PETER MANNING 75 



those who have succeeded in getting their pupils up to where 

 they could lower the record, even through it be by but the 

 smallest fraction of a second (as timing prevails on the trot- 

 ting tracks) have done something away beyond the usual. 

 Six two-minute trotters in nineteen years does not look like 

 a great number. But the trotting breed is yet young and 

 two-minute trotters are still two-minute trotters. Nor is ic 

 probable that they will ever be produced in great numbers. 

 One every three years is not many. But it is possible that 

 the average may change. There are those who believe that 

 in the not distant future trotters will race in two minutes, be- 

 cause there will be more trotters bred with that capacity. Be 

 that as it may, the situation at the beginning of the year 1922 

 is that in nineteen years but six two-minute trotters have ap- 

 peared, and that while two came out in 1921, the same thing 

 occurred in 1903. 



With this brief outline of the history of the two-minute 

 trotter we will now go on to present the story of the present 

 champion, Peter Manning, 1:57'^, bay gelding by Azoff- 

 Glendora G. by Emmett Grattan. 



Bred in Lake County, Illinois, by W. M. Wright, Peter 

 Manning was developed by Harry Putnam, of which later, 

 and after that trainer gave him a time record of 2:06^/2, as a 

 three-year-old, he was bought by Thomas W. Murphy, acting 

 for Mr. Irvin W. Gleason of Williamsport, Pa., for $21,000. 

 Mr. Murphy raced him through the Grand Circuit in 1920, 

 when the colt was four years of age, and he was returned the 

 winner of every race but one during that season and retired 

 for the year with the world's record for trotting geldings in a 

 race, which was 2:0214:- 



During that year nothing was done with him with any 

 other object in view than to lit him for his races and keep him 

 in condition to win them. His best record was made in the 

 race for the Transylvania purse at Lexington, and it came 

 about in the fortunes of war that Mr. Murphy was injured 

 and was unable to do the driving, that task falling to Mr. 

 Harry Stokes. 



With a winning race record of 2:02^ the prospective 

 champion was without racing engagements for the season of 



