the following :
180 MEMOIR.
A HORSEMAN.
New York, N. Y., Oct. 28, 1902. — William B. Fasig's
success in the horse business, and he certainly made a
success, was due not so much to business methods or atten-
tion to details, or thorough familiarity with pedigrees, as
to his appreciation of the merits of the horse himself as
an individual ; his quick eye for gait and action ; his knowl-
edge of what it took to make a race horse or a gentleman's
road horse ; his frankness in telling a customer what he
knew or believed, and his ability to express his opinion
in a pleasant and straightforward manner.
With him there was no horse but the trotter, except
for commercial purposes, and he purposely limited his
thought, his study and his conversations (about horses) to
the animal that he loved. He would talk for hours with
a horseman about a good trotter, if he had not seen him
himself and believed him good, and refuse to discuss busi-
ness involving thousands of dollars, simply saving, "I
am engaged; get Tipton to attend to that."
His hobbies were team trotting and wagon racing, and
I never saw a man who could beat him selecting two trot-
ters to go together. Few men, very few, if any, could
beat him hitching a pair of fast horses, and those who
could beat him driving them after he had hitched them,
could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Consider-
ing his weight, he was one of the very best drivers to
wagon that I ever saw, and I have seen most of them. Yet,
with all this knowledge and good judgment, he had his
weak side with horses, and, strange to say, that weakness
was his lack of nerve in buying, his fear of paving out
big money for what his judgment told him to buy, and
that alone kept him from being a very rich man.
AN ADVERTISER. 181
All in all, however, I think he was one of the very best
horseman in his line (trotters) that America has produced,
and I do not expect to see his like soon again.
Ed. A. Tipton.
AN ADVERTISER.
Magnolia Springs, Ala., Nov. 4, 1902. — The late
lamented Fasig was a natural expert in advertising the
goods he had to sell.
The Grand Circuit Stewards of the days when he and
Colonel Edwards ruled in Cleveland, knew their man.
Fasig wrote all the Grand Circuit display ads. They were
always concise, pointed and eyeable. The work was easy
for Fasig. He loved the trotter and laid on his paint with
the hand of a lover.
Fasig's sign displays were as attractive as those in the
newspapers. He just had what newspaper folks call ad-
writing sense to a fuller measure than any other fellow,
in any particular line, I ever ran across. His copy was per-
fect. Then, too, it was wise — chock full of the kindly,
pointed, comfortable wisdom that goes home and brings
results. One year — I think it was Directors' — he plas-
tered Cleveland and its surroundings with "My Kingdom
for a Horse" posters. It was an apt phrase and drew. He
used some such device yearly, and never missed his mark.
This advertising sense of Fasig's, coupled with the knack
of thoroughly knowing the good material about him, and
the ability to get it into attractive groups, was one of the
gifts that made W. B. Fasig the leader of his time among
the men who cared for the racing side of the American
harness horse. F. H. Brunell.
182 MEMOIR.
A SECRETARY.
Rochester, N. Y., Oct. 24, 1902. — My acquaintance
with the late W. B. Fasig dates back some twenty-five
years. During the days of the old Grand Circuit, I met
him frequently and was on the most intimate terms with
him. I always found him a man of excellent judgment,
trustworthy and faithful in his duties as a secretary. He
always had a pleasant word for all with whom he came
in contact, and in his death I lost a warm, personal friend.
Geo. W. Archer.
A WRITER.
New York, N. Y., January 1, 1903. — When you can
find the power to grasp an idea, and the ability to group
facts in logical form, you create a writer who appeals
to the largest number of readers. The statistician
without a spark of imagination is as dry as bone
dust. William B. Fasig had the poetic temperament and
sugar-coated his facts in a way to make them palatable to
thousands. The touch of his genius caused the old to take
on the fragrance and perfume of violets. I had many a
little controversy in the public prints with him, but no
wounds were inflicted that did not heal quickly. The
grace of his pen was admitted by all who followed it, and
he is borne in sweet remembrance by
Hamilton Busbey.
Chicago, 111., Oct. 29, 1902. — It is an axiom among
critics of literature that "The style is the man." Of Wil-
liam B. Fasig this was particularly true. What he wrote
was racy of his personality — original, idiosyncratic,
A REINSMAN. 183
always the antipodes of commonplace. It reflected his
immense observation, the freshness of his point of view
and the accuracy but nervousness of his thought. Like
the man, also, it was not always free from prejudice, but
that prejudice was always honest, always for what, to his
convictions, seemed best. Though never, except as occa-
sion prompted, a writer for the turf press, no professional
writer ever possessed a better gift of self-expression. Few
were ever so many-sided. In a set argument his forensic
ability was conspicuous. As a descriptive writer, his vivid
phrases always brought clearly to the mind of' the reader
what they were intended to depict. He had a vein of
sentiment, a vein of romance, a vein of humor — and al-
ways the "touch of nature." John L. Hervey.
A REINSMAN.
Cleveland, O., Nov. 12, 1902. — Brim full of romance
and sentiment, he idealized and loved his horses — and his
sport. A broad and fertile mind absorbed readily the
knowledge, and a natural genius made him apply that
knowledge well.
A kindly, gentle nature gave him light hands, and won
the confidence of dumb animals. A quick excitability
sometimes upset his equipoise and unbalanced his judg-
ment, but his natural sunny, bright and buoyant disposi-
tion soon put him at rights again. He was an exception-
ably fine reinsman, and a thorough horseman, absolutely
free from imitation or conceit. H. K. Devereux.
A MAN.
Franklin, Pa., Oct. 27, 1902. — It was my pleasure to
know the late William B. Fasig for nearly twenty-five
years, chiefly as a secretary of the Cleveland Driving Park.
184 MEMOIR.
As a secretary he was a model, possessed of genius and
daring, that easy way of meeting and parting with all
which sent even the losers home satisfied that they had
received fair treatment. The duties of his position as sec-
retary were always conducted in a manner above reproach.
He was genial, witty and wise, of sanguine temperament
and an unfailing fund of good humor which made him
the life of any company which he might join. He was
warm-hearted and generous to a fault. His friends were
of all classes, from the swipe to the multimillionaire. In
meeting men he recognized the best in all. He was loyal
to his friends and generous to his enemies. Like each one
of us he had his failings, but in the minds of his friends
his kindly traits were so many as to almost completely
hide them. The American trotting horse had few stouter
champions, and when horsemen of the present generation
meet there will always be a pleasant, kindly word to the
memory of William B. Fasig.
His race has ended, the contest finished, and whether
his be the first premium or otherwise, the decision is be-
fore a Judge, who, in reviewing the race, knows the obsta-
cles and the hindrances he encountered, the unfair driving
of others, and One who, holding the scales even, metes
out equal and exact justice to all; and the wish of every
American horseman who knew William B. Fasig is, "May
he rest in peace." Joseph C. Sibley.
I A FEW PRESS COMMENTS.
His judgment on horses was good, but so remarkably
fair was he in his opinions when given to others, that he
seemed to have better success in advising others what to
buy than in buying for himself, and during his long
PRESS COMMENTS. 185
career, both as secretary and sale manager, no man could
say that William B. Fasig ever gave him any wrong ad-
vice in order to get his money. — American Horse Breeder.
He died as he lived, a sportsman. — Trotter and Pacer.
Xo man had a bigger heart than William B. Fasig, and
he wore it on his sleeve. — Breeder and Sportsman.
He was a man of impulse rather than of consummate
tact, but unflagging industry brought him success. — Turf,
Field and Farm.
His business methods, integrity, and a genius for ad-
vertising gave the business of selling horses at public auc-
tion a status that is now reaching its full fruition. —
Chicago Tribune.
With Fasig it was always the trotting horse interest
first, and his interests incidentally, if at all. A large man
physically, he was also big hearted, and friends he never
forgot. — Western Horseman.
He was hospitable and liberal almost to a fault, a rare
entertainer and possessed of a keen sense of humor. —
American Sportsman.
Fasig was an exceedingly magnetic man, he had a
charming personality, and in every circle he entered he
soon became its centre and sun. He had a great, generous,
sympathetic heart, and was always on the side of the
under dog, even when appearances were against the dog.
— Spirit of the Times.
His remarkable talents were wholly devoted to the
trotting industry. His interest was never a merely mer-
cenary one, and his pen and voice, as well as his time,
were unceasingly employed in behalf of what was best for
the harness horse on and oft" the turf. — The Horse Re-
view.
18G MEMOIR.
William B. Fasig was thoroughly informed on all
matters pertaining to the trotting horse, his breeding and
training, and no one knew better than he did how to suc-
cessfully conduct a race meeting. — Kentucky Stock Farm.
W. H. Gocher.
Hartford, Conn.,
January 21, 1903.
Tales of the Turf
WITH A FEW ODDS AND ENDS
GATHERED
FROM EVERYWHERE
TROTTING TRACKS.
(Published in "The Spirit of the Times," December 24, 1887.)
"Now, boys, don't think you can go out into the com-
mons, with a piece of rope and a halter-strap, and lay out
a track, for you can't/' was the remark of "Uncle Pe-
ter," an eccentric, good natured old gentleman of Yankee
extraction, and country surveyor of "ye olden time" pro-
fession, who loved a horse much better than his service-
able surveyor's chain, to some dozen of us village lads
years agone, and shortly after the little bob-tailed Flora
Temple clipped the wings of the phantom scythe-bearer,
electrifying the world by the achievement, and making the
then obscure town of Kalamazoo famous. No portion
of the world was more enthused over the feat than that
bounded by the corporation limits of Ashland, O., for
Ashland was a "horsey" town, and almost every boy
there thought he had a trotter that could give even Flora
Temple a race (mine was "Nellie," a bob-tailed roan
mare of uncertain age and wheezy propensities), if we
only had a track to practice upon. Besides, wasn't Ash-
land County the home of Post Boy, Camden, Telamon,
Bacchus, Blackbird, Grey Eagle and Stump Puller and
didn't "Uncle Peter" own a black mare by Camden, "the
very picter of Flora Temple, only she war black," as
"Uncle Peter" asserted, and he ought to know, for hadn't
he seen "Flora trot at Cleveland?"
TROTTING TRACKS. 189
But a truce to these reminiscences of boyhood's times
and trotting aspirations. Suffice it to say that, with Un-
cle Peter's assistance, we built a track of tan-bark, and
from that time Ashland's trotters were not short of work,
if they were deficient in Flora's 2 :i9% speed. But what
a great day it was for our country when my Nellie beat
the local star, Lucy, and trotted in just 3 103 ! Uncle Peter
came to his chain's length years ago ; the hair of most
of the lads is nearly as gray as his was then ; the wildest
one of the band is a minister; the swiftest runner is one
of the leading railroad magnates on the Pacific Coast;
the richest boy is working for "day's wages" in a mine
of the "stuff" he so lavishly squandered; the red-headed
boy, who read "Dick Turpin" and "Claude Duval" dur-
ing school hours, is a professional gambler; a number
have joined Uncle Peter, and, let us hope, are bearing
the endless golden chain of happiness ; and, as a fit apro-
pos, the only one who adopted the horse profession "for
a livin' " should have been the best boy. But I doubt
if I was above the average in this respect, and, were the
point left to the minister aforesaid, his decision would
have been a dead heat between him and me — for I am
that "only one."
2 11934 is now only a jog for many of our flyers ; still
many of us are "hankering" after that jog.
How to Build a Track.
First get your land, then get a surveyor, would be
my prescription. Forty-nine acres for a mile, fourteen
acres for a half-mile track — but don't forget the sur-
veyor. This acreage is simply what is necessary for a
track having a homestretch sixty-five feet and a back-
stretch forty feet wide, and does not include the land
190
TALES OF THE TURF.
tilL
M
O
' But
Wire
00
ir
fee:
'»f^
ail*
i o
Fig. I— Mile Track.
TROTTING TRACKS. 191
required for buildings. That, and the width of a track,
are matters for each association to decide for itself, and
will vary according to the uses to which the track is to
be put. For strictly a trotting association or county
fair ground, I think from ten to twelve acres about the
proper quantity.
In the calculations and illustrations presented, dis-
tances are stated in feet, and (generally decimal) frac-
tions thereof. The illustrations will, I think, give any-
one a clear idea of how to lay out a track much better
than any written description can, if the ground be sus-
ceptible of having one built of regulation form. If not,
then special engineering is necessary. Special mention
need only be made of the methods for laying out turns,
as the stretches are simply matters of distances fully ex-
plained in the illustrations. There are three plans which
I regard the best to work by :
The Engineer's Plan.
For experts with approved instruments. For a regu-
lation mile track (see fig. i) ; From points of curve de-
flect angles of 3 degrees and lay off chords of 43-9& feet.
Ordinates from these chords (see detail fig. 4) at one-
fourth and one-half their length, are respectively 0.43 foot
and 0.58 foot.
For a half-mile track (see fig. 3) ; From points of
curve deflect angles of 6 degrees and lay off chords 43.92
feet. Ordinates from these chords (see detail fig. 5) at
one-fourth and one-half their length, are respectively 0.86
foot and 1.15 feet.
The Surveyor's Plan.
For surveyors with ordinary surveying implements.
The illustrations (see figs. 1 and 2) will clearly indicate
192
TALES OF THE TURF.
Method of Laying Out Turn Recommended to Amateurs.
Method of Laying Out Turn Recommended for Surveyors
with Ordinary Instruments.
Fig. 2—Half-Mile Track.
TROTTING TRACKS.
193
the simple methods for both mile and half-mile tracks.
(As an assistance to surveyors in making a true curve,
see details figs. 6 and 7.) This plan is susceptible of being
worked by anyone with tape-line and wire, but, as it is
necessary to get the ordinates at exactly right angles to
jrovw
i*\\
\^T?U
♦ c ai
On December 6, 1891, there was found by a party of
oyster fishers near Norfolk, Va., a floating bottle-shaped
concern, corked and sealed, containing a strange story of
a strange land, the attention of which does not seem to
have been brought to scientists, or at all events, it has not
received the consideration its importance deserves. On
the bottle is blown some strange hieroglyphics, which
gi*es color to the strange story of its contents, which fol-
lows :
"I've been here, I cannot say just how long, for as my
story, which follows, will explain, I have to a certain
extent lost the reckoning of time, but it must be some
three years. The date I last remember is August 16,
1883. The causes which led to this loss of reckoning has
also left my memory of names, my own among them,
blank. I cannot therefore name any of my friends, but
places and dates prior to my misfortune are vivid in my
memory.
"I was born near the town of Ashland, State of Ohio,
United States of America, and while a student of nearly
sixteen years of age enlisted in the army, Company H,
Forty-second Ohio Regiment of Infantry. My Captain
was the principal of the school from which I enlisted ; my
Colonel was a renowned man, who was afterwards elected
President and was assassinated. As a boy I was
A STRANGE LAND. 225
"horsey," and on receiving my discharge from the army I
gave bent to my inclinations and engaged in the business.
I owned several horses with some speed with which I
won a considerable amount of money by trotting at the
fairs each fall, investing it in horseflesh, until in Decem-
ber, 1 88 1, having heard of the interest in the American
trotter in foreign countries, I decided on taking my stable
to England. I there found a ready market for the horses,
selling them all at fair prices. Thinking there might be
money in buying a few Russian trotters and taking them
to my country, I determined on going there. Arriving in
St. Petersburg in June following, I was the day after ar-
rested, charged with a political conspiracy. Having no
friends, knowing nothing of their language, and relying
upon my innocence, I did not realize any danger until I
was convicted and sentenced. A few days subsequent I
was bundled into a railway car with a lot of other pris-
oners and started for Siberia.
"Oh, the unutterable horror of that journey. God
spare any living being, no matter what his crime, from
that awful misery. I tried, by remembering I was an
American, to be game, but my heart failed me, and I
look back on the terrors of that dreadful journey with a
shudder.
"After many months of traveling through a desolate
waste of country, from one exile station to another, we at
last arrived at our destination, the mines of Siberia.
"The one ruling, never absent thought of the Siberian
exile, is escape. He thinks of it by day, and dreams of it
by night. There were three Russians who understood
and spoke English, with whom I formed acquaintances,
and we were not long in planning our escape. Day by
day we accumulated things that would net be missed by
226 TALES OF THE TURF.
our guards, and arranged details, till at last the favored
moment came. We started, not in the return direction,
but North; one of the Russians having friends further on
at one of the extreme outposts of Siberia, in Government
employ.
"I will not attempt a description of our travels ; first
one of my companions died, then another, leaving but one
Russian and myself. We were aided by the natives, and
lived in their villages many months, travelling from one
place to another whenever we could obtain a guide, with
no set purpose, but a nameless phantom hope that some-
thing would occur in our favor.
"We heard rumors that led us to believe that an Arc-
tic expedition was in the region. Then my last compan-
ion died, and I was left alone. Alone ! If this story is
ever found, I ask the reader if he knows what that word
'alone' means?
"Somehow I noticed that the weather was getting
warmer, and I attributed it to the change of season. One
day I found a strange craft frozen in an ice floe. It was
of the yawl order, but very large, nearly a yacht in size.
By hard work I manage to get it loose from the ice, and
to store what few provisions I had in it, and set it afloat
was my next move. A rapid current carried me along
for, I cannot tell how long. I knew not in what direction,
but I fairly flew, and day by day it became warmer.
"That's all I can tell ! whether I went to sleep, or sank
into an exhausted faint I cannot say. The next thing I
know I opened my eyes in a hospital with all the com-
forts imaginable. The people looked like the people in
the United States, dressed much like them, but had the
strangest language ever heard by man. I was, as might
be expected, looked upon as a curiosity, but I could see
A STRANGE LAND. 227
the joy of my coming back to reason depicted in their
looks and actions. I had the very best care and nursing,
and any number of visitors calling to see me. Of course,
I could only greet them by shaking hands, and thank
them with my eyes for their kindness.
