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Show ! HE'S THE PROUDEST I ANIMAL IN ALL THE WIDE WORLD Uhlan 1:58, Owned By C. K. G Billings, Whose Days On The Track Are Now Over Has Trotted More Record Miles Than Any Horse That Ever Lived. Around the winding bond that enters on iho many bridle paths in Central Park. New York, he dashes every morning in early spring and fall His coat is shining ebony; his proud head is held high; and his gait is that of the thoroughbred with his paws coming up and down with machine-like precision. If you are an inhabitant of the Amcrlcau metropolis you have probably prob-ably seen him, carrying his master. And you hae undoubtedly marvelled marv-elled at his graceful form and actions ac-tions and questioned who the stocky man astride him might be. And well you mighl, for this ebony-black marvel is Uhlan, 1:58, by Binge n. l.':"!')1. out of Blonde by-Sir by-Sir Walter, Jr., the greatest trotter that ever lived and his master the man who rides him is C. K G. Billings. .New York, multi-millionaire, one of fhp most famous loers of fast horses in the world who has driven more than 114 world's records. rec-ords. But Uhlan's days on the track are over. The 11-yeai-old black gelding geld-ing who has trotted more fast miles in record time than any other horse ever did. is retired and Mr. Billings Bil-lings now uses him only as a saddle-horse while in New York during dur-ing the remainder of the year, the son of Blngen lives the life of peace on his master's vast country ''State. Curl s Keck farm on the celebrated James river, among the hills and valleys val-leys of old Virginia. Here he lives over and drcam6, (if horses do dreamt of his many conquests on the turf and enjoys life as few human hu-man beings do. Although this story deals with Uhlan, in the main, a word or two about Mr. Billings would not be amiss. Born in Chicago, his father was himself a famous horseman, irho owned the one-time world's champion mare, Princess, dam of Happy Medium. So the love of horses, especially the record-breaking kind was born into C. K. G. When he was a young man. work-tag work-tag in the gas works of which his lather was president , the first yearnings yearn-ings for a trotting horse came to him and he looked around the Windy City for the best he could obtain He was lucky enough to stumble tipon an especially promisnig mare, the price for whom was $2,500, slightly above ihc young Billings' bank balance, so he went to his toother who made up the difference. When the elder Billings first saw the horse he said to C. K. G. : "Son. what did you pay for her?" "Just 1600, father," came the answer. an-swer. ' "That is too much money for you to invest in a horse and I will take her off your hands at that price," hlch the elder Billings proceeded o do, much to the discomfiture of dIs boo That was Mr. Billings' initial venture ven-ture in the racing game, but since that time, he has invested hundreds tt thousands of dollars in equine flesh. He owns such horse3 aB Uhlan. Uh-lan. 1;58; Lou Dillon. 1:5814. tne trotting queen; The Harvester, 2:01. Charley Mac, with whom he established estab-lished the amateur saddle record of 2 : 1 4 i . and formerly owned Major Itelmar, .59. But back to Uhlan, the black gelding, geld-ing, the greatest trotter of history. The son of Bingcn is now eleven years old. He was bred by Arthur H Parker, well-known horseman of Bedford. Mass., who sold him when Quite young to CharleB Sanders of Salem After the black beauty had reduced his mark to 2:02, Mr. killings purchased him from Sanders San-ders at the 1906 Columbus meeting f the Grand Circuit The price was 35,000 one of the largest sums ver expended for a trotter. I The gelding was then placed under un-der the care of Charles (Doc) Tan- ner, Mr Billings' trainer, for the remainder re-mainder of the 1909 campaign On July 9. 1910, Mr. Billings drove Uh-J0 Uh-J0 to his first record over the North Randall mic track near Cleveland, was the son of Bingcn's first attempt, after beiug purchased Dy Mr. Billings, and he was hitched to wagon, negotiating the distance I In 2:02, He was unpaced. On August S. of the same year, the ebony beauty reduced this mark y a minute and ihrce-quarters, over tne same track with Mr Billings up. Tn'8 also was made to wagon, the barters being reeled off in 30. 25,.4. 30',4, :j ri3 seconds respectively. At that "lime, this mark was the ; World's record for a trotting geld- Ing, made either to sulky or wagon, the previous record being established establish-ed in 1904 at Memphis by Major Del-mar Del-mar who was hitched to sulky and went in 2:011i. And then the son of Blngen and Blonde further exhibited to the sporting public on August 12, four days later, at the North Randall Grand Circuit meeting Uhlan was brought up to establish Hie world's record to harness or sulky and driven driv-en by "Doc" Tanner he went a mile in the sensational time of 1:584, breaking all trotting marks, but one and that one was established by aid of a windshield, when Lou Dillon went in 1:58 over th Memphis track i in 190::. but she followed -x runner to whose sulky was attached a canvas screen to break the w ind. Uhlan's next effort to lower records rec-ords failed, but only on account of unfavorable weather conditions. The ebony marvel was started at the Hartford meeting of ihe Grand Circuit Cir-cuit over Charter Oak Park where Mr. Billings