32 THE TWO-MINUTE TROTTERS 



But he entered the two-minute list at that same meeting and 

 became the wold's champion trotting gelding with his record 

 of 1:593/4. 



Something about the many really good miles this 

 splendid gelding trotted cannot fail to be of interest. His 

 first attempt against time was made at Albany where he set 

 the track record at 2:04^)4- Then he was started at the 

 Empire City track where in an effort to beat 2 :04'^ he trotted 

 in 2:04. 



On September 4th at Providence he lowered his record 

 to 2:02^> and at the New York State Fair, Syracuse, Sep- 

 tember 9th, he further reduced that record to 2:0114. Two 

 days later he just missed becoming the second member of 

 the list of two-minute trotters. It was over the same course 

 and the time of the mile was 2:001/4. This performance 

 he exactly duplicated at the Oakley course, Cincinnati, 0., 

 September 30th, after having trotted in 2:00*^4 ^t Readville 

 on the 14th. At Lexington, Ky., October 9th, he was started 

 against the wagon record of 2:04%^ and trotted the mile in 

 2:03**^. Then he was taken to Memphis where he lost the 

 Gold Cup race to Lou Dillon. That was on October 20th 

 and just one week later he made his first successful attempt 

 to enter the two-minute list and covered the mile in 1 :59^ 

 adding a brilliant chapter to the history of the wonderful 

 speed carnival held in the Tennessee metropolis that year. 



Though started many times in 1904 Major Delmar was 

 not again able to negotiate a mile better than 2:01^4* He 

 started at Providence, Readville, Columbus, Lexington, Syra- 

 cuse and Memphis and four of his miles were trotted in 

 2:021/4. His best mile was at Memphis after he had won 

 the Gold Cup race and was his last effort in public to bicycle 

 sulky. He trotted creditably, however and while the mile 

 broke no records it was done in 2:0114 on a day not suited 

 for extra fast performances. 



During that same meeting at Memphis, Major Delmar 

 was hitched to a high- wheel sulky and to that rig trotted 

 a highly creditable mile, the time of which was 2:07. 



It was the irony of fate that Major Delmar never became 

 the champion trotter of the world despite the many brilliant 