"Daily I became stronger, and was at last convales-
cent, and allowed to be outdoors. The weather was de-
lightful, and everything gave token of a very old coun-
try, wealth and refinement. The people were such as
might be seen in New York City, without indication of
poverty in any respect. They all dressed well, were very
cheerful, pleasant and cordial. The trades and arts were
about as in my country, but in many respects, especially
mechanics, my land was far away behind them. In some
particulars they were away behind Americans. Of course
my first thought was horse, and what horses ; perfect in
every respect, apparently not an unsound one in the
nation. They were about the size of the American trot-
ters, but averaging larger, scarcely any smaller than fif-
teen and three-quarter hands, and few over sixteen hands.
Imagine the most blood-like horse your conception can
picture, with bone like ivory, good substance, but nothing
gross, clean cut necks, the most beautiful heads, eyes and
ears that mortal men ever saw, and your most vivid imag-
ination will fall short of their beauty and spirit, coupled
with kindness and intelligence.
"Every man, woman and child is a horse lover. But
the vehicles ! Holy Sailor, the vehicles and harness !
Everything is on two wheels. The racing cart is a coun-
terpart of the low, heavy 'Roman chariots' that were used
in America for exhibitions by female 'chariot riders' and
weigh not less than three hundred pounds. The driver
stands up in racing. The harness is five times the weight
228 TALES OF THE TURF.
necessary for any purpose, a coupe harness being lighter.
They have collar and names, the latter standing high
above the collar and ornamented with pure gold at the
tops and with tassels and gay ribbons. Even-one is a
race-goer. The horses never make a break and have only
two gaits, walk and trot. There is no such thing as an
interfering boot of any description, nor a toe-weight, and
none is needed. All the horses are clean-gaited, smooth
and frictionless, and they can fairly fly. Watches are
used verv similar to mv own, but time is divided differ-
ently. In all my travels I stuck to my fly-back watch, and
it has been examined and admired by many jewelers here.
The horses trot heats on straight-away courses. I have
no means of telling exactly the distance, but have meas-
ured several of the courses the best I can, which of course
is partly a guess, and as near as I can figure it they are
five thousand five hundred and fifty feet long, certainly
longer than American tracks. The meetings are man-
aged practically as the American meetings are, horses
being divided into classes according to records, which they
keep with great accuracy ; scoring the same, or rather not
the same, for the drivers try to get off. Now, I'm going
to tell something that will prove how far they are ahead
of American people in mechanics. The judges occupy a
small portion of the middle of the grand stand, which is
two stories in height and about seven hundred and fifty
feet long. Immediately on the start being given the grand
stand starts also and keeps up with the leading horse, no
matter at what speed, as that is under the control of the
engineer. Every inch of the race is therefore under im-
mediate observation. Think of it, an immense structure
with probably twenty thousand people flying along a race
track at better than a two-minute gait, and that means
A STRANGE LAND. 229
about five thousand five hundred and fifty feet, as near
as I can reckon it. The fastest heat I have yet timed in a
race is I 47^4, but by motions I am told this is some
slower than the fastest on record, and the mare which I
tell about further showed me a trial of i 44^. I can't
for the life of me comprehend their division of time. The
records show about twenty figure characters for each heat
trotted. Horses are allowed about twenty minutes to cool
out in. There are no bandages, blankets or liniments of
any kind in use. The festive rubbing cloth is wielded the
same as in America, but the people using it are dressed
fit for church. The drivers and horse attendants are the
elite of the land, very gentlemanly and cultivated men,
the profession ranking the same as the ministerial one in
America. Drivers are not adverse to helping in "rubbing
out," and, differing from the American reinsmen, are
always with their horses. They drive to win, that is evi-
dent. There is never^any back talk to the judges; no
trickery, but good, honest racing. A driver here who
would 'foul' another or resort to any questionable
methods, there is no telling what would be done with
him. At the conclusion of a heat in one race, the horses
for another are ready. The grand stand goes back to
the starting point and the races progress until all are
finished, there generally being three on the card for each
day.
"I had been to two or three meetings in different cities
in company with a gentleman who had taken a fancy to
me, and who owned a beautiful mare, but of a more deli-
cate order than the majority of the horses. She could
speed like a railway, but it did not take long for me to
see that she was handicapped by the weight behind her, so
I set about trying to make my patron understand the mat-
230 TALES OF THE TURF.
ter. It was impossible, but I got him to go to the harness
shop with me, and by gestures I made him understand
that. I wanted him to order a harness built under my direc-
tion. By dint of many a gesture, and no end of trouble,
I finally got the workman to turn out a beauty, as hand-
some as any in America, for they are splendid workmen in
every branch of mechanics. I made my friend under-
stand that we must keep the matter a secret. He was
about wild with pride over the beautiful harness when I
fitted it to his handsome mare, and she shared in his en-
thusiasm, but the mechanic shook his head, evidently
thinking the thing too fragile for any purpose.
"We then went to the wagon-maker's. Being quite a
draftsman, I drew as complete as I could, a truss-axle
sulky, and set the wagon-maker at it. I had fairly to
stand over him with an axe to get him to make it light
enough, but finally succeeded, and when completed,
painted a bright carmine, it, too, was a beauty. The de-
light of my patron, when I harnessed the mare and hitched
her to the sulky, was unbounded, but the wagon-maker,
like the harness-maker, shook his head, and sneered at
the idea of its being of any service. I doubt if there was
a man in the country who would have risked his neck in
that frail sulky behind that mare, harnessed, as it looked
to them, by a cobweb.
"Betting is a ruling passion with the people. It is
done on the same plan as in America, by auction pools,
and the bettors give their I. O. U's in the pool box, the
pool seller giving his own to the winners. It is like a
clearing house system, and everything is done on honor.
I determined to drive the first race myself, to show my
patron that the spider-like vehicle and cobweb harness
would hold together and that the mare could win with it.
A STRANGE LAND. 231
One moonlight night we went to the track and gave her
an easy trial, timing myself with my watch and he timing
with his in I 44^. I could have driven her faster, but
that was fast enough. Barring the engineer, who ran the
grand stand and who was tipped with a handful of gold
coin for secrecy, I suppose, by my patron, no one but our-
selves knew of this trial. It was, I was led to understand,
something below their 'fastest on record.' The day of the
race came, but in the interval my friend had backed the
mare right and left. People came from adjoining cities
to get a whack at him, and it was painfully evident that
many of his friends believed him to be insane. The ex-
citement was intense. It leaked out through the harness
and wagon-makers, probably, although they were sworn
to secrecy, that the mare was to be differently rigged than
any horse was ever before and that I was to drive her.
Of course I was the center of attraction, on account of my
strange advent in their country and my mysterious ways.
They were respectful and kind to me, though, and I don't
imagine for a moment that any of them thought I was
an imp from the infernal regions, as they would, under
similar circumstances, in America. The newspapers her-
alded the event. The country was wild with excitement.
I was followed by large crowds whenever I appeared on
the streets, but never molested, nor an unkind demonstra-
tion of any nature offered. Things were at fever heat,
and the suspense had become awful, still my friend
gamely putting up his I. O. U's. I tried to caution him,
but he was dead game ; the issue had become a matter of
pride and honor, and he wouldn't back down. He became
somewhat nervous and haggard from the fearful strain,
but to me was always the same kind, courteous gentle-
man, seeming to have a great affection for me. He was a
232 TALES OF THE TURF.
splendid looking man about fifty-five years, I should
judge in our way of reckoning ages, and must have been
one of the richest men in the country. He certainly was
one of the best known and one of the most prominent.
"There were eight to start, and the grand stand was
packed, people hanging on to the posts, covering the roof,
and lining the track on the opposite side its entire length.
There could not have been less than thirty thousand spec-
tators. When I appeared behind the mare there was a
hush, an awful silence, then such a cheering as was never
heard before, and I never again want to hear the like. I
was nervous and scared, but tried to appear at ease. My
patron patted me on the back and seemed 'happy as a
clam at high tide.' I drew fifth place and we scored twice
before getting the word. My mare, being eager, would
come up ahead, in spite of all my efforts, and it was plain
then to me that I could win easily. By gestures, I told
the judges I would turn behind the others and the starter
could send us off on the next score without particular
reference to me. I had nearly caught them, but was a lit-
tle behind when the word was given. I closed the gap
readily, and was about to take my position when the left
wheel of the chariot next to me came off, letting down
the axle on my side to the ground and throwing the horse
immediately in front of the mare, breaking his neck. She
stepped on him and pitched forward on her nose, sliding
quite a distance. The sulky, running over the horse, was
thrown over the mare, and I went clear over her head
also, stunned and dizzy, but not unconscious. Jumping
to my feet, I caught her by the bridle, threw the sulky
back, the driver of the other horse assisting me, and with-
out waiting to see whether anything was broken, jumped
on the sulky and started after the flying field. I went a
A STRANGE LAND. 233
merry clip, the immense throng yelling themselves wild,
and I was about crazy myself with excitement. Ten
thousand things flashed through my mind. I knew there
was a distance flag in their races, but whether there was a
saving clause in their rules for an 'unavoidable accident'
I did not know. I thought of the immense sum wagered
by my friend, and I drove with blind desperation, the
mare seeming to share in the feeling. She flew on, on,
closer and closer we came, and were about three lengths
inside the flag when the pistol announcing the finish of
the heat was fired. It took a strong force of police to
keep the crowd, now frenzied with excitement, from
trampling the mare and myself under foot. At last the
excitement subsided, and the next heat started, which I
won, carrying my watch in my hand, with ridiculous ease
in i :$2 1 /{- I also won the succeeding two heats in I \X7V\
and i 483^, which I was given to understand was the
fastest three heats on record, although for a single mile
the record was some faster. My patron, alive to business
in my behalf, immediately patented the harness and sulky,
and I have since received a royalty on every one built.
They are universally adopted now. My share of my pat-
ron's winnings, which he divided equally between us, is
an enormous amount, just how much in dollars and cents,
I. of course, cannot state, but my bank account is all
right, and my I. O. U. is good for a fabulous sum.
"I have written over one hundred of these letters, and
set them all afloat with the hope that one of them may fall
into the hands of some one in my country, and eventually
reach my relatives. If so, they will know I am alive and
well, but dead to them, and they to me. But life here is
the same as life in America. It comes to an end. The
same Supreme Ruler is over us, and my hardships and
234 TALKS OF THE TURF.
strange history have led me to surrender Him that fealty
which, when my days are numbered, will insure a home
where I hope we will be again united.
"Symmes died ridiculed by scientists, and 'Symmes*
Hole' is a fruitful subject to this day, to them in my land
for derision, yet this land is a reality, and I'm sure I now
live in it. My theory is that a branch of the Gulf Stream
carried me here. If it will only carry this bottle back to
my friends I shall be satisfied."
(Captain John Cleve Symmes was a visionary Ameri-
can theorizer, who died in 1829. He always contended
that the Gulf Stream, after leaving the temperate zone,
entered the Arctic Circle by an unknown channel and
made a circuit of the North Pole, when it disappeared,
passing through the center of the earth, which was, ac-
cording to him, inhabited by men whose habits and cus-
toms were very similar to the Anglo-Saxons, and which
was lighted by two small sublunarian planets named
Pluto and Prosperina. Captain Symmes publicly invited
Humboldt and Sir Humphrey Davy to explore the under
world. While neither of them accepted the invitation,
they looked into the matter sufficiently to learn that the
celebrated astronomer Halley, in the latter part of the
seventeenth century, and the learned Norwegian satirist
and dramatist, Holberg, in the eighteenth century, had the
same fantastic notion. Those who ridiculed Captain
Symmes referred to his pet theory as "Symmes' Hole,"
the latter being supposed to represent the whirlpool at the
North Pole, where the Gulf Stream, after dodging among
the icebergs and floes, sank into the center of the earth to
warm the inhabitants of the great unknown land, appear-
ing again near the equator, the warmer water gradually
coming to the surface through the craters of submerged
volcanoes. — Ed. )
THE SANDPIPER.
(Published in "The Horse Review," December 19, 1891.)
'The Sandpiper" was the nickname of a shifty, fore-
handed, jolly citizen of Cleveland, of Teutonic pedigree,
because he got rich gathering the sand by the lake and
selling it by the load. He would sell a yard of sand, and
with the profits buy another rod of beach, thus adding to
his worldly possessions, till at last he bought a trotter, a
good-looking bay mare of Hiatoga breeding. She im-
proved quite rapidly on the road, and to say she was not
short of work at any angle of the game is drawing it mild,
for the Dutchman would give anybody and everybody he
came across a race. In sleighing season "The Sandpiper"
was the first driver on the path every day and the last one
to leave.
It was Sunday, that day of rest to all men except a
Secretary. The light had faded down into twilight and
the shadows deepened in the gloaming. The next day the
entries closed, and I was about taking the car in front of
my office for the depot, to make the train for Wheeling,
where a fair was in progress. I intended the next day
doing missionary work in preaching to the benighted trot-
ting men the merits of Cleveland, Ohio, from a racing
standpoint; convincing them that they had first money
already won, and it only needed the formality of applying
for it in person, when along drove 'The Sandpiper" be-
hind the bav mare.
236 TALKS OF THE TURF.
"You yust ou't to see me beating dat Euclid Avenue
fellar wot's got dot gray mare. Dot was the sickest fel-
lar you saw in a long time. Oh, I yust done 'em as I
come to them," says 'The Sandpiper."
"I believe you do, and you've got a trotter there, sure
enough. Why don't you enter her for the races next
week? She'd give them all a race, and you would have
more fun in one day than you have now in six months.
I'll get some one to drive her for you."
The mare had never been hitched to a sulky in her life,
and the Dutchman, I thought, would need a stepladder to
get into one. It required considerable gall to ask for the
entry, but even a Secretary had not sufficient of that
commodity to suggest the propriety of the owner's driv-
ing.
'Well, by ginger, I never thought of that before. Say,
if I enter her, may I drive in the race ?"
"Certainly, you can."
"Den I enter her, and here was the cash."
In the sleeping car that night visions of The Sand-
piper" and his bay mare haunted my dreams. I felt like a
pickpocket after a successful raid. It was just stealing
the Dutchman's money, and I blushed a Secretary's blush.
My sympathy evaporated though when I thought of that
bill he brought against the driving park the spring before
for the gravel furnished for its driveways ; and I went tc
sleep with sweet but unchristian thought of getting even
with that Dutchman just once.
I worked hard at the Wheeling fair grounds all the
next day. I had passed and repassed many times a small.
elderlv man sitting on a wooden trunk in front of a stall,
and had even handed him a programme and entry blank,
which he silently took — and still continued sitting on that
THE SANDPIPER. 237
trunk all day long. Ordinarily a Secretary can ''spot" a
man who has an entry like a three-card monte man can
spot a "sucker," but sometimes both get left, and this was
one of the times, for it never occurred to me that that
little man wearing a nankeen shirt and a silent, far-away,
weary expression, could possibly have adopted the happy-
go-lucky life of a trotting horseman.
It was late ; I had had my last argument with a stub-
born man who had several entries, and had started for
the hotel. I was passing the silent little man, still sitting
on the wooden trunk, when he touched me on the arm,
and — (almost in a whisper, his lips scarcely parting or
making a movement) — asked: "Are you the Cleveland
Secretary?"
"I am," said I.
"I want to talk with you quietly," confidentially whis-
pered the little man, and he led me into an empty stall,
carefully shutting the door behind us. "I've got some-
thing good," said he, and I looked around for the bottle.
"Something that can win sure, and I want some one to
help me make good money. I want to make a killing."
For the first time it dawned upon me that the little silent
man was not a spring chicken, but one who did not stand
much in need of a guardian at any stage of the proceed-
ings, and negotiations opened then and there on a better
understood basis, ending with my having the entry of a
little brown mare duly signed and executed bv the little,
dark-complexioned, whispering old man.
It was in the 2 40 trot ; the mare was Kit Curry and
the blank was signed H. D. Kyger, Darrtown, Ohio.
"The Sandpiper's" mare was also in the 2 40 trot ; her
entrance was paid, and I hugged myself in ecstacy. Now
I would even up that charge for the gravel.
238 TALES OF THE TURF.
The day of the race came. A syndicate had been
formed. I was the President and sole manager of the
race, with autocratic powers of changing drivers or doing
anything which in any emergency it appeared to me
necessary to win. The old sfentleman was to drive, unless
it came to a point where I thought a change of drivers
necessary, then there must not be a shade of dissent. He
must go down and out at my command.
The brother-in-law of the old gentleman, and a well-
known pool man, was also taken into the close corpor-
ation, making four stockholders, each liable for an equal
assessment in case of loss — which we thought only pos-
sible in case lightning should strike the mare — and each
entitled to an eaual dividend after the race was won. The
pool man was appointed chairman of the financial com-
mittee, with orders to report progress from time to time.
Just before the race was called there raced up to the
gate, covered with dust and sweat, and hitched to an ordi-
nary top buggy, the bay mare driven by "The Sandpiper."
After racing with everything on the road while coming to
the track, he was now to make his first appearance on the
American trotting turf. He borrowed an old straight-
axle sulky that had not done track duty for many a day,
hired a "swipe," hitched up the mare and appeared at the
stand when the bell tapped. His feet were braced in the
leather heel support, instead of the iron shaft stirrup,
until I, fearing an accident, told him where to put them.
He exchanged his broad-brimmed straw hat, after some
expostulation and objections, for a blue jockey cap, and
wore a long linen duster.
