76 AMERICAN TROTTERS. 



between Axtell and Sunol for the three-year-old championship in 1889 

 is still fresh in the minds oi horsemen ; and, although at length beaten 

 as to record by the fleety daughter of Electioneer, the sturdy son of 

 William L. was sold to Col. John W. Conley, W. P. Ijams and others, 

 for $105,000 net cash a sum he has much more than paid back i-n his 

 three years' stud service at a fee of $1,000. 



The fastest mares at the close of the racing season 1892, are : 

 Nancy Hanks, 2:04; Martha Wilkes, 2:08; Sunol, 2:o8j^ ; Maud S., 

 2:08^, and Belle Vara, 2:08^. 



Nancy Hanks, the reigning queen, is a beautifully built bright bay 

 mare, owned by J. Malcolm Forbes, Boston, Mass., and was foaled in 

 1886. Her sire (see pedigree in full) is Happy Medium a son of Ham- 

 bletonian and her dam is Nancy Lee, by Dictator also a son of Ham- 

 bletonian. Her record at the close of 1891 was 2:09, but in 1892 it was 

 rapidly lowered at least a half dozen times until Wednesday, September 

 29th, when she made her present mark, 2:04, on the regulation track at 

 Terre Haute, Indiana, hooked to a bicycle sulky, and driven by Doble. 

 The gait of Nancy Hanks when going at full speed is about as near the 

 perfection of trotting motion as the writer ever expects to see. There 

 is absolutely no friction, and almost no body motion ; indeed, when at 

 full speed she would prove as comfortable a saddler as any of the modern 

 "single-footers" that delight the rider's heart. She is still in the hands 

 of Mr. Doble, who has driven her to all her fast records, and may very 

 possibly lower her present mark the coming season. 



We present her portrait through the courtesy of the American Trot- 

 ter, Independence, Iowa. 



Martha Wilkes (foaled 1883), a large, rangy, rather coarse-looking 

 bay mare, is by Alcyone, a son of George Wilkes, and out of Ella by 

 Clark Chief. Her record of 2:08 was made with a bicycle sulky, on 

 Thursday, September i, 1892, at Independence, Iowa. It is possible 

 that on account of a technicality this record will not be allowed by the 

 Register Association, in which event her best technical "record" will 

 be the mark 2:08*^ made at Evansville, Indiana, in the second heat of 

 a race, September 2gth, following. She was bred by Mrs. Carrie M. 

 Marders, Pine Grove, Kentucky, who sold the mare to Mr. E. D. Wiggin, 

 of Boston, her present owner. In the opinion of some, Martha Wilkes 

 is a dangerous rival to Nancy Hanks, but we cannot concur in such 

 opinion. That she is both game and fast there can be no question, but 

 on neither count does she equal the present queen. 



Sunol, third on the list by virtue of her 2:08^ (Stockton, California, 

 kite, November 20, 1891, old-style sulky), we have already mentioned 

 in detail. She is in the hands of Charles Marvin, and if no further 

 misfortune occurs we expect to see her reduce her record in 1893. 

 Whether she may reach the record set by Nancy Hanks is a question to 



