How they Break the Records.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume III, Issue 131, 26 January 1893, Page 7

How they Break the Records.

Referring to the many wonderful performances of last year on the American turf, the Toronto (Canadian) Empire remarks :—

“ Record after record, both of horses, men and machines, has been smashed into smithereens ever since the first day of 1892 dawned upon us. Historians of the future will point to it with pride as showing the progress of this nation in the glories of Columbus, and the sporting part, even though ignored by students of political economy, will be duly recognised by all who delight in the progress of our horses, our athletes, our pugilists ; yes, even the very vessels that connect us with the old world.

“ The thoroughbreds have cut a wide swath through the figures of fastest time. Two of the most important turf records smashed this year occurred at the fall meeting at Morris Park on the same afternoon, Saturday, October 1. Everything was favourable to fast time, as the track was in perfect condition, and a powerful wind was blowing directly in favour of the runners, which it was estimated accounted for a second or a second and a half of the fast time made. Dr. Hasbrouck ran five furlongs in sysec, admirably ridden by Dogget, and easily beating Correction, the runner-up. This knocks a clean two seconds off the pre-

vious record for the distance, held by a half dozen sprinters. The second record to go by the board in the afternoon was that of the six furlongs. Yemen did the trick, after a hard race with Estelle, the time being xmin qfsec. Had M'Cafferty ridden Estelle with more judgment the latter would have got the race and perhaps a still better record, as she has oceans of speed at the finish, and was running much faster than the winner. M’Cafferty kept Estelle back in the ruck until the last few jumps, and then it was too late. The speedy thoroughbred began his devastations of time early in the year, when Toano, on January 8, at North Bergen, carrying 1161 b, made a record of 54sec for four and a half furlongs. Kildeer greatly increased the gait for a mile, when in the actual race over the straight course at Monmouth Park, August 13, she made the record of xmin 37fsec for the distance. In giving this record due allowance is made for Salvator’s trial against time the preceding year. He was specially prepared for it, and had everything in his favour. It was a great run, that of xmin 35£sec, but was not made in a race. Yo l ambein’s mile and a sixteenth in xmin 45fsec, at Washington Park, Chicago, July 19, is another record, also that of Lorenzo, at Garfield Park, August 12, fora mile and threesixteenths, the time being xmin 59fsec. Lamplighter chopped a quarter of a second off a mile and a half record on August 9, at Monmouth Park, when he ran zmin 3zfsec. “ Nancy Hanks electrified the world when she knocked spots out of Maud S’s record of zmin Bsec by trotting a mile in 2min sfsec. A couple of weeks later, when Nancy did the mile in 2min 4sec, the astonishment was world wide. Since then Nancy has tried to discount this performance, but has failed, zmin ssec being the best she could do. Nancy Hanks has not done all the record-break-ing in the world by any means. At Nashville, Tenn , on October 21, the black stallion Storm stepped off a mile in 2min B|sec, giving him the stallion record, which Stamboul afterwards tied in California. Last Saturday Kremlin clipped off another fraction, trotting in zmin Bfsec at Nashville. At the Nashville meeting in October, Little Albert, in the Free-for all Stakes, forced the four fastest heats that were ever trotted, the times being 2min xzsec, 2min lof sec, zmin xxfsec, and 2min xofsec. Several other records went by the board at the same meeting. Directum established a new record for three-year-olds by reeling off a mile in zmin lif sec. On the same day a yearling pace record was established by Mill Lady going a mile in 2min josec. The day before (October 17) at the same track, a Lexington bay filly, Nellie A, knocked the spots out of the trotting mile record for yearlings by doing a mile in zmin zofsec. The best previous record for the age was zmin sec, made by Leone at Chillecothe.”