Meantime the syndicate was taking all the Kit Curry
stock in the betting ring, she starting at about $5 in pools
of $80. J. B. Richardson was first choice; the Canadian
THE SANDPIPER. 239
mare, Big Fanny, second; Jessie Ballard, third; a horse
driven by Kelly, "The Geyser" and Kit Curry bringing
about even money, while "The Sandpiper's" mare, Kath-
arina, could not be given to anybody at any price.
The persistent demand for Kit Curry tickets had the
inevitable effect — always trust a pool-buyer to catch on to
any good thing — and she steadily rose in price until the
last quotation was that she was selling nearly even with
Richardson. We had something over $1,300 invested,
which stood to win about $5,500.
I did not just fancy the attitude of my driver in the
sulky and the little brown mare appeared awfully dump-
ish. At that time Kyger had never driven for so much
money in his life, and he looked just a little outclassed.
So I instructed the chairman of the finance committee to
stop further operations until after one heat had been
trotted.
"The Sandpiper," gay as a "queen of the May," was
looking at the ladies in the grand stand, the Judges and
reporters, and studying astronomy, and nearly ran over
two or three of his opponents. It was a big day for this
country. He was the hero of the hour, and somehow his
confidence threw a shadow over the certainty of my
revenge for the high-priced gravel.
Thev scored three or four times and Katharina came
to the wire like a "run-off horse," while the old man went
the whole length of Kit Curry's back, with his whip,
to make her come at all. It looked like the gravel was still
high-priced and everybody was cheering the Dutchman,
while Kit Curry and old man Kyger did look like a rather
cheap combination.
There were ten starters. In the first heat J. B. Rich-
ardson, the favorite, choked and fell at the half-mile pole,
240 TALES OF THE TURF.
and Kit Curry, who was quite a ways behind, got scared
at the struggling horse lying on the track and refused to
go past until he got up and she could see what it was. I
thought sure she would be distanced, but she was not and
finished sixth, immediately behind Katharina, Jessie Bal-
lard winning the heat, while Richardson was distanced.
In the second heat Kit made a break and finished last
but one, Katharina being close up to the leaders. Big
Fanny won this heat.
Kyger came to me saying that the accident in the first
heat and the break in the second was only bad luck, and
wanted another trial, which I allowed him.
The third heat was won by Globe. Katharina, who
came very fast through the stretch, was second and "right
at his necktie," while Kyger and Kit Curry finished abso-
lutely last. That ended Kyger's driving for that race.
I went to Splan, explained the situation, and he
agreed to drive. He put an overcheck on the mare,
pulled her head up and started with a new whip (which,
by the way, he used quite freely) for the fourth heat. The
mare broke on the first turn, fell back some, then came on
and headed the field in the center of the home stretch, but
"The Sandpiper" here whistled the "Watch on the Rhine"
to Katharina and she came like a runaway horse, winning
the heat in spite of all Splan could do, assisted by the new
whip and that war whoop. The audience went wild, and
I — well, gravel was high-priced then and I didn't feel
half as much like a pickpocket as I had the Sunday I took
Katharina's entry and the Dutchman's money for the en-
trance fee — yet I was not real happy at that.
A dose of sherry, plenty of whip, and the Commanche
yell landed Kit Curry an eyebrow in front of Katharina in
the fifth heat, the Dutchman claiming he would have won
THE SANDPIPER. 241
easily but everybody got in his "path." He yelled to
George Forbes, who drove Big Fannie, at the three-quar-
ter pole : "Forbes, my dear sir, you are in my path ; lay
over, my dear sir, and let me through." But Forbes kept
his position and Katharina had to go around.
Darkness necessitated a postponement, and Splan,
coming to me, said, "You hedge, she can't win." But
how ? Xo horse yet -had two heats. So Splan was in-
structed to warm her up good next day and drive her for
his life the first heat, and he said, "She can't win the first
heat nor any other heat, but I'll drive her for my life, and
if anything should happen that she should win the first
heat, you play every dollar you have on earth against her,
for she can't win two to save her life."
That was not a very encouraging state of affairs for
the syndicate to sleep upon, but Kyger was happy and
seemed to think the race was all over and Kit had won.
The next morning before I was up' there was a knock
at my door. Kyger stood there, whispering : "Come out
to the stall." I went. He shut the stall door after us, as
he did in Wheeling, and there was the mare, her head as
big as a barrel, her eyes swelled shut, her neck as stiff as a
post, and she could hardly drink.
I told him to put her hood on, so no one could see her
condition, and have her groom take her out in the dew
and "grass her out." Just then some one rattled the door
and wanted to see Kyger. It was a messenger boy with a
telegram that his daughter had died. It looked like the
shadow of fate was on him and his, and from my heart I
pitied that grief-stricken old man, who stood before me
bowed down and speechless.
The morning air and dew and the grass had a wonder-
ful effect on Kit, who pricked up her ears when a horse
242 TALES OF THE TURF.
went by on the track, the swelling went out of her eyes
and her neck limbered up perceptibly. She was worth a
dozen dead horses yet. I did not tell Splan about the
trouble until time to hitch _up. He then went out and
warmed her up with a hood on, still urging me to
"hedge." But how?
I called the syndicate together and said : "You may
all do as you see fit ; I'm going to hedge if I can."
She won the heat (the sixth) by a close finish from
Jessie Ballard, and I immediately started my ambassador
for the "hedge row." Splan again urged me to do so,
saying she could not win another heat to save her life.
But she did win the seventh and the race from Globe, who
led her to within a few rods of the wire.
My hedging ambassador had been busy, and when I
came to settle I found that he had played back all my
share of the winnings and $172 more. So I quit loser on
that race that amount, and always after that when I heard
of a "real sure thing" I thought of two of that kind, viz :
Kit Curry and John Bostick's "fo' heats in fo'teen to
eighteen ; win shuah," with Warrior.
The old gentleman and his country brother-in-law
"stood pat" hedged off but little, while the poolman was
"smart" like myself. I always had a warm side for old
man Kyger after that, for he was game in all his troubles.
Splan remarked as he got out of the sulky the last heat :
"There she is with a record of 2:24^, marked for life;
she'll never lower it." He was mistaken, however, in re-
gard to that, and old man Kyger and his low-headed little
brown mare made plenty of trouble for the boys for years
after that event. But the $172 added to the price orig-
inally paid for "The Sandpiper's" gravel made it quite an
expensive commodity. And the Dutchman called around
THE SANDPIPER. 243
for the second money he had won with Katharina. The
following summary of the race gives a fair idea of what
happened when Kit Curry won :
Cleveland, O., Sept. 17 and 18, 1886.
Purse $600.-2:40 Class, Trotting.
Kit Curry, br. m., by Mambrino Bruce 6 7 8 2 1 1 1
Katharina, b. m., by Flying Hiatoga 4 5 2 1 2 5 4
Globe, b. g., by Hamlin's Almont, Jr 3 3 1 8 3 3 2
Jessie Ballard, b. m., by Archie Hambletonian 1646426
Big Fanny, br. m., by John E. Rysdyk 8 1 7 5 7 6 3
Victor, b. s., by Valentine, Jr 5 4 6 3 8 4 5
Bracelet, b. m., by Auditor 2 2 3 4 5 dr
Jennie M., ch. m., by Joe Hooker 7 8 5 7 6 dr
Sinbad, gr. s 9 dis.
J. B. Richardson, b. g., by George Wilkes, dis.
Time-2:29X, 2:28, 2:29X,2:30, 2:29^, 2:24^. 2:29^.
C. J. Hamlin's standard in breeding the trotter has
been "the highest form, the handsomest horse, combined
with a level brain and the greatest flight of trotting
speed." Those who have seen the peerless Belle Hamlin,
the beautiful Nightingale and others of his breeding,
admit that he has, by his determination, his rare judg-
ment, his unfaltering tenacity to this fixed purpose — in
spite of all the croakings and attacks of the skeptical, and
no breeder has been the subject of more bitter criticisms —
accomplished what he started out to accomplish, and the
Village Farm can point to results in many respects never
attained by any other breeding establishment.
THE SECRETARY.
(Published in 'The Horse Review," December 29, 1891.)
It was years ago that I first became infatuated with
trotting sport, and then I knew everything about the man-
agement of a secretary's office. One year after my ap-
pointment there was the faintest shadow of a faint suspi-
cion regarding it ; two years and the shade had deepened ;
three years, the shadow had grown still darker ; and in ten
years I found I knew nothing. The whole knowledge
was wrapped up in newspaper writers and theoretical
turfmen, scarcely any of whom had ever bred or owned,
or entered a horse in a race, or been identified in any way
with the management of a turf association — but yet who
knew it all.
Bright skies, a good entry list, big crowds, close con-
tests, and a successful meeting is the goal of every good
secretary's ambition. But if it rains the secretary is at
fault; if the entry list is light he is cussed and blamed,
and if the races should prove one-sided and be won in
straight heats, that secretary is a deep-dyed renegade, a
fraud and a failure from way up Failure Creek.
In case of a close decision in the judges' stand :
"That's a of an association you're secretary of, isn't
it ? Oh, yes ; I'll come back next year and trot. Didn't
you say I'd get a square deal if I entered here? That's a
fine lot of sand-baggers you've got up there garroting
horsemen, now ain't they?"
THE SECRETARY. 245
One driver has a sore-toed horse, and to him the track
is "hard as a pavement." To another one the track is soft
and cuppy, and he wants smooth, firm footing.
Meanwhile the wiseacre who writes for the papers
looks on, shaking his head in the most dismal manner, de-
ploring the ignorance of track managers in general, and
this blessed secretary in particular.
"Entrance fee! Entrance fee? Why, you ought to
give me all my entrances free ; my stable is a strong one
and will advertise your meeting."
"Give me a special of $5,000, for my Will-o'-the-Wisp
to go against the record of any spotted horse, to a seventy -
eight pound sulky with a two hundred pound driver."
"One dollar gate admission ! Great Scott ! Chain up
that secretary. When was he born? Why doesn't he
keep up with the times? Doesn't he know if they'd
charge twenty-five cents at the gate the grounds would be
packed? What a fine plum of a secretary he is! Blow-
ing bladders in a snuff factory would better suit his abil-
ity. He doesn't know as much about running a race track
as I do about sliding down a rainbow. A dollar ! Noah
must have dropped him out of the ark."
"Now, that's a measly trick that secretary has played
on me, charging me to come into that gate. Why, 1 sold
the president of the society a barrel of molasses in 1869,
and'now I'm charged to come into the gate."
"Yes, and my grandmother buttoned that secretary's
aunt's cousin's suspenders when he was a mere kid, but
he charged me. Oh, he's a wolf."
"Give me my badge, will you ? Who am I ? That's a
fine question to ask ! Why, Jim Goosenest has been train-
ing my colt, Shooting Comet, over this track for sixteen
days past."
246 TALES OF THE TURF.
On being told that that doesn't entitle him to a badge ;
that Jim Goosenest hasn't even paid $i for training priv-
ileges and has his stall rent for nothing, he leaves, but
with the indelible impression, which nothing on earth will
ever remove, that he is an outraged victim of that bunco-
steering, swindling secretary.
And the bill-poster and advertiser come around with
their bills.
* * * * * * * *
April i, 1892.
"Why don't you brace up and have a little more liber-
ality? Why, look at that association up in Michigan, that
one up in Indiana, in Iowa, and even in Tennessee !
They're up with the times, and each offers $100,000 in
premiums at 1 per cent, entrance; they are progressive
and liberal and know how to run an association. The old
Grand Circuit is a back number — a story that has been
told. Why the Circuit advertises $2,000,000 in
premiums."
********
The cardinal principle of a secretary's religion is to
get entries ; to make a trainer believe he can't lose with a
horse that in his inmost soul the secretary fears will get
"shut out" the first heat. The one redeeming feature that
lightens his conscience is the reflection that often the rank
outsider in reality wins and beats the sure tip to a stand-
still.
The finesse, the fertility of arguments and suggestions
of a secretary, when foraging for entries, is the standard
by which he is measured. Just when friendly and confi-
dential persuasion should, from business policy, cease, and
dignified indifference commence, is the fine art of an entry
solicitor. He exhausts all his arguments of the benefits
THE SECRETARY 247
of his meeting, yet the trainer is not thoroughly con-
vinced, but still wavers and doubts. Then is the time for
a fine stroke of dignified cessation of hostilities. The sec-
retary pretends he has given up all hope and has ceased
to care whether he gets the entry or not. He saunters
away, and now the trainer gets anxious and follows up
the secretary. More indifference on the part of the latter,
greater anxiety of the former, until he is even worked up
to the pitch of uncertainty as to whether his entry will be
accepted, as he timorously offers it, and it is accepted — "as
an accommodation."
There are a few men in the business who make their
entries frankly, never holding off, nor asking this condi-
tion, nor that favor. "Knap" McCarthy was a shining
example of this class. "Are you going to our meeting,
'Knap'?" the secretary asks. "Yes, and I might as well
make my entries now ; so take them down." That was the
whole formula with him. Monroe Salisbury and Ed
Geers are also of this class. And there are a few others,
a few, yes, a few — very. If there were more, the secre-
tary's lot would be a happier one, and the shadows of his
brow would lighten.
If you depend for your income on the trotting ability
of a horse — one that will go down the big circuit, and will
train on, and trot on, and win on season after season, like
the old-time campaigners, Lady Suffolk, Flora Temple,
Dexter, Lady Thorn, Goldsmith Maid, Rarus, etc., —
don't commence training him until he is five years old.
STRANGER.
(Published in '"The Horse Review," May 5, 1892.)
Stranger was only a horse, a despised pacer, whose
name does not shine in the list of celebrated equines, not
because he was not a king of his kind, but because blind
fate denied him the chance of being so acknowledged.
But to the rapidly passing-away horse generation of
Northern Ohio, Stranger was a phenomenon of equine
greatness ; and he is to this day mentioned with the awe
and respect which merit inspires. As a landmark in Ohio
horse history, the pacer out-ranks the trotter, and the
Buckeye state must be classed among those known as
pacing-horse states. Pocahontas, Smuggler, the Cadmus
family, the Hiatogas, the Tuckahoes and the Strangers,
were all Ohio pacers, and all have contributed largely to
the speed of the American trotter. Stranger was a bay,
sixteen hands high, of intelligent disposition, yet unlim-
ited courage. Almost phenomenally built and muscled,
bold and brave in all his ways, with the speed of light-
ning, and these qualities, coupled with the mystery of his
sire's history, had the effect of creating something akin to
superstitition among the horsemen of his day, and causing
the many mythical traditions regarding him current in
Northern Ohio.
The true story is as follows :
''One evening in the fall of 1852, there appeared at
the farmhouse of Mr. Galentine, near Sharon, Medina
STRANGER. 249
County, Ohio, a stranger riding a blood-like bay stallion,
and asked a night's lodging, which was hospitably given
him. That night he told Mr. Galentine that his stallion
was of Kentucky Snap breeding. The next day the
stranger, who had so mysteriously put in his appearance
the night before, as mysteriously disappeared, leaving the
horse in the possession of his host, who kept him all that
winter and the following summer, breeding in the mean-
time some six or seven mares to him. In the fall of 1853,
the mysterious stranger again appeared, paid the charges,
and on a bright autumn morning rode off whistling down
the road on his blood-like horse. On the worm fence a
squirrel feasting on a hickory nut, the first of the year.
stopped in his repast, eyed the rider curiously, frisked his
tail and scampered through the yellow leaves to a safe re-
treat on a big oak ; a farmer boy, shocking corn, paused
with uplifted blade, looked at the handsome horse, and
wondered why fate had destined him to work while
others could whistle and ride in pleasure ; a farmer's
daughter, with her coquettish sunbonnet and tidy apron,
gazed with admiring eyes on the handsome stranger with
his broad-brimmed hat, his easv catch-as-catch-can man-
ner, as he waved his hand to the blushing damsel and
rode down the road, leaving her, with her pail full of milk
and her heart full of admiration, standing and looking
after the retreating form of the handsome youth on his
Kentucky Snap ; gazed and sighed as he disappeared from
her view, and from this chronicle; for no trace of rider or
horse was ever afterwards found."
The produce from the mares bred to Kentucky Snap
were all fast and, with the exception of the subject of this
sketch, were bought at good prices by foreign buyers and
undoubtedly figure as the second and third dams in some
250 TALES OF THE TURF.
celebrated pedigrees as "a mare from Ohio, breeding un-
known, but a very fast roadster," which is so frequently
found in the pedigrees of our best performers. Among
those bred to him was a sorrel mare by Blucher, owned
by Conrad Turner, of Medina County, and the produce
was a bay colt, foaled in 1854, afterwards locally famous
as Stranger. At four months of age he was sold to H.
Sylvester for $40, who in turn disposed of him when a
two-year-old for $70 to H. S. Hatch, in whose hands the
colt received all the education he ever got. Hatch sold
him as a five-year-old for $2,500 — a large price in those
days — to YVm. Waterman, Shalersville, O., who owned
him at the time of his death two years subsequently, when
but seven years old.
Stranger was broken and used by Hatch to haul wood
in the winter, and as an all-around general purpose horse
as a two, three and four-year-old. The spring he was
five, Hatch, who was then a green country boy, com-
menced in his crude way to train him. He was fast from
the start, but cut his quarters cruelly, and, boots being
then unknown, Hatch used to tie rags around his feet for
protection, until he discovered that a heavier shoe avoided
the trouble. After that he wore twenty-four ounce shoes
forward and twelve-ounce shoes behind, and went clear
and true.
