MAJOR DELMAR 33 



miles he trotted. And it happened to be Lou Dillon who 

 was always in his way. But for her mile in two minutes 

 at Readville on August 24th, 1903, she would not have kept 

 the Delmar gelding from the championship even though he 

 might not have held it very long, for on September 9th, at 

 Syracuse, N. Y. he trotted a mile in 2:011/2 to beat Cresceus' 

 record of 2:0214 ai^<i two days later, over the same track 

 as already related, trotted in 2:0014. And it happened that 

 Lou Dillon beat him into the two-minute list by but three 

 days. She took her record on October 24th, and the Major 

 took his best on October 27th, 1903. 



At the close of the season of 1903 Major Delmar held 

 the following world's records: 



Half mile to wagon (1902) 1:01 



One and one-eighth mile in race (1902) __2:22^ 



Five-year-old gelding (1902) ___2:05l/2 



Fastest race heat, live-year-old (1902) 2:051/0 



Fastest mile by a gelding (1903) 1:59%^ 



His record mile was timed by quarters as follows: 30, 

 1:00, 1:28*^, 1:59-^4' ^"<^ while its final quarter was trotted 

 in but 31 seconds he showed a wonderful flight of speed in 

 the third quarter after having trotted the first half at a two- 

 minute gait. 



Alta McDonald is dead and there is no one to give 

 an intimate story of the preparation of this great gelding 

 for his flights against the watch. But it is well known 

 that he was not trained so much with the world's record in 

 view as to fit him for the Gold Cup race, an event his then 

 owner, Mr. E. E. Smathers was more than anxious to win 

 and believed he had a chance to win even though Lou 

 Dillon was the trotter to be beaten. 



When he took his best trot record he wore plain roller- 

 motion seven-ounce shoes in front, and four-ounce pin steel 

 shoes behind with light heel calks. 



Mr. Chas. H. Baldwin, who now lives at Ticonderoga, 

 N. Y., was trainer for W. E. Spier's Suburban Stock Farm 

 where Major Delmar was bred and who gave the colt his 

 early education also drove him in his races as a three-year- 

 old writes an entertaining sketch of that two-minute trotter 



