THE AMERICAN TROTTER AND PACER 



&3 



between 1850 and 1900. Among present-day drivers of note are 

 Edward Geers, " the silent man," the most highly respected driver 

 on the circuit, Alta McDonald, Walter R. Cox, Thomas W. Murphy, 

 Charles Valentine, "Mike" McDevitt, and Dick McMahon. In 

 one year Mr. Murphy won ;^86,iio in various races. 



The distribution of the standard-bred horse is very general over 

 the United States, although more especially east of the Missouri 

 River. It is the most adaptable of horses and seems well suited 

 to the sunny South or 

 to the cooler latitudes 

 farther to the north. 

 The automobile has re- 

 duced the interest in 

 maintaining stables of 

 standard-breds, except- 

 ing in a limited num- 

 ber of cases, where 

 horses are specifically 

 bred for the race 

 course and for gentle- 

 men's drivers. Ameri- 

 can trotters have been 

 exported to some extent in the past, more especially to Russia, 

 Austria, and Germany. Russians were considerably interested and 

 were good buyers prior to the World War. In 191 1 Bit and Spur 

 stated that more than one hundred of our fastest and best-bred 

 trotting stallions had been exported, and gave a list of eighteen, 

 including Cresceus, with records ranging from 2:02| to 2:o9|. 



The official promotion of the standard-bred horse is under the 

 supervision of the American Trotting Register Association, with 

 headquarters for many years at Chicago. The " Trotting Register " 

 was established and first published in 1871 by J. H. Wallace. The 

 American Trotting Register Association purchased the register 

 from Mr. Wallace and also an annual yearbook of records which he 

 also published. Since then these two sets of volumes have been 

 known as Wallace's "American Trotting Register " and Wallace's 

 " Yearbook of Trotting and Pacing." Up to and including 19 18 the 

 former comprised twent^tiWftelaKgffiyMalstHies and the latter thirty-four. 



Fig. 19. A close finish between two of the most 



noted horse owners and drivers in America. From 



photograph by courtesy of the Horse Review 