In the fall of 1859, Stranger paced his first race at
Cuyahoga Falls, O., distancing his only competitor,
Butcher Boy, the first heat being in 2 124. His next race
was at Ravenna, O., where he again distanced the field,
composed of Union Jack (then a very fast pacer, and
afterwards a fast trotter under the name of Dick Hil-
liard), the Gorham Pony and two others, the heat being
about 2 :28. Those were all his races that year. The
STRANGER. 251
next year his first start was again at Ravenna. His com-
petitors were Rattling Jack, Butcher Boy and several
others, but Stranger went off and distanced the whole
batch in the first heat, the time being about 2 122. The
next week, at Burton, O., Stranger met Gray Eagle and
Union Jack, both celebrated horses in their day, and dis-
tanced them in the second heat in 2:18, pacing the last
turn of the track in 1 105. The track was, however, some
two rods short of a half-mile. In all the foregoing races
Stranger was driven by Hatch, although the horse was
not during the latter part of the time his property. When
he was seven years old he started with a new driver
(Hatch being absent from home) at Cleveland, threw a
shoe in the first heat, and, there being no blacksmith pres-
ent, he was drawn. The third day afterwards, however,
he started again against nearly the same field, defeating
them in a hollow manner in about seven seconds faster
time than was made in the first race, and pacing close to
2:20.
Hatch then roaded him from Cleveland to Adrian,
Mich., to go a match against a Coldwater pacer. That
was in 1861. The match was the result of a bitter horse
rivalry between Adrian and Coldwater. The backer of
Stranger wanting to "see what sort of a horse he was
betting on," prevailed on Hatch to show him "in private"
a trial. The opposition, however, got wind of it, had a
hidden representative there, and when Stranger stepped
off the trial in 2:18 the Coldwater contingent threw up
their hands and paid forfeit. The match was abandoned,
and Hatch started over the road on his return trip wiser,
but the amount of his expenses poorer.
Pocahontas had several years prior made her fast rec-
ord and was open to "pace anything that wore hair for
252 TALES OF THE TURF.
big money." A New York man hearing of Stranger, and
believing the mare was no longer as fast as when she
made her record of 2 117^ to wagon in 1855, travelled to
Ohio to secure the stallion for a race for $5,000 a side.
Stranger showed him a mile in 2:17^, which was good
enough he thought, but the horse died while the nego-
tiations were pending.
Stranger left a family of fine horses in Northern Ohio,
everyone of which had some speed at the trot or pace.
The Canadian horse Rooker, founder of the family bear-
ing that name, is his chief representation ; but there are
many with records, and the strain is continually cropping
out in pedigrees of fast performers. Yankee Sam, a dun
gelding that paced over the Cleveland track a trial in
2:17, and was a phenomenally fast horse at both the trot-
ting and pacing gaits, was his fastest representative. He
was "doped" by some villian to prevent his winning a
match race and never recovered from its effects. Chest-
nut Tom, alias Stranger, made a trotting record of 2:31
under the latter name, and under another alias one better
than 2 130, it is said. He sired considerable speed. Tom
B., 2 132, that was owned by W. J. Gordon, and trotted a
trial over the Cleveland track in 2 125, was sired by him.
Another mare went to Wisconsin and obtained a record of
2 132, and there were a number of his get in the vicinity
of Cleveland with records close to 2 :3c In his days no
records of performances were kept in Northern Ohio, and
it is greatly to be regretted that he died so young, for
otherwise the name of Stranger would be among the stars
of the horse history of the country.
TYPES OF HORSES.
(Published in "Kentucky- Stock Farm." December 29, 1892.)
Did you ever buy a horse ?
Did it ever strike you that you couldn't tell a runner
from a trotter, or a hackney from a pony, or a coach
horse from a pacer? And yet there are points about fine
horses that mark each as typical of a class.
The distinctions in breeds are many, and the eye of the
good horseman can class an animal the moment he catches
a glimpse of it. He judges it by conformation, by action,
by size, by disposition. He can tell in an instant if a
horse is "bloodlike," and by the contour of the head can
almost call off the pedigree. The thorough or running-
bred horse is best judged in his racing form. He is
lighter boned than the trotter, or, in fact, than the horses
of any other breed, more nervous in disposition, higher
strung, and has a cleaner and finer look. He has what in
racing parlance we term a "bloodlike" look. When used
for breeding purposes his form is different, and he is
somewhat more difficult to judge. But in racing form his
fine ears, clean cut head, light neck, the fine coat on his
body, and the lack of hair on the fetlocks, tell you on the
instant that he can trace his ancestry down through seven
or more generations of thoroughbred lines. I consider
Don Alonzo, who sold recently for $30,000. the finest type
of this class I know? Eros is another fine type of the
class. Then, too, the action tells you the difference. In,
the thoroughbred it is generally low and of the "daisy-
254 TALES OF THE TURF.
cutting" order, whether it be at the trotting gait or at the
galop. Here in America we use the thoroughbred ex-
clusively for racing, but in England cavalry officers take
especial delight in pressing the fine animal into their
active service.
The story of the American trotting- horse is one of in-
tense interest to the public, for he is peculiarly an Ameri-
can institution. By way of preliminary I may say that he
is a descendant originally from a cross of the old English
Norfolk trotter family with the thoroughbred. Imported
Messenger is the founder of the family in America, and
he was an animal born with the trotting instinct devel-
oped to an almost abnormal degree. Almost every trot-
ting horse in America to-day traces directly to him. The
family was then improved by the importation of Bell-
founder, who was in reality a Norfolk trotter, with a rec-
ord, so tradition has it, of seventeen miles in an hour.
But the most potent and most fashionable branch of the
trotting horse family developed from the Charles Kent
Mare, sired by Bellfounder, and out of a mare of Messen-
ger descent, bred to Abdallah, a great grandson of imp.
Messenger. The result of this union was Rvsdvk's Ham-
bletonian, far and away the greatest progenitor of trot-
ting stars in this country. Nancy Hanks, Stamboul,
Kremlin, Sunol, Maud S., Arion, Palo Alto and others as
famous, trace to him.
In conformation the trotter is one of more substance,
of more bone and perhaps less finish than marks the thor-
oughbred. In fact, he partakes somewhat of the form of
what is now known as the hackney, and in reality the trot-
ter must be regarded as an intermediate step between the
thoroughbred and the hackney. The highest type of the
trotter has knee action between the stiff-kneed action of
TYPES OF HORSES. 255
the thoroughbred trotter when on a trotting gait and the
excessive knee action of the hackney. Flying Jib is in
reality a trotting-bred horse, and, while a pacer, has more
of the typical formation of a trotter than of his pacing
class. And I might say here that the pacing formation is
essentially that of a trotting horse, having generally the
peculiarity of a sloping shoulder and more particularly of
a drooping rump. But our fastest pacers can almost all
be traced back to Hambletonian, and I include in this
generalization both Flying Jib and Direct. But the trot-
ter is not really an established type. The old saying con-
cerning a trotter, "he trots in all shapes," still holds good.
But we are approaching a type, and that very rapidly.
Senator Stanford and others have done much to bring
this change about, and the lover of the horse has much to
thank these men for.
The type of the trotter when he comes will be a horse
15.3 hands high, weighing, in ordinary condition, 1,100
pounds. His eyes, neck, ears and head will approach
those of the thoroughbred, although made on a shade
larger and on a somewhat coarser scale. He will be a
stronger made horse in all respects, inclined to be more
round in his body, heavier quartered, not so angular as
the thoroughbred and of a more tractable and kind dis-
position.
Writing of the disposition of horses recalls vividly to
my mind the love of the late Mr. Vanderbilt for Maud S.,
and that affection can be found between the owner or
trainer of almost every trotter in the country and the ani-
mal. When you buy a runner you expect some one else to
ride him. The trotter is your "fun." You take him in
hand and he wheels you at a bracing speed, and in every
movement you note the "fine spirits" of the animal. I
256 TALES OF THE TURF.
once possessed a trotter that judged me as finely as human
eye or mind. When I happened to be of rather sour dis-
position the animal would fret as I neared him and show
a sympathy that at times took on a marvelous turn. If I
came near him feeling gay the horse would assume the
same disposition. His eye would light up, his head would
show its gratification, and so we were always in sympathy.
So I say, give me the trotter above all breeds and classes.
The hackney is essentially an English family. It is
an established breed and really a perpetration of the Nor-
folk trotter. He has not been "fined up" by the introduc-
tion of thoroughbred blood and is at no point as fine as a
trotting horse. In conformation he is what is termed
pony built, is shorter in body, heavier boned, heavier
necked, but with fine, expressive head and ears. In action,
as I said before, the trotter resembles the hackney more
than the thoroughbred, the hackney having excessive knee
and hock action and a "trappy" way of handling his legs.
In fact, the hackney more closely resembles the original
progenitor of all these breeds, the Arab, than either the
trotter or the runner.
We have really no type of the coach horse, but look
abroad for our best breeding animals in this class. The
coach horse is made on a larger scale than the other
breeds mentioned. He is the result of crossing the heavy
Norman and Belgian horses with the Arabian and
thoroughbred. The typical animal should be upward of
sixteen hands, solid color, good neck, eye, ear, good bone,
with plenty of substance, and yet with a certain degree of
finish. His action is much that of the trotting horse and
the tendency is now to breed a higher gait, much resem-
bling that of the hackneys. The English coach horse
proper is best represented by a family called the Cleveland
TYPKS OF HORSES. 257
Bay, all bay in color, strongly marked, upward of sixteen
hands and good travelers. They are good long distance
horses and much in demand, both in England and Amer-
ica.
I have always contended that harness racing should be
classed as a quasi-amateur sport. Not one man in ten
who breeds or campaigns trotters does it with the expecta-
tion of making money. They go into it for the fun they
can have, the same as the man who buys a yacht or who
keeps a shotgun or a brace of setters. And they expect to
pay for their sport. Everybody, from the millionaire
breeder to the farmer boy, hopes to bring out a winner or
a' world beater some day, and when you come right down
to it, that's the backbone and mainstay of the trotting turf.
Eliminate that spirit and there would not be a Grand Cir-
cuit meeting.
GOOD LUCK.
(Published in "Turf, Field and Farm," December 2, 1892.)
It seems that good luck will follow some people, and
he who is not a believer in luck is almost invariably a
"lucky dog" himself, who wants his luck credited to the
more popular characteristic named "good judgment."
The late W. J. Gordon, of Cleveland, always insisted
that there was no such thing as luck, but he was the per-
sonification of good luck combined with the good judg-
ment of a canny Scotchman — as he was by descent. I
remember overhearing an interesting discussion between
him and the foreman of his park, who was also a canny
Scot, and in which I thought the humble debater rather
got the better of the argument.
"I tell you, John, there is no such thing as luck ; how
often have I told vou that luck is an infernal visionarv
humbug and good judgment a stern reality," excitedly
said the rich man.
"Well, now, Mr. Gordon," says John, "the faculty of
being smart and possessing good judgment is born in a
man, isn't it ? He is smart and successful because he was
born smart. Isn't that so ?" says John.
"Yes, that is so ; and just what I've been telling you all
along," replied Mr. Gordon.
"Well, then, Mr. Gordon, wasn't he in bonnie good
luck to be born smart, like you, and in cussed bad luck to
be born dull, like me ? Answer that, will you ?"
THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE.
(Published in the "American Stock Farm," November 23, 1899.)
The American trotter is the most useful all around
horse of the world ; he is the swiftest and most tractable
in harness ; he is a great sporting horse ; he can run some,
he can work a great deal ; he can outlast any breed in the
world ; he can pull a plow if necessary, and he can out-
hackney a hackney in the premium show ring, and beat
him at his own game — showing off. The thoroughbred
horse will always have his field-sport, and sport only.
Clydesdales, Percherons, Normans and other heavy draft
breeds have their place and always will have it — drudgery
only. But the American trotter beats the world doing
everything — and always will. This fact is most remark-
able when the comparative youth of the breed is consid-
ered, for it is but little over fifty years since its origin,
and not much more than half that number since an intel-
ligent study as to how to produce him with a degree of
certainty was applied. The thoroughbred, or running
breed, has existed hundreds of years, yet we now breed
trotters that can race successfully in almost if not quite
the proportion of the runner that can race successfully.
Brushing aside the cobwebs of visionary theorists,
each with a different hobby, the widespread fallacy of the
Arabian breed or the legend of the horse that swam
ashore somewhere on the Puritan banks of New England,
practical horsemen of to-day regard this wonderful result
as primarily a lucky combination, or the uniting and blend-
ing of different harmonizing strains which produced a
fortunate nick, and which included that of the English
260 TALES OF THE TURF.
thoroughbred horse, principally through imported Mes-
senger, who, though passing as a strictly thoroughbred,
perhaps was really a trifle short of the required standard
by reason of a cross back in his pedigree of the Norfolk
trotter, with the native breed called the Narragansett
pacer and others of the best and toughest individuals of
any and all breeds. In short, our forefathers builded
wiser than they knew, and in doing so established the
foundation of the best breed of horses in the world to-day.
From the supposed strains of this foundation, some real,
others purely imaginary, later on grew the endeavor to
establish this horse as a breed, and, as is always the case,
the praiseworthy undertaking enlisted an army of recruits
to the cause, many theorists, some good ideas, some verit-
able rot, all prejudiced with a hobby, all believing they
could breed the trotter the same as Paderewski plays the
piano — by note — that is, by a pedigree. Of course, this
resulted in intelligent investigation and a survival of the
fittest of the theories, and in consequence the breed may
now be said to be established. It is susceptible of im-
provement principally in establishing a more uniform type,
a merit greatly lacking at present in the breed, for a
trotter may be a pony or a leviathan ; he may have short
legs and be stout of body, or he may stand on stilts and
lack substance ; he may be "homely" enough to drive one
to a jag cure, or handsome as the rosy morn. But with
it all he is a hardy horse, an intelligent fellow, and a do-
or-die, in-at-the-death determined one. Type is about the
only lacking desirable quality in the breed, a fact now
recognized by breeders, and when an American sees a
chance for improvement on anything, that improvement
comes surely and quickly. Then the breed will be per-
fect.
THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 261
Trotting sport has a foothold to-day greater than ever
before in the world's history. England, its original
birthplace, drifted away from it for many years, but it
has recently met with more fayor than ever. There are
several courses used exclusively for the sport, and a move
is on the tapis to build a track in London which will bear
favorable comparison with any trotting course in Amer-
ica; something on the plan of the new Empire City track
in New York. Several prominent American turfmen are
identified in the project with wealthy English lovers of
the trotter, and as the management will largely adopt
American methods, the movement cannot fail in giving
an impetus to the sport which will prove most beneficial
to its interests. Even now England has the distinction
of holding the world's four-mile trotting record, 9:58,
made by Polly G., an American-bred mare that raced
quite successfully in this country as Bertie R., taking a
mile record of 2 :i2^ before going abroad. In both
Scotland and Ireland there are a number of trotting
tracks, and the sport is in great favor in those countries.
On the European continent trotting is the national
horse-racing sport. Russia has a native breed called the
Orlofrs, but has made large importations of the better or
American breed, which, crossed on the Orloff, has im-
proved the native stock greatly in speed, quality and sta-
mina. The Czar is an ardent admirer of the sport, and
supports a campaigning stable of his own. The govern-
ment employs an American instructor in the art of driv-
ing, and trotting is really the only recognized horse sport
of the nation, the pure-bred American horses, however,
holding all the champion records of that country, and for
that matter every country. Italy and France are ardent-
ly interested in the trotter and have a number of very fine
262 TALES OF THE TURK.
courses. But Germany and Austria are the leaders of
the trotting game in Europe ; that is, the present interest
is greater there and is growing rapidly. Austria has been
the most extensive buyer of American horses, in fact,
has purchased many of the best campaigners, and conse-
sequently owns the fastest and best trotting race horses
in Europe. Australia has trotting tracks, and trotting
sport ranks high there, although as yet not equal to that
of the thoroughbred running sport. Even Japan has got
the fever, that government having purchased in Califor-
nia specimens for breeding purposes.
What is the limit of speed to be obtained by a trotting
horse? Among the first authenticated records three
minutes was considered very fast for a trotter; later the
2 40 rate prevailed, and although there were some real
phenomenons for their day that could do 2 130 or close
to it, the 2 140 lasted longer perhaps than any other given
class. Then came the 2 130 line, and there were but com-
paratively few that had beaten that mark, when one day
the little bob-tailed Flora Temple electrified the nation
by stepping a fraction of a second better than 2 :2c
There was a great time in America when the feat was
made public. Bands played, cannons fired and fireworks
lit up the heavens in almost every hamlet in the country.
Five years prior to this performance the Ohio bred mare
Pocahontas paced a mile to wagon in a race in 2:173/2.
In 1867 the white-legged, steel-trap-gaited Dexter trot-
ted in 2:1734. Then records commenced being reduced
so rapidly it was scarcely possible to keep track of
them. Goldsmith Maid, 2:14, Rarus, 2:13^4, Maud S.,
2:08 24 flashed with meteoric brilliancy across the trot-
ting sky. Then came the pneumatic tired sulky, since
which time a lightning calculator can scarcely keep tabs
THE AMERICAN TROTTING HORSE. 263
on reductions. The present trotting record, 2 103 24 > held
by the bay mare Alix, has, however, stood a number of
years, while Star Pointer's 1 :59>4 at the pacing gait has
also stood several seasons. However, record reductions
seem to come in periods, and when once a break is made
both these marks will almost surely be reduced. That
it has not been accomplished before is attributed by many
to the fact that in our haste for money we have adopted
the colt plan of racing, the same as the thoroughbreds,
and many youngsters that in maturity could do the trick
are really shelved before that period by reason of the
strain upon them incident to the hard work necessary in
the preparation of a colt stake winner. Whether this evil
will correct itself remains to be seen, but some of our
largest breeders — the Hamlins, for instance — have al-
ready tabooed the method, and undoubtedly others will
follow the example. Of course it goes without saying
that trotting in America never before attained the popu-
larity which exists to-day. Barring a few metropolitan
centers, like New York, Chicago and San Francisco, it
holds sway over the whole country. It is the national horse
racing sport of America. There is more money invested
in the production of the trotting horse throughout the
country, by long odds, than in the production of any other
animal. The rank and file of our countrymen look upon
it as the cleanest and best racing sport, and it would in-
deed be a pessimist who cannot see prosperity and a
glorious future for this great breed.
