JUVENILE SPEED

Evening Post, Volume CXXVII, Issue 55, 7 March 1939, Page 15

JUVENILE SPEED

PROGRESS IN AMERICA

Two-year-old trotters in America have come a long way since the day that Native BeHte-trotted! in 2mim 7|sec to become the' first jnavenile in- history to trot a mile in 2mm; lOsec.

' That performance,. which, set the standard by which: all outstanding ■jia-veni'l'es ,are judged!—the 2mnin: IQsec last —occurred! on October 6; 1909, at Lexington,. ' the' performance corning in- the second! heat of the junior Kentucky Futurity;-

The list, of two-y/ear.-ol'd; trotting | champions starts of£ with; BoMe-,: son j o£ Ericsson1,- who* back: xai 1872 trotted a-, mile at Lexington; iri 2min 4©tsec, 'ai Hal*' cry from; the performance at iHexingtow in the, axxtwxm .'of Nibble Hanover-,, who- won the jfiimior Kentucky' Futurity in 2mi;a 23sec. FsQm Bobfe to- Native Belle,, tike first 2:I0s jiuvenMe-, the jiumaor trotting championship was held! in Home by So So 2;38£, Orient 2',3B'i, So- So 2.31,. Sweet•heasct 226| r Fred!' Crocker 2^25| tend this son of Electioneer is the only igelefeg: that has ever held; the juvenile Itrotlfeg: csownOy Wildl;o.wer- 2.21,, Sunol ■2.185. a*l^ Arioa 2Cl&f, wfi© niled1 as :Miag! of the* jruvenife trotters' for the longest period^, eighteent years;. RECORD* OF DECADE,- ■ Witfe the MsagEcraiitm of- t&e 2.10 list for youm.® trotters by Native in; 1;909i, every campaign) since with the exception of t&e 1911 and! 1312 seasonsv has brought out additions to this allS-staT" jhavemife class. Now at the conclusion of the 1938; campaign there aare* no> less, tfram 3.79 juvenile stars. Of this nT-imfeeir no less tliara 24® have corner during the past decade*, showing to- jiust what degree: the itmior trotters of the- present- day are progressing. Fblfewinig. Native Belle as the..next *enampi©iav f otir years' later, came Peter Tblb:. He first trotted' in 2tetin 6|see at Cbltealkis,. Qfoiov. and! then shortly alfter set the Tkrf world agog by trotting in 2min 4|sec at Lexington,' becoming the first 2.5 juvenile in history. Today this 2.5 juvenile group numbers thirty-one candidates, of which no less thato twenty-five have come during the1 past decade. O>£ the six youngsters who entered the 2.5> list prior to 1929, not one is ranked among the sport's ten fastest two-year-old trotters. Last in the list of the ten fastest is Twilight Song, 2.3|-. Fastest, in the group of six produced between 1913 and 2829 are Mr. McElwyn and Fireglow, both of whom acquired marks of 2min 4sec. GREATEST JUVENILE. In 1922, Mr. McElwyn replaced Peter Volo as the two-year-old champion by trotting in 2min 4sec The ill-fated Fireglow Sashed across the horizon in 1927 to equal this work, to be hailed, still today by many, as the greatest juvenile of all time. The final step, so far, in juvenile trotting speed was then reached in 1929, when the two youngsters, Hanover's Bertha and Mam McElwyn, staged their thrilling duel for top honours. The filly cut the mark first to 2min 3£ sec. This was reduced a few minutes later by the colt, who trotted, in 2min SJsec, and who further lowered this to 2min 2Jsec on October 7. Eight days later the filly came back to trot in 2min 2sec, which mark was equalled by her full-brother, Lawrence Hanover, in 1934. Maid McElwyn holds the juvenile race record, set at 2min 2^sec in that greatest of all two-year-old trotting races, the junior Kentucky Futurity at Lexington in 1931, finally won after four desperate heats by Calumet Chuck, 2.4, sire of the new race-record holder for a colt, Nibble Hanover, 2.2£. While the group of new 2.10 juvenile trotters of 1938 will not be hailed as one of the greatest, as it numbers but nineteen additions, with the exception of the 1932 season the smallest addition during the decade, nevertheless it added two colts to the roster of the ten fastest juniors—Nibble Hanover, 2, .2.24, and Peter Astra, 2, 2.2J, grand pair of youngsters judged by any standards. These two new 2.5 additions for 1938 make the twelfth consecutive year that the juvenile group has had 2.5 members. JUST MISSED. Three other members of this year?s 2.10 class narrowly missed the 2.5 circle: Lyrmite, 2.5 i, Gauntlet, 2.5J, and Bagpiper, 2.52. Lovely Lady, 2.7, the grand filly owned by the well-known Wisconsin horseman Mr. Henry McNutt, of Ox-, ford, was one of the stars of the year. The filly put in an unbeaten campaign of nine races without the loss of a single heat. She climaxed her campaign by trotting a half-mile track in 2min 7fsec, a reduction of a full

second in the world's record for fillies on the smaller courses.

Eighteen new additions to the select 2.10 group for 193S include:—

Nibble Hanover,, b c, by Calumet Chuck, 2.25; Peter Astra, b c, by Peter Vole, 2.25; Lyrmite, b f, by VoTomite. 2.5-1; Gauntlet, b- c. by Spencer, 2.5-4; Bagpiper, be, by Guy Abbey. 2.53; Lovely Lady, b f, by Scotland, 2.7; Belmont Hanover, b c, by Calumet Chuck, 2.7 i; Earl's Yankee Joe, b c, by Rutherford, 2.7|; Wayne Scott, b c, by Highland Scott, 2.7J; Cherry Hanover, bf, by Peter the Brewer. 2.8 i; Leemite, b c r by Vblomite, 2.8£; Symbol Gantle, Jolfc c, by Symbol S. Forrest, 2.9; Mack Bell, blk c, by Mr. McElwyn, 2.9; Clay Hanover, br c, by Calumet Chuck, 2.9 i; Desperado, b c, by Peter Volo r 2.9£; Denny, br c» by Protector, 2,9#; Voltina, br f, by Volomite, 2.93.