THE TROTTER 73 



excellence in England and on the continent nearly two 

 centuries ago, and was capable of maintaining a con- 

 siderable rate of speed in races of from four to twenty 

 miles, up to the year 1806, no trotting -horses in 

 Europe or America had taken a record of a mile in less 

 than three minutes. In that year the horse Yankee 

 took a record, on a half-mile track, of 2:59, at Harlem, 

 N. Y. The record was gradually lowered, but thirty- 

 nine years passed before any horse trotted a mile in 

 2:30. In 1845, the gray mare Lady Suffolk won a 

 race on Beacon Course, Hoboken, N. J., trotting in 

 2:29%. The first trotter to beat 2:20 was Flora Temple, 

 who took a record of 2:19%, in 1859, at Kalamazoo, 

 Mich. Following are the notable reductions of the 

 trotting record since that time: 



Dexter, 2:17%, in 1867. 



Goldsmith Maid, 2:14, in 1874. 



Rarus, 2:13%, in 1878. 



St. Julien, 2:12%, in 1879. 



Jay Eye See, 2:10, in 1884. 



Maud S., 2:08%, in 1885. 



Sunol (a three-year old), 2:10%, in 1889. 



Nancy Hanks, 2:04%, in 1892. 



Alix, 2:03%, in 1894. 



The Abbot, 2:03%, in 1900. 



Cresceus, 2:02%, in ]902. 



Major Delmar, 1: 59%, in 1903. 



Lou Dillon, 1: 58%, in 1903. 



The great increase in the speed of the trotting -horse 

 is striking evidence of what may be done by intelligent 

 breeding and training, but it must not be thought that 

 the records of Yankee, 2:59, in 1806; Lady Suffolk, 

 2:29%, in 1845, and Lou Dillon, 1:58%, (Fig. 9) in 



