THE QUEEN OF THE TROTTING TURF.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1188, 7 December 1894, Page 26

THE QUEEN OF THE TROTTING TURF.

THF MILE RECORD.

At Galesburg, Illinois, on September 19, 15,000 people yelled themselves hoarse when the great trottiqg queen Alix beat the world’s record by coming under the wire in 2min 3fsec. It was a noble performance from. start to finish,- justifying th 9 assertion about the ability of Alix to beat the world’s record. The day was an ideal one for such an event, and the track was in good condition. It was five o’clock when Alix passed in front of the grand stand for a little preliminary work. McDowell was her driver. In tlie stand, when the time arrived for Alix to be sent off, were Jones and Monroe _ Salisbury, joint owners of the mare. Williams was the starter. When all was in readiness, Williams announced: , “ Alix will now go against the world’s record —2min 4sec." The crowd became silent and for the instant there was great suppressed excitement. The.start was made in splendid style. Alix came as -regularly and steady as clockwork, with head down and her short pointed ears twitching nervously. She was given the polo, with the runner just to her right and -a trifle behind. When she approached the. wire for the start she seemed to be going a little slow, but she soon increased her pace. She was working like a machine, and yet so easy and graceful that one would hardly imagine sho was travelling at such a tremendous clip. • When the quarter was reached there was general exclamation : “Thirty and a-lialf; she will beat it." From that to tlie half she seemed to fly, making it in lmin Lj-sec. The third quarter she increased lier pace a trifle, goining in lmin 32|sec. When she started up the home si retch there was the greatest excitement. Some started to yell but were suppressed as Alix was moving down without apparent effort. Thus far, there had nob been a false step or wobble of any kind. She seemed to fairly fly to get away from the horse that came thundering behind. As she neared the wire many men glanced at their watches, and saM, “ She will noc make it." The last few rods she again seemed to increase her marvellous speed, and as she darted under the wire the shout went up from thousands: “ She’s done ifc; she’s done it."

The cheering was prolonged, and it was some time before Williams could quiet the crowd so as to make himself heard. He then announced: “You have witnessed the fastest heat ever trotted by any horse on the globe just trotted by Alix. The first quarter was made in the half in lmin Ifsec, the three-quarter in lmin 32-Jsec, and the mile in 2min Bfsec." The crowd again cheered, and thousands rushed on to the track as McDowell came driving Alix back. Williams introduced Mr Jones, the owner' c£ Alix, and the cheering again rose. Jones was nearly smothered in congratulations- He said:

“ I was confident Alix would beat the record. I knew what she could do. She came into my possession as a yearling. I bought her at a combination sale at Chicago and shipped her to my farm at Davis City, Nebraska. She is now six years old. Her first race was at Beatrice, Nebraska, in June 1890, when a three-

year-old. I trained her that spring. Last year she made a record of 2min 7fsec. The first trotting she did this year was in the exhibition at Council Bluffs, where she went a mile in 2min lO jsec, and since that time she has gone on steadily reducing her record. I shall not start her again here. lam satisfied for the present. What I may do I cannot say yet, but it belongs to someone else to beat her record." —San Francisco Gall.