[Since the above was written The Abbot cut the world's
record to 2:03^ in 1900, while in 1901 Cresceus moved the time
limit for a mile to 2:02^.]
LIMIT OF TROTTING SPEED.
(Published in the "New York Sportsman," December 26, 1891.)
I do not see how we can reasonably expect a two-
minute trotter. I have seen all the fastest horses of the
world trot ; I mean by this, the fastest by the crucial test
of a public record, and I assume that they are the fastest
ones, but I have never seen a quarter trotted in 30 sec-
onds.
Now to trot a mile in two minutes, a horse would
have to go four quarters at that average, and be able to
trot one quarter in about 28 seconds. At least there has
been about that relative difference between the fastest
quarter in every fast mile that was ever trotted, and the
slowest one in the same mile.
There is no denvinor the fact that trotters of olden
time had almost, if not quite as much speed as the ones
of the present day, and the principal difference is that
our horses can carry the clip a greater distance than the
trotters of the past.
This may be accounted for partially by the difference
in tracks and the weight of vehicles, and the mode of
training. We all know that there are a great many more
trotters capable of extreme feats in our times, but that
simply comes as a result of breeding.
In all probability there are a thousand trotters bred
now-a-days to where there was one bred forty or fifty
years ago.
About 2 105 will, in my judgment, be the limit of trot-
ting speed ; that is unless we vastly improve over our
LIMIT OF TROTTING SPEED. 265
present manner of track building, training and vehicles.
There are rapid strides in these directions, and a track
coated with rubber, and a sulky that will propel the horse
are possibilities. In fact, the rubber track is feasible and
would be the fastest, safest and best track in the world.
Let some enterprising man take hold and build one and
the present records would be knocked into smithereens.
[Ten years after the above was written the world's record for
trotters was cut to 2:02 1 4 by Cresceus, while on September 29,
1899, The Abbot trotted an exhibition quarter at Louisville, Ky.,
in twenty-nine seconds. — Ed.]
A hundred years from now (1995) when the trotting
record will be about i 45 and the pacing record about
1 42^4, when trotting horse history and trotting breeding
will be advanced by the experience of a century, the name
of Bonner will stand in sunlight brightness as one, prob-
ably above all others, that has done most in the interests
of the American trotter, during the infancy of the breed,
to make it successful. The Bonners are a family of trot-
ting horse admirers and benefactors. Robert Bonner,
David Bonner, Alley Bonner, are names known the world
over and identified with all that is pure in the love of that
great animal.
There is nothing that "draws at the gate" like a bit-
terly fought, game contest. One sees it to-day, and wants
to see another to-morrow. It's simply nature, the spirit of
fight that is born in every living being.
ANDY AND I.
(Published in "The Horseman," December 13, 1894.)
"Carrying coals to Newcastle," the proverbially use-
less labor, would scarcely be considered a more foolish
venture, from a business standpoint, than for a pair of
Americans to journey to France for the purpose of learn-
ing how to conduct a trotting meeting. We — Andy and
I — landed in Paris early one bright sunny morning in
March, 1894, and after a series of signs, gibberish and
contortions — in which Andy was the chief contortionist
and star acrobat — in the office of the Grand Terminal
Hotel, intended as an explanation that we weary trav-
elers, were Americans, and wished rooms and other ac-
commodations incident to the business of hotel-keeping,
the good-looking clerk, with a demure twinkle of his
eve and the best of English, said "Certainly, gentlemen ;
glad to see you. Will you have rooms on the first floor
with baths?" The blank, utterly imbecile expression of
amazement on Andy's countenance was a subject that
should have been perpetuated to future generations by the
kodak. As the ship had landed its passengers in Calais
about midnight and we had been on the short "bob-bitty"
French steam cars the remainder of the night, the luxury
of the rooms assigned us, after ten nights' experience in
the state rooms of an ocean steamer, was fully appre-
ciated. The carpets were like stepping on a soft, mossy
bank; the beds, with three mattresses, all bedecked with
delicate trimmings, laces and other finery; everything so
sweet, clean and cozy, made our two-hour nap most in-
vigorating.
ANDY AND I. 267
At breakfast, on looking over the Paris edition of the
New York Herald, we discovered that there was a trot-
ting meeting in progress at Vincennes that afternoon, an
event bound to capture two trotting cranks like ourselves.
It was a lovely drive of seven miles, part of the distance
through public parks, to the race-course, and on our ar-
rival there nearlv the first man we met was Horace Brown.
His instructions aided us in getting a good location on the
grandstand, which cost for each about $5 in American
money — yet our race-goers kick "like steers in the corn"
because they have to pay $1. The $5 gave the privilege of
visiting the paddocks, and there we took our first lessons
in French methods of preparing horses for racing. Barr-
ing the big event of the day, which was open to horses
of all nations, and in which Brown had the American
hcrse Buford, all the races on the card were for Euro-
pean-bred horses and were to saddle. The distance of
each varied from two to three mile dashes, most of the
events being for colts and fillies — three and four-year-
olds. Now, you can form an idea of what is expected of
a youngster on the trotting turf in France. The weight
of the riders seemed to cut no figure, and varied from
that which could almost go through the mails for a two-
cent stamp to a two hundred-pound lusty fellow who rode
a horse from his ears to his tail. It seemed to me that
I never saw so many poor riders in my life, and the sight
of a great strapping fellow with whip and spur on a lit-
tle two-year-old, away behind the leaders nearly a quarter
of a mile, yet being punished at almost every stride, was
painfully absurd.
There is a sort of covered paddock in which the horses
competing each day are "corralled." It includes a min-
iature track for leading before the race, and walking dur-
268 TALES OF THE TURF.
ing the cooling-out process after the event. When the
signal is given every horse has just so long a time to
get into that shed, and if not there at the last tick of the
watch within the time limit, he stays out, and his nom-
inator is a subject for the discipline committee. Every-
thing is done with military promptness and precision.
There is no chaffing nor back talk ; every man knows
what is required of him, and does it. This discipline is
noticeable at every stage of the sport, no yelling, no de-
lay, no friction, everything moves with clock-like regu-
laritv ; and that is where France is far ahead of America
in the conduct of a race-meeting.
The powers of the Judges are probably arbitrary, but
there are no charges of favoritism, no demurring to the
ruling, no kicking nor chaffing. The perpetration of a
foul drive is rarely charged by one driver on another.
When it does occur there is a certain decorum, amount-
ing almost to dignity, displayed by both parties to the
complainant; and the consideration of the Judges im-
presses you with a feeling of respect and confidence in
the justice of the decision, which is never questioned by
the public or the press. Every attendant is dressed neat-
ly and cleanly in the uniform of his owner; and every
rider and driver is designated by the colors of his racing
stable. They have bright, showy and becoming uniforms,
generally including white knee-breeches and top boots.
The "weighing-in" process, assigning of positions and
settlement of entrances are details of the forenoon, so
when the starting for the post signal is give in the after-
noon, there is no delay ; in fact no business detail to be
arranged. Every man knows his position and takes it
at the post.
ANDY AND I. 269
The preliminary preparations — harnessing, saddling,
etc. — for the race itself are conducted in the paddock, and
the "warming-up" is done on the way to the post, a cer-
tain number of minutes being allowed for that purpose.
In the paddock there is a noticeable scarcity of blankets
and other supposed necessities of a trotting equipment.
The horses were walked without covering, and there was
an entire absence of bandages and leg washes. The boots
appeared to be of American manufacture, were neat and
well-fitting, and that was about the only thing of trotting
equipment which seemed to be used with the same intel-
ligence and to the same extent as in America.
The crude actions of the grooms and trainers in the
handling of the horses, plainly indicated a lack in the busi-
ness of that familiarity so universal with American pro-
fessionals. An American artistic "swipe" would be dis-
gusted with their bungling, and, as he would express it,
"shoemaker work." As an illustration of the crude meth-
ods in vogue, I will cite one instance, which was undoubt-
edly an exceptional one, inasmuch as the colt in question
had quarter boots on his hind feet, presumably used to
perform the scalping boot functions. There was a small
black three-year-old French-bred trotter in third event on
the card. At least two hours before his race came on
the colt was saddled and booted. His rider mounted and
during the whole period continued riding him in the ring
of the paddock until called for his race. The rider
weighed probably one hundred and seventy-five pounds,
and seemed oblivious to the evil effects which were
bound to result from such treatment. Of course the colt,
although well thought of, could show nothing of his well-
known speed in the race, and his backers and admirers
could not account for the poor showing. The veriest
270 TALES OF THE TURF.
novice in this country would have "put the copper on"
in his betting, under the circumstances, and been able to
tell the real reason for defeat after the race.
There is a signal given in the paddock when a cer-
tain race is called, so many minutes are allowed to get
ready, then the next signal is to go through the track
gate for the starting post, which is on the back-stretch
and quite a half-mile from the stand. So many minutes
are allowed for warming up, and on the third signal every
horse must be in his position to take the word. If a
minute behind he is "lost in the shuffle" and not allowed
to start, and besides his driver is disciplined.
In "warming up" most of the riders use lamentable
judgment. They will "hazarack" their horses up and
down at their highest rate, then go directly from such
exercise to the post, their charges winded before the real
race commences. What seems extraordinary is that they
do not appear to learn from the example set by such suc-
cessful men as Brown and Weeks, whose methods are so
radically different. Yet all look upon Brown as a sort
of wizard in the business, and his ability receives great
homage from the native trainers, without, however, hav-
ing the effect of teaching them the superiority of his
methods. They appear to regard his ability as an occult
faculty born in him, and do not ascribe his success to
superior methods of training and driving. Another strik-
ingly singular matter is the great difference in the speed
of the contestants in a race. It is not an unusual thing
to see some of the horses more than half a mile behind
the leaders at the finish, yet they come straggling in un-
der whip and spur to the last inch of the course. I am
not sure but that the French rule requires this ; at all
events it seems the practice.
ANDY AND I. 27 1
I do not remember the number of "metres" in tin
course at Vincennes. It is, however, equivalent to about
one mile and three-quarters in length, is on the sod, and
there are a number of stiff grades to negotiate. Curb
bits are used exclusively in the saddle races, and are
cruelly put into execution in case an unlucky steed should
make a break; at other times the bridle reins hang use-
lessly on the neck of the horse, the driver giving no as-
sistance whatever in the way of steadying and controlling
his charge. In fact, about the only assistance the driver
does give is a free use of the whip and spur at "every
stage of the game," and independent of his position ;
whether away ahead or away behind, it is a continual
"drive" from start to finish.
Is it any wonder, then, that their native-bred horses
acquire an indescribable "get there Eli" hurry gait, now
trotting behind and half running forward, then "shifting
the cut" and reversing the order by trotting forward and
running behind, rarely, however, entirely "leaving their
feet" and galloping at both ends at the same time.
The official and only betting recognized by law is
done by the French mutual system. It is conducted by
the government, which derives an immense revenue from
the "privilege," for the French are bettors from "way
back." Betting stations are located all over the grounds,
each having tickets on sale for a specified price. For
instance, at one station only tickets costing five hundred
francs each are sold, but at others one hundred, fifty,
twenty-five, and all the way down to one-franc tickets are
sold. At the conclusion of the race all the purchases
made at the different stations go into one common pool
and are divided pro-rata, the one-franc fellow getting ex-
actly the same proportionate winnings as the one-hun-
272 TALES OF THE TURF.
dred franc bettor does. But that is not all the betting
done, for at the fall of the starter's flag bedlam breaks
loose and every Frenchman constitutes himself a commit-
tee of one, empowered, authorized, expected and required
to make, in the wonderful gibberish only possible to a
native of France, every conceivable betting proposition
and as loud as he can. This bedlam continues until the
last horse is whipped and spurred under the wire, for
there is no proposition "too tough an angle" for French-
men to bet upon, provided you give them sufficient odds.
One horse may be an eighth of a mile ahead of another
and have only one hundred yards more to go, but a
French trotting-horse crank will bet that the horse behind
will win if you give him odds enough — it's only a question
of odds with him.
But, to conclude this long, desultory letter, I want to
say that when Buford and other American horses stepped
upon the track, in the great international free-for-all, it
brought a thrill of pride and patriotism to both Andy and
myself. The Russian trotters, although far and away
superior to the French products in appearance, looked
very cheap when compared with the American. And
when it came to trotting — why, the others "weren't in it."
The American horses went like trotters — square and true
and frictionless. None of that "hop-and-go -fetch-it," la-
bored way that characterized all the others. I wonder
what they think in their own minds over there when they
compare the genuine with the counterfeit ; the difference
between the finished article and the crude, inferior, raw
material. It must be mightily discouraging — if anything
ever really does discourage a Frenchman.
But — mark the prediction — ten years from now — and
sooner, if intolerant preachers, and cackling old women
ANDY AND I.
273
are permitted a continuance of their present successful
efforts against the sport of this country — France will be
the trotting nation of the world. There were 30,000 peo-
ple in attendance the day we were there and every one —
including Andy and myself — went wild with enthusiasm.
So far as the management and control of the sport is con-
cerned, their associations are now fifty years ahead of the
Americans. They are that far behind us in horseman-
ship. I do not believe the French to be a nation of nat-
ural horsemen, and that is their handicap. If it were not
for discriminating and hostile practices against the Amer-
ican trotters, in not allowing them to compete against their
products, France would to-day be a veritable land of gold
for American trainers and American trotters.
(Copyrighted by "The Horseman" and published by permission) .
There was once a ditty about the Maumee as fetching
in its day as is now the refrain entitled "On the Banks of
the Wabash," but not so sentimental, for it ran :
The potatoes they grow small
On the Maumee,
And they dig them in the fall.
And they eat them skins and all,
On the Maumee.
That was many, many years ago, and now, instead of
the old blockhouse, the beautiful and prosperous city of
Toledo is located at the mouth of the classic stream.
KLATAWA'S DIARY.
One of America's leading trainers and drivers made
frequent reports to the owner of a champion. The cham-
pion "got next" to these reports, and the following is his
diary, which was found in his stall, at Lexington, at the
close of the racing season in 1898.
Denver, June 19. — I'm only three years old. I came
from the sunny land of gold. I was born on a beautiful
ranch at the foot of grand Mount Diablo. I came here
several days ago in charge of a good, kind man who
knows a horse, respects his feelings, and, oh my, how he
can drive one ! A nag has to love and do his best for
him, as I've always done. And can't I go ! I can fly
and beat the other fellows, and I know it. To-day my
trainer came into the stall and said to me "I have written
a letter to your owner and I do not mind reading it to
you." I can not remember all the good things he said,
but it made me awfully proud, and here are some of
them :
"It affords me great pleasure to report regarding the
first start of your great colt here last Friday. At the time
I hardly thought him up to a hard race. It was a miser-
able day, the wind blowing a gale and the dust flying so
you scarcely saw the horse you were driving. He drew
last position in a field of nine. I was sure he won the
first heat in 2 114, but, owing to the dust, he got the worst
of the decision. In the second heat he was just beaten
in 2:12^. Won the third in 2:15^ (the second quarter
being in just thirty seconds); the fourth in 2:14, and
klatawa's diary. 275
the fifth in 2:14^, pulled up to a walk. He was full of
play when being led to the stable at the conclusion of
the race. He will start in the three-year-old race here
also, and will win easily (which I did.) I shall not be
surprised if he takes a record of 2 \oj this season."
Peoria, 111., July 15. — I didn't do a thing to them to-
day, I guess. My trainer gave me a bundle of sweet
grass and corn blades, patting me on the neck, and praised
me so much I fear he will turn my head and make it too
big for the bridle. I did not see any letter, but he said
he telegraphed my owner like this : "I congratulate you
on owning the greatest colt in the world. He won in
straight heats, 2 :oy^4, 2 109, 2 :o6*4-"
Detroit, July 17. — He couldn't get over my great per-
formance at Peoria, and, overlooking his shoulder, I read
what he wrote my owner :
"Your colt is probably the best horse in the world.
Judging from his Peoria race, from which he came out
as fresh as a daisy, I expect to give him a record of 2 :03
or 2 104 before the year is over. He is the gamest one
I ever saw, and such men as James A. Murphy, owner of
Star Pointer; M. E. McHenry and others say they never
saw one like him, and I congratulate you on breeding such
a record breaker."
Cleveland, July 6. — I had a new driver to-day, and
he was pretty slick himself. I won in four heats. In
the last one I simply made my competitors look like thirty
cents. He said to my groom that I was the only pacing
horse; the others were short-stops (whatever that means)
to me, and my driver accordingly wrote to my breeder :
"I think him the greatest colt the world has ever produced.
He is absolutely sound and as fine as possible. I expect
him to lower his present record two seconds at least, and
276 TALES OF THE TURF.
think the public will then appreciate the products of your
farm, especially when taking into consideration Diablo,
Derby Princess, Agitato, Owyhee, etc. I hear of a fast
one East they call Sylvanway, three-year-old, that it is
claimed can go in 2:14."
Glens Falls, August 25. — They can't keep a good horse
down. I wanted to be let loose to-day, and how I would
have stepped ; but a keen cut, thoroughbred, little fellow
with a light hand and a knowing look, kept taking me
back, saying: "Old fellow, not to-day, not to-day; but
when we get to Terre Haute we'll simply drown them."
