74 AMERICAN TROTTERS. 



observers, nothing short of wonderful, and in some respects showed 

 'marked superiority to the son of Lou and William L. 



C. W. Williams, who bred, owned and drove to fastest records both 

 Axtell and Allerton, says in Rush Park catalogue for 1890 : 



" I was proud of Axtell on the day that he carried me a mile in 2:12 at Terre Hautei 

 but I am free to confess that I felt a keener thrill of admiration for the young race horse 

 Allerton when he landed a winner of the Brewster stakes at the Northwestern Breeders' 

 Meeting, after having fought out two races of eight heats within four days, both against 

 large fields of aged and seasoned campaigners, either one a better race than has ever been 

 trotted by a three-year-old, and the last quarter of the last mile done at a 2:12 gait in a 

 head-and-head contest with other horses. Axtell lowered the three-year-old record that 

 afternoon, but the cheers which greeted his performance were feeble and tame beside the 

 s torm of applause that followed the suspense of the fight to the wire between Bassenger 

 Boy and Allerton. When the great colt flashed past the post in that heat with Bassenger 

 at his saddle, still trying to win, I think he placed to his credit the gamest and greatest, if 

 not the most brilliant, record ever made by a three-year-old. And this opinion I find is 

 shared by many breeders, particularly in Kentucky, where a popular horse must be a race 

 horse as well as a trotter. The men who still love to talk of old Dexter and Director are 

 the ones who fancy Allerton." 



Allerton's best record of 2:09*^ was obtained as a five-year-old, 

 hooked to an old-style sulky and against time, but after a brilliant racing 

 campaign, in which he met and defeated the handsome bay stallion Nel- 

 son, 2:10, and Delmarch, 2:11^, and was himself defeated by the present 

 queen of the trotting world Nancy Hanks, 2:04. 



Nelson, by the way, has been peculiarly unfortunate in having to suf- 

 fer expulsion from the American Association tracks through the machi- 

 nations of his owner, whose name he bears. By formal action of the 

 Board he has lately been reinstated, and we should like to see him placed 

 in the hands of some such man as Doble, Marvin or Splan for the cam- 

 paign of 1893, The breeding of Nelson is peculiarly strong his sire, 

 Young Rolfe, tracing back to the famous old white-faced, white-legged 

 pacing mare Pocahontas, 2:17^, and his dam Gretchen a granddaugh- 

 ter of old Hambletonian being out of the Morgan mare Kate, whose 

 sire was the famous Morgan representative, Vermont Blackhawk. If 

 Nelson does not reduce his record in 1893 it will be through no fault of 

 his breeding or his individuality. 



The stallion crown has had a numerous succession in the last few 

 years. Allerton took the championship from Nelson, who had held it 

 prior to September 4, 1891, with his record of 2:10^, made October 21, 

 1890, and who had in turn received it from Axtell, whose record of 2:12 

 was made as a three-year-old earlier in the same year. Axtell received 

 the crown from Maxey Cobb, 2:13^, who was first by record at the 

 close of 1888. Axtell, a dark bay, was bred by C. W. Williams, of 

 Independence, Iowa, who also drove him to his wonderful three-year-old 

 record. His sire is William L. , a son of George Wilkes, and his dam 

 is Lou by Mambrino Boy a grandson of Mambrino Chief. The contest 