drove him to beat his wagon record of 2 01. but Uhlan failed to equal it by a quarter of a second, the time being, 2:01 . The dav was not favorable, there being a high wind which retarded him. A'nd yet old horsemen who saw this effort claim that with track and weather considered it was a better mile than ihe North Randall record, rec-ord, as the fractional time, 3034; 1:01, 1 ; 32 V4 and 2:01 ',4 showed that he went the last quarter in 29 seconds, a remarkable performance. Old horsemen will tell you that "A hoss without a heart ain't no pood." this reference, of course, not being meant literally, but as a synonym for stamina and grit. And the possession of "a heart ' is one of Uhlan's greatest assets, for there never was a horse bred or raised who has more grit than Bingen's son. This was illustrated at the Goshen Go-shen half-mile track in New York state when the black beauty went for a world's record over the two-lappcd two-lappcd track in 2.02 with Doc Tanner up. He got away from the starting post in good shape, but at the quarter quar-ter pole he stumbled and fell to his knees. Fearing some injury to the great trotter, the audience rose and let forth one long gasp and sigh. But what was their amazement when they saw the beauty pick himsplf up, stagger for two steps, then jog for a few more, held back by Tanner Tan-ner and then break Into a fierce trot that nearly wrenched Tanner's arms from the sockets. Speaking of the performance after the race, the driver said: "I sure thought Uhlan was n goner when he stumbled there and after he picked himself up. I just held him to a Jog. not caring anything any-thing about the record. But. he seamed to want to go, so I let him, thinking maybe we might, get In under un-der 2:10. but I never thought we'd get that record." The season of 1911 was Uhlan s greatest and that summer saw more trotting records broken than any previous year. And they were all smashed by the marvelous son of Bingen. At the North Randall Grand Circuit Cir-cuit meeting. Mr. Billings drove his pride to a world's record to wagon, going a mile in two minutes flat, equaling the mark which Mr. Billings Bil-lings had set over the Glenvillo track at Cleveland in 1903. with Lou Dillon but the trotting queen wan aided by a windshield when she made her attempt. Mr. Billings also drove Uhlan to another record at the same meeting three days later when the black wizard went a half-mile to wagon in 56 V4 seconds This trial was made liefore the erection of the inner half-mile track at the Cleveland fair grounds and Uhlan started from the half-mile posf to the wire in order that the finish might be made in front of the grand stand. The next year marked Uhlan's greatest performances, the lowering of his mark to 1:58 and the setting of the team record at 2:034 Both these were made at the meeting of the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders' Breed-ers' Association at Lexington and Doc Tanner handled the reins both times On October 8, what is heralded as the greatest performance in the annals an-nals of American turf took place, the setting of the world's record for trotting horses regardless of bi . According to Tanner, there wasn't much to the race. "I just let the black baby go and he went that s all." But the thousands of spectators who witnessed the race will never forget it As the ebony coated gelding geld-ing swung into ihe stretch before the grandstand, they just stood and gaped, with eyes wide open. They tried to cheer the horse on but they couldn't they found they had lost the use of their vocal organs. When the figures "1:58" were hung on the announcing board, there followed a silence a silence that must have approached the one which came after Lincoln's speech at Gettysburg And then .he stands broke out in cheering. Spectators filled (he track and tried to shake the hands of Mr Billings and Doc Tanner. Three days later, hitched to the pole with Lewis Forrest, 2 064, another an-other of Mr Billings' many trotters. L'hlan set the world's record for teams, going the mile in 2 : 03 Vi . The pair was scheduled to beat 2:j73.i( the previous mark And thus ended the public career of the greatest trotting horse that ever lived. The thought may enter your minds that with his great string of trotters, Mr. Billings must have made a fortune from their winnings, but such is not the fact, for C. K. G. is a "true sport." His horses have never raced in a purse or stake race. Horses are his hobby and they cost him thousands of dollars yearly and yield him no monetary return The trophy room at Curl s Neck farm is filled with many trophies, for that is the only reward Mr Billings Bil-lings will accept. It Is said he has more cups and trophies than he can count, but if you should ever have the good fortune to be a guest at the farm in the winding hills of Virginia, Vir-ginia, and should ask the little old man what "such-and-such" a cup was given for, the chances are ten to one that he can answer your question in full. And if you should ever happen to be about Central Park and catch a glimpse of a big black gelding, with a little man with a drooping mustache mus-tache astride him, gather your breath and yell at the top of your voice the one word "Go" in the manner of starting Judge Frank Walker and watch the feet of that black gelding geld-ing pound the ground in perfect unison. mHHHG doc. tanner telling I |