I understand he is McHenry, "McHenry of Freeport,"
they call him, or "Smooth Myron," as one swipe re-
marked. Well, all I have to say is that he knows how
to handle a horse, and he's a smart man. I know that,
for he remarked to a gentleman in my hearing that I
could "make a monkey of any pacer in the country and
do it, too, in his four-year-old form." When I got back
to my old friend and trainer he showed me this letter :
"He won at Dubuque, driven by McHenry, in straight
heats. I was undecided whether to instruct him to give
the colt a fast record then, but concluded on waiting for
Terre Haute, where, if he proves himself king of all pac-
ers I shall not be surprised. McHenry wires that he
could easily have lowered his record at Dubuque. I
worked him the last half of a mile before he was shipped
in just one minute flat, and there's no telling where he
will step in a few weeks if nothing happens."
Terre Haute, September 22. — I was rushed over here
from Independence, where I won easily, without having a
chance at my diary until now. It's raining pitchforks,
pointed ends down, and we feel blue, because I'm awfully
good, and the man from Freeport promised to turn me
loose here. My trainer wrote :
kxatawa's diary. 277
"He won again at Independence as he pleased. This
is the day he was to start here, but rain caused a post-
ponement, and it looks now like there would be no more
races at this meeting, for which I am more than sorry,
as McHenry, who has driven him in his last two races, is
confident he can go in 2 103. He is in grand form, and
is as handsome as can be. If he gets no start I shall let
him step at Louisville."
Louisville, October 7. — My trainer is an honest, capa-
ble man consistent and candid, one everybody respects and
every horse loves. I know he wouldn't speak a word
he didn't mean. Whoever may read my diary can make
a shrewd guess as to his identity. I didn't get a start
at Terre Haute on account of the weather, so was shipped
over here. It had been raining here, too, so the track
was a little soft, and I had to go against the greatest ag-
gregation of fast aged horses that ever came together.
I won the first heat, but could not "march" as I could
have done at some other times. I think it was because
I didn't have a chance to practice for the past ten days.
I got "downed" for the first time this year, but although
defeated, I do not give up yet, and I was against the best
in the land, and it is no discredit. Besides, I put up the
fastest mile ever made by one of my age in the world,
2:053^. They say it's the most wonderful feat of light
harness racing history. But I can do a lot better, and
I know it. The next time I turn around with those fel-
lows I will show them which tree makes shingles ; and
next year — well, wait.
Match trotting for bona fide stakes is almost obsolete.
A SPEEDWAY INCIDENT.
They had just come into Durando's. The representa-
tive from Pataloosa Valley had ordered the drinks all
around, and this is the way he explained it, as they sipped
the hot Scotch :
"Say, boys, it's on me, and that's why I'm doing these
honors. But you all saw that white streak go up the
Speedway, and you saw he 'didn't do a thing to me,' so
it's my treat; but I'll tell you the inside of it. I brought
my trotter Pataloosa Bill down here to show them on the
Speedway how it's done. Well, the first day I showed
them ; and then as I'd heard so many claim they had the
'King of the Speedway,' I thought I was due to chip in
and claim the title for Bill. There was a feller here in
the barroom — I don't claim he was drinkin', only lookin'
on — who was listenin' for fair to what I was sayin'.
Presently, and confidentially, he called me aside and
asked : 'Look here, son, do you really believe that Pata-
loosa Bill is King of the Speedway ? Now do you really
believe it ? He was a well-made feller with a deep chest-
tone voice, was the speaker, and a rather voluminous
chestnut moustache, with sort of grey- eyes that didn't
make him appear that he was greatly in need of a guar-
dian. Nevertheless I sort of took pity on him, as I an-
swered : "Now, look here, pard, do you think I'd come
round here blowin' my bugle and chuckin' a bluff? Do
I look that kind ? I'd want you to know I'm from Pata-
loosa, and Pataloosa is way up the Creek, close to the
headwaters, and the town is named after creek, see? (I
learned that final to a sentence since I came to New
A SPEEDWAY INCIDENT. 279
York.) We know what trotters is in my country, and if
any stranger should holler loud in that section, that Bill,
Pataloosa Bill — by Birdcatcher out of Nest Egg — isn't
a trotter, the chances are that there'd be prechin' in his
house and he wouldn't hear it, see ? Because we're proud
of Bill in Pataloosa.'
"But somehow the chestnut moustache didn't drop off,
and the grey eyes sorter twinkled a smile — a Bill Heiser
grin.
a
Charley said — I got well acquainted with him after-
wards, and his name is Charley Thompson — with a kind
of an Independence (Iowa) air about him,
"It don't make much difference where you nor your
horse hails from. I don't say he isn't King of the Speed-
way, but let me tell you something: If he is he's
greased lightning on a toboggon slide, that's all. Now I
have a horse I dreamed last night was entitled to that
throne and he don't want to abdicate till he sees some-
thing, see? The path is still there and I'll meet you to-
morrow, not after, but before the 'sun goes down,' and
we will see who is mistakin', you or I."
"And we did, and Charley made good. I hadn't been
long in New York before I found that it was the fashion
to get the best of the start all one could, and I am thinkin'
that that method has considerable to do with many of the
claims of gentlemen about ownin' the 'King of the Speed-
way.' So I made up my mind that I'd get the drop on
Independence Charley, so I did about six or seven lengths,
lookin' back meanwhile and saying come on, I can't hold
Bill back. All I saw was a streak of white. He went
past me' like the Empire State Express would go past a
bow-legged tramp looking for work. Here's to us, have
another."
That white streak was Carlvle Carne.
SEVENTY DOLLARS.
In 1895, at Lexington, when the bottom was clean
out of the trotting business, a son of the "Green Isle"
who had emigrated to the "Blue Grass" when a boy, drift-
ing naturally into the breeding business — and when the
"pinch" came, made the inevitable "dispersal" sale — there
was offered in his three-quarter starved consignment a
rakish two-year-old dark bay filly, sharp of withers,
deep through the heart, rather flat ribbed — in short, of the
Lady Thorne type. The hair on her was inches long, her
tail, though long and rather light, was carried right, and
she was of tissue-paper thinness. You could almost blow
your breath through her, and in the strong sunlight she
would have to stand twice in one place to make a shadow.
"That's the best filly that stands in Kentucky," asserted
her breeder, and the audience smiled with incredulity.
Up and down the sale stable she stepped; clean, clipper-
gaited and true. She was so awfully poor though, that
no one wanted her. She was not fashionably, yet well
bred, being by an obscure son of Young Jim, whose dam
was a thoroughbred; and out of a mare by an equally
obscure son of Mambrino Patchen, and her dam in turn
of Pilot breeding. Neither the sire or dam approached
standard breeding. Finally she was knocked down at
$30. The purchaser was a mountaineer who had brought
a "bunch" of pigs to the Lexington stock yards and sold
them. He took her home, 'way down in the Cumberland
Mountain country, used her to plow his corn and potato
SEVENTY DOLLARS. 281
patch, and broke her to saddle. She wouldn't "rack/'
she wouldn't "lope," she wouldn't "fox trot," nor "run-
ning walk," but she would trot and wouldn't do anything
else. Of course, that didn't constitute a saddle horse
from a Kentuckian's standpoint, and as a result her du-
ties were confined to the plow most of the time as the
"off" horse, her companion on the "lead" side being a
superannuated and good-natured mule ; and for the boys
to ride to school and go "sky-larking" on in the evenings.
The neighboring boys all having saddle horses that could
'saddle," of course, friendly racing was a common prac-
tice, and it soon came to pass that the trotting bred fillv
could more than hold her own and beat anything on
'Cat's Fork or Bain" Creek; but she went on a trot while
her competitors went at the gallop and ran for their lives
too.
A saddle-horse dealer of many years' experience,
scouring the mountain regions on one of his buying pere-
grinations, heard of the phenomenon, and on telling a
trotting horse friend, was commissioned to buy her on his
next trip, which he did, paying the enormous sum of
seventy dollars as a consideration. She was taken to a
place where she had a chance to wear a harness and be
hitched to a light-wheeled vehicle, and she could simply
burn up the road. As her old buyer said : "I done
bought that thar mar for you, sah, for seventy dollas, and
dog on my cats she's worth seven thousand any whar on
the face of the vearth."
Unless a starter can inspire confidence, he is working
outside his mission.
IN BRET HARTE'S COUNTRY.
In each trip I have made to and from California, I
have kept a weather eye out for the romantic argonautic
characters so dramatically portrayed by Bret Harte and
Mark Twain. But romantic border heroism and border
chivalry ceased to exist when the trail was abandoned, and
the puffing of the engine superseded the crack of the whip
lash and the adventurous glory of the overland stage
days. There are, also, no more John Oakhursts, Sandy
McGees or Yuba Bills. But I did see a Colonel Starbot-
tle, dignified, courteous, suave and warm-hearted ; dis-
tinguished, effusive; florid of face and speech and grandly
pompous ; courtly and portly and elegant. You have to
fall in love with him, can't help it — he was the solicitor
for the railway eating house at Truckee. He wore well-
polished boots, hands in his striped trousers pockets, fancy
vest of loud pattern, slouch hat, black shiny low-rolling
collar, coat that had seen better days, a big chain and
gold watch charm, chin whiskers and a thin, feeble mus-
tache. ("Starbottles" invariably have a fair crop of short
chin whiskers and a slight mustache — that is one way
you tell them.) Having eaten, I sauntered out on the
platform, when a tall, dark man, somewhat grizzly, in
shirt sleeves, riding a good-looking sorrel horse, with his
coat thrown across the pommel of a Mexican saddle,
alighted back of "Starbottle" and giving that gentleman
an unexpected whack on the back with his left hand, he
stuck his right around in front for a shake, at the same
IX BRET harte's country. 283
time, saying, "Fo' God, majah, I'm right down glad to
see you, sah."
And the "Majah" was equally glad if wonderfully
surprised : "Tome, by God sah, where on earth did you
all come from, anyhow, sah?"
Then I knew both were Kentuckians. ("Tome" is
Kentucky for Tom you know), and the shaking of hands
"was a plenty."
The bell rang, the engine wheezed, breathed, snorted
and the train slowly moved. I jumped on the platform
of the rear car, while the friends, hand in hand, started
for a door over w T hich was a sign of six bold letters re-
splendent with red and yellow paint — "Saloon."
Don't you think there was a toddy or two — or more
— that changed residence from the bottle to the mouths
of those old "Kentucky friends, sah."
"I saw you looking at Major Joe Husband and Tom
Redmon on the platform back there," said the porter, a
bright colored boy, "do you know who they are?"
"No, but I'd like to ; and moreover, I'd like to be with
them a few minutes right now," I answered, for visions
of whiskey toddies came to my mind, and I could almost
imagine the clinky sound of the spoon and the ice in the
glass as they slowly dissolved the sugar — at least, that's
the way they tell me it's done at the "Phcenix" in Lex-
ington — and somehow the warm but courteous and dig-
nified manner of those two old men marked them gentle-
men in any land. Gentlemen from a State of gentle-
men, no matter where you meet them, nor how long ago
they left the "Blue Grass," always gentlemen. God's sun
doesn't shine on a spot where there is more true chivalry
than in "old Kentucky."
284 TALKS OF THE TURF.
The porter told me in substance that both Husband
and Redmon were celebrated characters ; both had been
prominent young actors in the stirring events of the trou-
blesome days — stage drivers, pony express riders, miners,
and, later, Indian scouts. Now one solicits for a rail-
road eating-house and the other is a grub stake prospector.
"Husband has three men on his stick and Redmon
two, besides a lot of Indians — but Indians don't count
out here in these days," said the porter.
Of Bret Harte's female characters — the Mlis'es and
Miggleses, etc., I saw a number.
And I also saw the girl (name forgotten) from Pov-
erty Flat who wrote that charming love letter in poetry,
while sojourning in Paris (whither she'd gone, after her
father struck it rich, to acquire polish "and all that") to
her poor admirer back in the Gulch ; the conclusion being
to the effect that though she had
"Danced with nobility and all that,
Still, some how Joe, I'm thinking
of you and the good old days
For my heart is back there, and
You've struck it, Joe, at Poverty Flat."
They are all of a type, and can be seen at almost any
considerable stopping point from Laramie to Sacramento.
Untrammeled by corset, unembellished by pads, her
form's her own, not by reason of artificial appliances but
by right of nature's handwork and outdoor freedom.
Lithe, supple and graceful, slender and straight; great
black eyes, head thrown back, a white collar and im-
maculate cuffs ; neat and tasty in everything ; fresh and
sweet, without powder or "liquid complexion w r ash." She
is modesly free and independent and unaffected, calls a
Chinaman a Chinaman, and if she likes you she says so ;
IN BRET HARTE'S COUNTRY. 285
if she doesn't she doesn't. Were she to hear some of the
insipid, insincere, snobbish, English aping- gush of her
Eastern sisters somethink like this: "Aw, my deah, deah
Miss Mushroom, very, very delighted, awfully charmed,
I assure you doncherknow" — she'd think it was Greek;
or that the speaker was a freak fresh from some dime
museum. If she knew the real depth of deceit covered
by this imbecile tissue of exaggerated English affection,
she'd feel like turning the hose, filled with alkali water
of Bitter Creek, on her. Then when she meets a friend
and kisses her — I didn't see an illustration of the opera-
tion on a subject of the opposite sex — she kisses; no
crosslot kiss or canary bird peck, do-it-quick-and-get-
away-from-me-variety, but a good, genuine sincere old
North American unaffected delicious lingering kiss — my
but how a fellow hankers for one himself. And it is
beautiful to see the chivalrous respect accorded her by the
sterner sex of all degrees, from the millionaire mine own-
er or cattle-man to the cow-bov herder.
There is no money worth talking about to be made by
either the horse owner or the track owner in harness
racing. An expensive plant has to be maintained gener-
ally three hundred and sixty days in unprofitable idleness,
to be ready for use the other five days of the year. Under
such conditions no association can hold its own and scale
down its entrance fees to anything like the standard in
vogue on the running turf. Six and a quarter per cent,
looks to be exorbitant when you are making an entry, but
it isn't half so big when you are running the meeting.
THE OLD PLAN THE BEST.
(Published in the "Trotter and Pacer," January 1, 1899.)
The mile and repeat plan has often been tried and has
never proved a success. Associations that now have the
most successful meetings every year have all tried two-
in-three heat racing, and you notice they don't put them
on their programmes now. It was tried at old Fleetwood
Park; Cleveland has tried it; Terre Haute and other
places have given it a trial without success. I may be
old fogyish, but there is a higher aim in the breeding
and racing of the trotting horse .than to make of him a
medium for gambling, which I see is one of the argu-
ments in favor of shortening the heats. I regard the trot-
ter too highly for that. Those whose want to bet can do so,
as it is, and I am opposed to anything that will offer
any stronger gambling inducements.
If associations wish to shorten their programmes, let
them give fewer races. Let them have but two races
during an afternoon. That will give at least six heats,
virtually six races, and probably more. As soon as you
begin to shorten the distance the horses have to travel,
horsemen will begin to breed for flights of speed, to the
deterioration of stamina. Instead of having good, game
horses that are able to go mile after mile, there would
soon be a lot of soft things, that would quit like dogs if
pushed to their speed beyond a mile.
Our present system of three-in-five heat racing has
been evolved by leading minds in the trotting horse world
THE OLD PLAN THE BEST. 287
extending over a period of fifty years, and has been found
to be about the fairest test of speed and endurance. What
has been the result? We have to-day trotters that can
go at speed many miles without injury. They are useful
off the track, able, enduring, every ready to respond when
called upon, — the noblest animal on earth.
Could as much have been said if our breeders had
been straining purely for speed at short distances? Not
at all. I can mention certain breeds of trotters that can
go at a wonderful flight of speed for one or two heats.
They are good for nothing else. Yet in the two and
three heat plan, such horses would win all the money
over the game breeds that can go heat after heat long
after these flighty ones have shot their bolt.
I am also opposed to sending yearlings and two-year-
olds out for fast records. Even three-year-olds are too
young to be raced severely, in my opinion. They seldom
amount to anything further. Hardly one per cent, of
them ever train on. I can at present recall but one case
where a youngster has trained on and amounted to some-
thing, and that is Tommy Britton. I remember very well
when it was considered almost a sin to call on a trotter
for full speed at even four years old, and a horse was
only considered matured sufficiently for the severe knocks
of the race track at eight years. Look back at the bruis-
ing campaigns which such famous ones as Lady Suffolk
and others of her kind were able to stand. That sort
stood the stiffest kind of campaigning year after year
without wearing out. We have them to-day, but they
are pushed to the limit too early and do not wear as long.
The only argument in favor of the two-in-three heat
system is that it would be easier on the horses, and there
is not so much in it at that. In regard to attracting larger
288 TAI,ES OF THE TURF.
gate receipts, I think there are other kinds of races that
would prove sufficiently novel to attract the crowds. I
believe a saddle race would prove popular, wagon races
driven by owners, and other things of like character in
connection with the big stake and purse races would prove
drawing factors. The further we can keep away from
the speculating feature, the better for the trotter.
The most worthless fraud on earth is a stud horse bred
to trot that cannot trot.
Don't cite the popularity of the running turf to prove
the benefits and purity of the dash system.
Without the revenue of the pooling privilege, no asso-
ciation can make an adequate profit on the amount in-
vested in a track and its appurtenances.
When a man says his horse has speed, ask him what is
his record. If he has not a record, ask why, and how he
knows his horse is fast. If he hems and haws around,
making this excuse and that one, that he was never
trained, that he intended to have him some time, that he
can trot, and he could "prove it if old Bill Jones was
alive," that he was injured when a colt, etc., look out for
that man, "he's foolin' ye." Pass him, his horse and his
excuses by, and find one that has been trained and has a
record to show his speed.
PAT SHANK
(Published in "The American Sportsman," January S, l.v.il.
In a fertile corner of Medina County, O., watered by
spring brooks and rich with sweet grapes that grow upon
the gently undulating country round about, where the air
is clear and bracing, a few miles from the romantic and
beautiful sheet of crystal water called Chippewa Lake, is
the little hamlet of Litchfield, and in Litchfield resides
"Pat" Shank. Perry O. Shank, about 1856, opened his
eyes within its borders, and tradition says his first thought
was horse. One of the youngest of a very large family,
the son of a country Baptist preacher, it is unnecessary
to say that the lad was brought up in the path he should
go as regards morals and taught to "hustle" in all his un-
dertakings. From a juvenile tobacco-grower, he developed
first into a country schoolmaster, then, following the path
of some older brothers, into a full-fledged trotting horse
man. The handsome farm, and tidy buildings thereon,
standing on the tax duplicate in his name, attest his
success in his chosen vocation. It is singular that the
ministerial profession and a love for horses go hand-in-
hand, but that this affinity exists there is no denying, and
a good preacher is almost invariably a good horseman.
In this case it must have been the results of the inevit-
able law of heredity — a cross in his pedigree — for of the
seven brothers personally known to the writer, everyone
are horsemen, and good horsemen at that. Not "horse
jockeys" in the general acceptation of the term, for they
are among the leading men in their community.
290 TALES OF THE TURF.
Blessed with a sunshiney disposition and sanguine
temperament, with a kind word and a pleasant smile for
everyone ; no wonder that all the pretty country girls ad-
mired the handsome little school-teacher, nor, that later
on, the wild and timid colts almost immediately gave him
their confidence. To gain the confidence of a horse is
the first and greatest step to success, and a faculty that
nature has been niggardly in bestowing, for it is pos-
sessed by few men. Until that point is reached, there is
no need of trying to educate a horse ; once accomplished
the remainder is easy.
"Pat" Shank certainly possesses it, and is a genius
in his branch of the profession, that of breaking and edu-
cating youngsters. I am not writing of a man who has
brought his jaded horse first to the wire in many a bit-
terly contested grand circuit heat, for his experience in
that capacity is limited, and his name unknown to the
world who have witnessed the brilliant drives of a Doble,
a Hickok, a Goldsmith, or a Geers. But, in the greater
faculty, if the more obscure one, of educating a colt to
trot, Pat Shank need yield the palm to no man. Others
may fit a developed horse into better condition ; many can
drive a race for the money, possibly better than Pat — but
he can drive for my money at that in any company. Oth-
ers may have the honor and glory of adepts in campaign-
ing, but the quiet, even-tempered man who first lays hands
on a colt, and teaches him to step, is the greater genius,
and the one most in demand, for the public has awakened
to the fact that there is a separate branch of the profes-
sion. Had we more such men there would be more trot-
ters, fewer hobblers and spoiled colts, among the many
thousands of high-bred ones that are annually produced.
PAT SHANK. 291
The writer has had a good opportunity of watching
the different methods adopted by different trainers, and
has come to the conclusion that the colt himself must do
much of his own training, and the man who can discern
the many different ways that the many differently tem-
pered youngsters have of aiding their own education, is
the man who is bound to succeed. You can prepare and
condition a developed trotter, by an iron-clad system of
.miles at a certain rate at certain intervals, repeats so
often and on just such days, but you can't educate a
colt by any such set of rules. You can't train him "by
note" as it were. I've seen Pat Shank take out a colt with
the intention of speeding him, and bring him back to his
stall before he had gone one hundred yards away, telling
his man to put him in and take care of him, as he was
not then feeling just right for fast work. Shank be-
lieves in letting colts trot and encouraging them to trot
when they want to trot themselves, and frequent short
brushes are therefore a prime factor in his success.
Some of our ablest trainers and drivers have never
learned this trick, but try to educate a colt by the same
rule they condition a developed trotter. They jog him
just so many days and on those days if the colt, feeling
in him the instinct to do what he is bred to do, attempt
to spurt away, he is taken back, for that is not on that
day's programme. He will be given a certain mile or
half-mile at a certain rate and certain time, with a con-
templated repeat on a certain day. In the interval the
colt may often ask to be let to step along, but no, that
won't do then. The repeat day comes and the colt is
harnessed. If he happens to feel real well, the repeat
does him some good — although not the best system for
educating ; but if, from any cause, he is dumpish and
292 TALES OF THE TURF.
don't feel like trying to trot, making him trot does more
harm than can be estimated; and it is this iron-clad sys-
tem' that fills the land with hitchers and hobblers and spoils
hundreds and hundreds of promising youngsters that
would, under more intelligent education, be shining lights
on the turf. I'm sorry to say it seems to be the pre-
vailing system, with many trainers who have reached the
point of being great race drivers.
Go to Pat Shank's place any time and you will see
speed — young speed. This colt and that one are brought
out and harnessed ; the harness may not be so expensive
nor the vehicle so bright and clean, but the youngster
that pulls it can step, and step like a "mechanic." There
will be a woeful poverty of hopples and spreaders
and this and that new-fangled patent devilish device for
torturing youngsters, that have been spoiled by over-
work, and should be forgetting the evil results of their
mistreatment in pasture fields ; the mane may not be braid-
ed with ribbons and the colt covered with boots — worth
more in many cases than the animals wearing them — but
when Pat clucks to him he squares away with the even
one-two-three-four stroke that is music to a horse-lover's
ears.
Under his tuition Oliver K., 2:16^, learnt his first
idea of speed; Gray Dave, 2:2234, "stepped some" for
the first time; Newton B., 2:17%, received his prelim-
inary education ; Keokee, 2 :20%, went through her prim-
mer ; Wyandot, 2:19^, won a bare-footed two-year-old
— his first race ; Oakhurst, 2 129^4 ; Hersey, 2 \2yy 2 ; Men-
dicant, 2 132, and many others started their education on
Pat Shank's half-mile track and under his cunning hand
proved that almost any trotting-bred colt can, by intelli-
gent treatment, be educated to trot.
HEAT BETTING.
(Published in the "Kentucky Stock Farm," December 31, 1891.)
Heat betting is the easiest and therefore the most
tempting way of swindling the public, especially the army
of small bettors. Remove the temptation, then "laying
up heats" cannot be objectionable. It is the very hardest
matter for the judges to reach and control, so as to pro-
tect the public, of any of the duties imposed upon them.
It is recognizing a system of betting differing from all
previous customs (wagering on contests of any kind be-
ing the main event) and in direct opposition to the fun-
damental law of betting, that "a bettor should not lose
without a chance of winning." When there is heat bet-
ting, even though a heat is "layed up" innocently for the
commendable purpose of enhancing the chances of win-
ning the main event and not for robbery, a certain portion
of the betting public lose their money without an earthly
chance of winning.
The system has been for years the means of more
swindling, more robbery — five times told — in trotting
races, than^all the other methods in racing. Next to it are
"second money plays." Abolish both. If one horse is
so certain a winner that pools cannot be sold against him
for the main event, let betting stand still in that race. Do
not make a repetition of the Hannis-Ford, the Walter E.-
Honest George scandals, and hundreds of others like them
that might be cited, possible.
294 TALES OF THE TURF.
Pool-sellers and book-makers will oppose the abolish-
ment of the system, because, as they claim, "it will keep
money out of the box," on which they and the associations
now get a percentage. But my experience with pool-
sellers is that they are about the shortest-sighted business
men imaginable. They can't see that any and every safe-
guard that can be thrown around their business only in-
spires confidence, and with confidence increased business,
both from habitual followers and from wealthy gentle-
men who now do not bet a dollar — not from adverse
principle simply, but because they do not want to be con-
sidered lambs to be shorn by the job shearers. The pool-
seller of the future is the one who will act in co-operation
with the judges' stand and the association, whose servant
he is, and be ready, willing and anxio.us to expose a steal ;
in the past it has been their motto, anything to shield and
cover up a job. There is no reason why book-making and
French mutual pools cannot be carried on on the result of
the race, and while possibly the volume of business might
temporarily fall off for the time, it would speedily gain
greater proportions than ever before.
Horsemen want five per cent, entrance, and properly
insist that the revenue should come from the gate ; the at-
tending public howl for free admission, and the track
managers get cussed "from A to izzard" from both quar-
ters.
THE TROTTER ON THE FARM.
(Read at Stock Breeders' Meeting at Columbus, O., December, 1890.)
The relation of all classes of horses to agriculture is a
close one, inasmuch as a large majority of them are bred
on farms by farmers. I shall therefore start out with the
assumption that the real meaning of "relation" in this
connection, is the profit arising from the pursuit of breed-
ing the trotting horse.
It is true that the agriculturist has an interest in his
business above that of the simple sordid one of gain ; and
the elevating love of nature engendered by the annual
building of crops from seed sown by his own hand, is a
noble interest leading the thoughts upward, and teaching
the mind to wonder at the phenomenal power of the
Supreme Being.
The trotting horse is an American citizen, needing no
naturalization papers or introduction. For general use
and business he is, next to man, God's noblest creation.
The draft horse can pull, the thoroughbred can run ;
neither can trot ; neither is adapted to the general business
of mankind ; one is a slow slug, the other treacherous and
flighty — a gambling machine. Whereas the trotting-bred
horse can pull your plow ; he can run as fast as is ever
necessary in business, and he can make you grow young
with the pleasure he affords in a "spin" down the smooth
stretch of road on your way home — such a "spin" that
opens your heart, makes you pat the baby on its head,
furnishes a kind word and a loving kiss for your wife,
instead of that desire to kick your dog after a slow, work-
296 TALES OF THE TURF.
your passage with the whip, ride behind a dung-hill beast.
The highest price ever paid for a horse, $105,000, was
paid for a trotter that was produced from a $150 mare,
and was bred, reared, trained and sold by a telegraph
operator. The general average paid for trotting-bred
horses is above the average paid for horses of other
classes. Then why, with the possibilities of extreme
value, and the certainty of a value above that of any
other breed, is not the trotting horse the horse for the
agriculturist to produce? He is the horse of to-day, and
the horse of the future.
Much of the many theories advanced on how to breed
the trotting horse is good, a great deal bad — the old story
of the chaff and the grain. And let me say right here, if
you have not judgment of your own that can separate the
chaff from the wheat, don't start breeding trotters. Let
me hope, for your sake, that you can employ the "separ-
ator" to this article, for it undoubtedly contains much
chaff, and only possibly a very little sound grain that
might benefit you in saving, for I plead guilty, like my fel-
low men, of proneness to the equestrian feat of straddling
a hobby, and riding with whip and spur. The trotting
standard — a much reviled, and often a misleading guide,
acting in the minds of the unthinking men as a harmful
finger board that points in the wrong direction, and add-
ing a fictitious value to many a scrub not worth the water
it drinks — is still mainly the true guide to success in
breeding. It is far from perfect, all know, but, used with
judgment and intelligence, it will bring success, and suc-
cess "puts money in thy purse."
It is true that there are many out of the standard rank
better than many that are in it. But that's where judg-
ment comes in. It is also true that it has no control over
THE TROTTER OX THE FARM. 297
hereditary or individual unsoundness. A plug decorated
with ringbones, spavins, splints, and curbs, not fast
enough to get out of his own way — in short an utterly-
worthless brute — may be as eligible as the best individual
horse and the highest bred one in the land. And that is
where I think the principal evil of the standard lies. Go
to a fair of any of our county agricultural societies with
the following test : Let three gentlemen exhibit three dif-
ferent stallions : No. i — a good individual, fast, sound
and standard ; No. 2 — a flat sided scrub, fit for no duty
that a horse was ever intended for, but standard and hav-
ing a "number" ; No. 3 — a grand individual, fast, high-
bred, sound, but just outside the standard. Then will
appear the numerous individual of the genius standard
crank, with his lofty-wise-acre-I-know-it-all sir, asking
the standard "number" of each. The two having that ap-
pendage, are then, in his estimation, equal. One is stand-
ard with a number, and the other has a number and is
standard, so both are equally good to breed to. But the
one without a number is absolutely worthless in the opin-
ion of the theorist, although in reality capable of making
himself standard by his own performances, and not de-
pending on the departed greatness of his ancestors for that
distinction. That is the fictitious view of the standard,
the evil of the. standard and the place where good judg-
ment must step in and do its duty.
Ohio, my native state, and where is there a Buckeye
not proud of the dear old commonwealth — is by nature
most favorably adapted for breeding the trotter. The
temperature is perfect for his full development and
health ; blessed with an abundance of sweet and nutritious
grasses, and crystal water. It has the native foundation
for greatness in its equine production, being the original
298 TALES OF THE TURF.
home of the Hiatoga, Tuckahoe, Cadmus, Camden, Bac-
chus, and other great families, whose blood is found in
many of the country's best performers. Ohio produced
the great Pocahontas, undoubtedly the fastest harness
horse that ever lived, and whose every drop of blood
sparkles like diamonds in pedigrees where found; potent
in the fastest stallion, by the crucial test of a public rec-
ord, that was ever foaled, Nelson, 2:10. The renowned
Smuggler, 2 :i$%, was bred in Ohio. The phenomenal star
of the "big" four," Sleepy Tom, saw the light of day on
the banks of the beautiful Scioto and the light went from
his eyes while being used for plebian purposes, before he
made himself king of pacers of his day. Blue Bull orig-
inally went from Ohio. The fame of "the dun mare from
Ohio" in so many great pedigrees became proverbial.
Shanghai Mary, dam of the marvelous Green Mountain
Maid, was "a mare of unknown breeding bought in
Ohio." I have seen her picture at Stony Ford. It shares
the place of honor with that of her great daughter, over
the door of the reception room. Hundreds have looked
at the picture of that rakish, angular sorrel mare, with
four white legs and a blaze, and returning again and
again with a feeling almost of awe, and a presentiment
that they were gazing on the picture of a queen of her
kind before asking the genial host, Charles Backman, the
question, "What mare is that."
Mr. Backman spent a large sum of money in attempt-
ing to trace her pedigree, and sent a commissioner to Ohio
for that purpose, but without avail. To me there is a
peculiar fascination in that picture of a ragged-hipped,
clean-cut, do-or-die-looking faded sorrel mare. I told
Mr. Backman that she was in appearance, a typical Cad-
mus, and she is, having all the characteristics of that Ohio
THE TROTTER ON THE FARM. 299
family. David Bonner, a most excellent judge of such
matters, who had often seen Pocahontas, said she re-
sembled that mare very strongly in conformation and
markings. H. M. Hanna, who often ran away from
school to ride "quarter races" on a Cadmus, and who is
very familiar with that family, coincides in the opinion
that Shanghai Mary was a Cadmus.
But to return to our subject, "relation, " etc., i. e., profit
to the agriculturist in breeding the trotter. My advice to
a beginner would be to carefully study the 2 130 list, and
from it form an idea of the breeding or combination of
blood most potent in producing the representatives in that
list. Then breed to the best your means will permit. Re-
member, always, that a horse bred to trot and cannot trot,
cannot do what he is bred to do, and is therefore a failure.
Don't bred to such a one. He cannot transmit a power he
does not possess. Between the two horses, equal individ-
ually, one standard and the other not, breed to the stand-
ard one, but far better breed to a good non-standard
horse than a poor standard one. Never forget that a good
looking horse will always sell well, therefore do not sac-
rifice looks for uncertain speed. In this day the combina-
tion, good looks and speed, should be easily produced.
Never breed to a horse with hereditary unsoundness.
If you can afford it buy mares of fashionable breeding,
because their offspring will sell readily for good prices.
If you cannot afford that kind do the best you can, con-
soling yourself with the reflection that the dams of many
of the fastest horses in the world have been low-priced
mares. Oliver K. was sold with his dam for $150;
Axtell's dam cost $150; Jack's dam sold for $75; Mc-
Doel's for $140; Allerton's for $200, and the list might be
continued up into the hundreds.
300 TALES OF THE TURF.
In every community there are mares of great local
reputation as untiring wear-and-tear roadsters, almost in-
variably high-strung and willful. Remember the hundreds
on hundreds of instances in great pedigrees of "breeding
unknown, but a great roadster." I believe disposition to be
one of the main factors in producing speed. A great
brood mare family is always a high-strung family. Green
Mountain Maid could kick the peaks off the stars ; so
could Bessie Turner, the dam of Oliver K. It was worth
a man's life to drive the dam of Phyllis. Annie Eastin,
the dam of three in the list, was a hot-headed puller that
would go until she dropped in her tracks. Alma Mater
was very high-toned and from a high-toned family. The
dam of Abdallah is renowed in history for her great road
feats. Emaline, the dam of seven in the list, was another
high-spirited one. So was Gretchen, the dam of Cling-
stone. Miss Russell was another, and the dam of Guy
had a will that the black phenomenon inherits. Lady Ful-
ton was a "holy terror" that could and would run away
whenever she felt like it, which was about all the time, and
she could kick icicles off a church steeple. In fact, in a
desultory limited investigation some years since I found
but few mothers of fast performers that were not high-
spirited mares, many of them absolutely mean. So a
brood mare with some speed and a great deal of resolu-
tion is a good article to start off with.
After you breed a colt give it a chance. Feed it well
and when old enough teach him to step out and, whether
in training or not, remember that pure green grass is
nature's remedy for all ailments. There is a great deal
of foolishness in the present day's training. Toe weights,
hopples, patent spreaders and the like are undoubtedly in
rare instances necessary, but are frequently used when
THE TROTTER OX THE FARM. 301
their absence would be much better. A little more time
and patience generally accomplishes all that these mechan-
ical appliances do, and the legs, feet, gait and after ser-
vice of the animal are much better for their omission. If
you can afford it, put your colt in the hands of a capable
trainer — if you can find one of that kind — but better no
training at all than poor training. Good training is a
good investment. If you have the time, train him your-
self. You will find the work a fascinating recreation.
Get up an hour earlier each morning. The colt will enjoy
it — so will you. Do not overwork him. Keep him feeling
gay as a lark, and when he wants to step out let him go,
short distances at a time. If at the snap of a twig, or a
rustle of the leaves of the roadside bushes, he occasionally
starts upon a trot and speeds away faster than his ordi-
nary one, if only for a rod or two, you have then a prom-
ise that will pay to train. If he has no "brush," but the
stereotyped gait, about as fast one time as another, my
idea is that he has not the necessary quality for training.
Sell him then for a business horse; the price will cover
the expenses of raising and a fair profit. If he turns out
only a 2 130 performer, his value will be several times over
the cost of his production, and will also increase that of
his sire and dam. If he should be a phenomenon — 2 :20
or better trotter, you are made rich by one animal.
It may appear that there is an overproduction of this
class of horses, that the inevitable law of supply and
demand will soon have its innings and overproduction
result, as it always does, in disaster. While that may be
true, it is equally true that breeding the trotting-bred
horse, is at the present time, the most profitable industry
the agriculturist can engage in. And remember that the
trotting horse is the most useful horse in the world ; that
302 TALES OF THE TURF.
America is his home ; that we have spent nearly a century
in bringing him to his present state of perfection; that,
being the best animal of his kind, he will certainly gain a
foothold — or rather, increase the foothold he has already
gained with all civilized nations. They must come to the
land of the stars and stripes to get him, and though it
looks like overproduction now, the markets of the world
will soon all want what only we can furnish, and in that
view the business has a rosy hue.
HOW A SWIPE WON
He was entered at Columbus, O., against such good
ones as Baron Dillon, Geneva, Roseleaf, Russellmont and
Aline ; the entrance money had been sent with his nomina-
tion, and Billy — that's his owner — was to be there to
drive. Josh — that was his "swipe" — had his satin chest-
nut coat (the horse's) like burnished copper in the sun-
light ; and patting the glossy neck of his friend — for a
good trotting-horse groom is always a friend of the horse
he "rubs" — Josh soliloquized, "Old fellow, you're fit to
trot for the Persian Empire, pearls and diamonds thrown
in, and you'll win, won't you, old boy ? Then this winter
I'll have a woolly overcoat with a velvet collar, striped
pants, a red necktie and pointed-toed patent-leather shoes,
and I'll cut a swell around home, you bet, for Bourbon,
I've got my last nickel on you, not enough left to pay the
washwoman. You'll win, won't you, old Bourb? But
why don't Billy show up, it's nearly time for the warming-
up heat?"
Thirty miles away that day the engine of a passenger
train headed for Columbus, whistled, slowed, stopped —
breathing and panting like a human being, as good
engines do. A freight train wreck on the track ; no tele-
graph office, no prospect of getting through for hours,
Billy a passenger on that train, and Bourbon's race to be
called in less than two hours.
Clank ! clank ! clank ! went the call bell for the first
race on the card, and no Billy yet. Josh "warmed up"
Bourbon ; still no driver, and the race was called. "It's
304 TALES OF THE TURF.
too late now to get a swell driver," thought Josh, "and,
besides, I don't know what he might do if I did get one.
We 'swipes' can sit on the track fence and criticize all the
drivers, but when we try to drive we make monkeys of
ourselves. Still, I'll go ahead the first heat, just keep in-
side the flag, and Billy must show up for the second heat.
Now, Bourbon, for the Lord's sake remember that over-
coat, red necktie, pointed-toed shoes and drive yourself, for
I'm scared to death now." So, off goes Josh ; but he kept
a long way inside the flag, for he was at the wire first, and
if there ever was an astonished "swipe" it was Josh. Not
only that, but Billy not "showing up," as Josh put it, he
lost the second heat and landed the next two heats and
race. Time, 2 :i3*4, 2 '-^^A, 2 :i3^.
If the reader regards this as fiction, let him look up
the record of the Columbus, O., meeting September 13,
1895, and ask Wm. L. Rice, of Canal Dover, Ohio, who
drove Bourbon Wilkes, Jr., in that event.
A good pedigree is good; a good horse is better; a
good pedigree and a good horse combined is best.
MUSKET.
A horse holding the distinction of being the "unluck-
iest horse on earth" is entitled to a place in history.
Musket came from Iowa to the 1895 Cleveland sale, to be
sold for the benefit of his owner — and the country at
large, barring the purchaser. Soon after his arrival he
showed more speed than any horse on the track had done
that year up to that date, and everybody predicted great
things for the blaze-faced son of Red Baron. His owner
was so infatuated that he paid the catalogue fee — and
that's the only income I've ever received from the horse,
but there's been a lot of outgoes — and withdrew him from
the sale. The horse immediately took sick, I suppose from
chagrin that he had ever made a cent for anyone, came
near dying, but unfortunately for me recovered sufficiently
to be shipped back to the prairies of his native state.
Somehow he kept haunting me, that blaze face and beau-
tiful gait, and I bought him for $600 on the assurance that
he had recovered from his sickness. He was sick when
he was returned to Cleveland, and continued that way.
When he began getting better he was kicked on the arm
of his left front leg by Sunland Clay. His hind legs re-
mained very slightly "stocked" from the effects of the
distemper. In my absence a stable boy blistered them
with caustic balsam with the intent of reducing them, but
the effect was inverse ratio, and the legs swelled clear to
his body as big as a beer keg. He's too unlucky for me.
There may be horse diseases he has not had, but I don't
know their names. He's had a touch of everything I can
306 TALES OF THE TURF.
find in the doctor's books, including hiccoughs and worms ;
and now that he has run the gamut of diseases possibly
his luck will turn. It would just be my luck, but I don't
want to chance it. I'll agree to pray for the man who
buys him — he'll need it.
I will say in conclusion that he is the best-gaited horse
I ever sat behind, and I think I have ridden faster behind
him than I ever did behind Eloise or Rifle. There are a
number of horsemen in Northern Ohio just waiting to bid
on Musket. I hope they won't get him, because it would
be my luck to have him beat something I had in the first
race, besides I never want to see him again.
Do not forget stamina when breeding. What an awful
feeling it is to own a flash horse and see a game one close
to him at the head of the stretch.
THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME.
The soft breezes quivered the leaves that, painted by
the autumn sun, were glowing bravely in every shade of
red. brown and gold the morning I drove, hitched to a
light wagon, a rakish looking bay gelding over the Boule-
vard in Cleveland to Wade Park. His thin lively ears
pricked and turned and played, and his great intelligent
eye glanced from side to side and back at his new driver,
as with his easy, trotting jog he stepped along, a king of
his race, admired by the many ladies and gentlemen in
swell turnouts that met us. There seemed nothing created
that he feared. He was bright, cheerful, happy, pleasant,
prompt and alert to the slightest touch of the rein. In
short, he was that perfection which a road driver may live
to an old age and die without finding.
That bay gelding was Flying Jib, — "the Jib hoss" —
the first horse in the world to beat two minutes in harness,
one of the soundest, sweetest and most intelligent horses
ever foaled, and the fastest horse on the road the world
has ever seen. No wonder that Capt. Griffith would never
sell "the Jib." We reached the speeding ground at Wade
Park on a quiet, trotting jog. The Jib seemed to know
the purposes of the smooth, straight stretch, for his ears
pricked more lively, and he glanced oftener back to me,
poking his nose out in gentle reminder, and if a horse
wonders, perhaps wondering "if that guy holding the reins
realized that he was sitting behind a horse that could beat
anv horse living a brush down the road." The other fel-
low came along. I mean the fellow with holders on his
308 TALES OF THE TURF.
lines, quarter boots on his steed, blue glasses and a know-
ing confident look. He sat straight back, his arms at
length and the lines taut. He had that bantering, tan-
talizing, aggravating if-I'd-only-let-loose-of-these-lines-
where-would-you-be air, as he glanced at Jib and me.
The Jib moved a little faster and I took him gently back
as my rival loosened on his reins and asked his horse to
step along. I allowed him to open up about a length of
daylight, and just when the other fellow thought it was
"too easy," I slacked away to the Jib — whiz, phew, a clat-
ter of feet on the hard road like the roll beat of a snare
drum, a whiff of wind and the Jib was gone. I com-
menced gasping for breath as the wind carried away my
hat and took the few remaining feeble hairs from the top
of my head, the wagon meantime swishing from side to
side, the sparks flying, and I began to realize that I was
riding on a streak of lightning, or rather behind one.
Then I weakened — I've said a thousand times that I could
ride as fast as a horse could go — but the Jib taught me I
was mistaken. I spoke to him, taking him back with a
slight tension, and the Jib, back on a trotting jog, looked
around as much as to say, "what do you think of that?"
We turned and presently met my rival road driver. He
was a good fellow at heart, honest enough not to go into
the "excuse column" when he was beaten. He held up
both hands and we stopped. "For God, mister, what is
that you are driving ? Why, this horse I have has a rec-
ord of 2 : 12, and I didn't think a man could buy, beg, bor-
row, or steal a horse he couldn't beat, but you went past
me like the Empire State Express would pass a funeral ?"
I told him Flying Jib and jogged home.
BUFFALO PARK.
For thirty years the sound of the recall' bell has been
heard and the word "Go" given on the famous Buffalo
trotting track. This classic ground has been the pioneer in
making trotting horse history. It was there in 1867 that
Dexter, the white-legged, blaze-faced conqueror electrified
the country by trotting in 2:17^, beating the world's
record. In 1872 Lucy, the peerless daughter of George M.
Patchen, trotted to a record of 2 :i8>4 at Buffalo when she
defeated American Girl, Goldsmith Maid and Henry. In
1874 Smuggler, by one of his thunderbolt rushes, won a
heat, beating the stallion record, and then lost his race, a
victim of heavy shoes and toe weights, the honors in the
championship contest going to Thomas Jefferson, "the
black whirlwind of the North."
In 1878 all eyes were again turned to Buffalo during
the Grand Circuit meeting, when Splan cut the world's
record to 2 '.i^H with Rarus.
When the first bell rang at Buffalo, Budd Doble and
Orrin Hickok were boys. Dan and Ben Mace were in
their prime. Splan's warwhoop was just beginning to be
heard in the land. The younger generation of drivers like
Ed Geers, "the silent man from Tennessee," and McHenry
of Freeport, followed in due course. "Pa" Hamlin was
just starting in the business of breeding trotters, the suc-
cess of which has made him a personage as widely known
in the country as the President.
[The above was written in 1895. The last meeting held over
the Buffalo track was in 1896].
THE HIGHLY POLISHED GOLD
BRICK.
At the Cleveland Grand Circuit Meeting in 1899, in
one of the slow classes, appeared a rakish bay gelding
entered from "Old Missouri," but his name wasn't "Joe
Brown," nor yet "Brother Ike" of red hair renown. His
driver, name unknown, was of the innocent smiling con-
tingent; at the same time one whom a shrewd judge of
character wouldn't be apt "to collar" with a view to float-
ing a gold brick proposition. And his name (the horse's)
was Sagwa. Now his driver appeared like an industrious
"cuss," but somehow, at the finish, it was eyelashes apart
between the three front horses. He was about the most
indolent young man you ever met. The judges, seeking
the acquaintance of all meritorious fellow American citi-
zens — especially those from the sister colony of Missouri
— sent for the gentleman "all the way from Pike," and in-
troduced themselves to this wanderer and stranger on old
Erie's shores. He, appreciating the compliment, smiled,
showing his clean white teeth — gave them a thirty-year-
in-the-United States Senate-Thos. H. Benton conversa-
tion, and, well, there are authenticated cases where a
"novice" raised to an emergency, especially in a trotting
race, and the summary must tell whether "the gentleman
from Missouri" was "next" to his job. That was Sagwa's
only start in public. They do say though, that the gentle
denizens of the Buckeye State, especially that portion re-
siding in the territory originally known as the "Western
THE HIGHLY POLISHED GOLD BRICK. 311
Reserve" haven't been conspicuous in history for over-
looking a good thing, whether it be a fat political office or
something more reputable, and on the train that took
Sagwa back to his native heath there was a young man,
not of Pickwick's build, nor yet of that of Pickwick's
sleepy boy. Did you ever hear of a certain Doctor who
became celebrated by his endeavor to teach the world how
to live without eating? Well, around the Cleveland Driv-
ing Park trie people know of that fellow's namesake, and
he is a trainer of horses, but as far as known he was not
a follower of that precept sought to be demonstrated by
the pioneer of his name, for history fails to record a case
where he skipped one bite when there was a meal around
and anything left on the table. That was the young man
who in physical conformation was unlike Pickwick and
also unlike Pickwick's sleepy boy.
Sagwa showed him four heats, 2:24, 2:13^, 2:123/2,
2\iiy 2 on a comparatively slow track, the same afternoon,
with regulation time between each mile. Sagwa went
back to Cleveland. It is presumed he was purchased. On
a recent visit to Cleveland the writer of this saw Sagwa
one day, and really did accept an invitation to see him per-
form on the morrow, but that night he received a telegram
that his yacht was to sail for the cup the next day, and
being compelled, out of courtesy to his opponent to be
present at the yacht event, he of course, missed Sagwa do
a great performance. But now, serously, joking aside,
this is one of the best formed, most evenly balanced, and
fastest horses on earth, one that has a chance to wear a
champion's crown. He is one of the best pole horses im-
aginable, and will impress all as an ideal trotter, good
headed, good gaited, the real thing.
MATT LAIRD AND RUBENSTEIN.
A few years ago, at Windsor, Ont., there flashed upon
the public, meteor-like, a handsome, highly-bred stallion,
then unknown to the horse fraternity, and unthought of
by the professional pool followers. He was entered by a
modest young man from Mansfield, Ohio, and I remember
the remark of a shrewd bettor when he first saw the young
fellow : "Now, I don't know where he comes from, nor
anything about his horse, but I'll bet he isn't up here to
buy peanuts or gingerbread, or to smuggle a bottle of
'Mohickinville liquor' across the border; so I'll just 'keep
cases' on that 'slick' looking young man and his good-
looking stallion." The "young fellow" was Matt Laird,
and the horse Rubenstein, and what the pair did to the
other drivers and horses, and the pool buyers "was a
plenty," for they "spread-eagled" the race "for fair," and
philosopher "Benny" sighed as he said, "I made up my
mind to watch that pair, but forgot it, and now they have
got my money — and about everybody else's."
A person with experience in any business knows more
about that business than the same person without exper-
ience would.
WYOKEE
At different sales I have disposed of horses that have
turned out profitable investments. For instance, Marie C.
was sold for $70. She was highly bred and could trot
fast, taking a record the same season of 2:16^4. I sold
Wyreka, green, but very fast at both gaits, for $185, and
he took a record the same season, pacing, of 2 :i8^J, after-
wards reduced it to 2:13^4. These are only instances on
one side of the ledger. On the other side I've sold some
no account ones. For instance, Musket, that I catalogued
as the "unluckiest horse in America," for he'd had every
disease in the calendar from worms up. I told the bid-
ders when he was in the ring they were giving more than
he was worth, and he "made good" for he died soon after
he arrived in Boston, whether because of the location to
which they had taken him, or that he wanted to make my
word good, I do not and never shall know.
Now, whether Wyokee is fated to go on the right side
of the ledger, or over there with Musket, remains to be
seen. I think he's a real trotter, and will be the real thing
as a race horse ; but as I may not be present when he's sold,
1 want to say here that I guarantee nothing about him, his
merits, soundness, or anything else, except that the high
bid gets him. When he's knocked down he's your horse,
whether he is an escape from Hagenback's trained animal
show or the fastest and best trotter on earth. I bred him,
and he's been the apple of my eye. He looks like a race
horse and goes like a race horse. He has never been
trained a minute (I thought him "too good( ?)" to work
314 TALES OF THE TURF.
early, so he was not broken until last summer). He is by
a game, fast horse out of a game, fast mare, knows
nothing but trot, and I've seen him go fast for a green
horse.
I have driven him daytime and night, and he never
made a wrong move with me, but a drunken stableman
fell out of the cart in one of his nightly sprees, and the
colt ran home and stood all night in the shafts. I found
him the next morning — the "bum" who drove him I did
not look for. Afterward I drove him repeatedly. Then
when I took sick the new stableman drove him, and he
(the stableman) was sober. The colt jumped, in play, I
suppose, in turning a corner, and the sober stableman fell
out, so my pet Wyokee ran away again to the stable and
waited to be unhitched. He never raised a foot to kick,
nor lost a hair. I had Tom Gallagher drive him since,
and he says he couldn't make him do a wrong thing. But
there is trouble in the "old man's" house. The stableman
is afraid, the household is afraid, and "Benny" is sick, so
the colt has to be sold, I suppose on the theory that he is
surely bound to kill somebody, and my folks want that
somebody to be somebody else — Christian spirit, isn't it?
But it is the truth, and I sell him with the chances, after
telling the facts.
I wouldn't catalogue all this gush for anyone else, be-
cause printing costs — possibly more than Wyokee is worth
— but I'm playing myself a favorite now, and it will be
printed — unless Tipton kills it, which I wouldn't blame
him for doing. I'll agree to say no more about Wyokee,
even if I'm at the sale when he is hammered. As George
Bain says, "You take him like you take your girl — for
better or for worse."