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ED BRADLEYS KENTUCKY PLANS. How and Why Idle Hour Stock Farm Came To Be Incorporated. The Incorporation of the Idle Hour" Stock Farm moans much more than was told In the dispatches announcing the filing of articles at Lexington, Ky., last Tuesday. It is the first step in the formulation of some ambitious plans for further pleasure and profit Ui the breeding and racing of thoroughbred horses by K. R. Bradley, of Chicago. Ad is well known here, Mr. Bradley Is the owner of the Del Prado Hotel, Is the backer of a big clothing establishment, has profitable . interests in the great winter resort. Palm Beach, Florida, makes a book when lie is in the mood, owns a string of racers trained by J. Hurley and quartered, when they are iu the east. In a neat stable adjoining the Haggin establishment on Avenue U, at Sheeps-heatl Bay, where, during the racing season, lie also maintains a luxurious cottage. .Something over two years ago Mr. Bradley was chatting with a man named Turner, in whom he has much confidence and whom he has lately backed in a profitable mining venture In the west. Mr. Turner had been to Kentucky and had paid a visit to the farm of Colonel W. L. Simmons, on which is the grave of the -noted trotter, George Wilkes. Turner, after describing the farm to Bradley, mentioned that he had been told that it could be liought or leased. Turner, It appears, was especially impressed with the water he had drunk from a never failing spring a feeder for the creek that runs through the farm. Bradley, after hearing Turners description of the place, said to him that If it was as delightful a spot as he had pictured, he should buy or lease It. "What would I do with It?" asked Turner. "Raise race horses on it," replied Bradley. "Why dont you 7" asked Turner. - "By ganuy, I will," replied Bradley, and forthwith they began to . more seriously consider the matter, with the result that Bradley, after a visit to - Lexington, leased the properly for live years with the privilege of liuylug It within Ihat time at a price somewhat over 0,000. He remodeled and elaborately furnished the old mansion, reconstructed the old barns, improved the fences, blasted out the rock In the hillside from which. Hows the spring water, built there a large concrete pool from which wholesome -wafer is piped over the 350 acres lo barns and paddocks. He named the place Idle Hour Slock Farm, because lie had leased it as the result of a chat in an idle hour and because lie had found in it a haven of rest and recreation between his busy seasons. He collected a band of about thirty well-bred mares and put the farm in charge of William Baker, of New York, with "Doc" Leigh, brother of Eugene Leigh and the one-time owner of old Horse Shoe Tobacco, as his aid. The two-year-olds that he raced this spring were broken and trained over the three-quarters mile track on the farm by Leigh and turned over to trainer Hurley at racing time. The stallion Holstein was bought with the Idea of making him the master of the court, but death overtook him before he had a chance to add to the profit and glory of Idle Hour. After a month at the farm last spring, Mr. Bradley found that his health had so greatly improved and that Mrs. Bradley was delighted with the surroundings to the extent that he" decided to close his option on the property. He had invited Thomas F. Dolan, Lexington, owner of Jean Be-rcaud and a small baud of good mares, to spend a portion of the summer with him in the cottage at Sheepshead Bay and there he unfolded to Dolan and his brother, John R. Bradley, of New York, his notions about liuylug the place and expanding as a breeder. The result of this talk was the idea to incorporate the Idle Hour Slock Farm with a capital of 0,000, divided into 500 shares of 00 each, E. R. Bradley taking -100 shares and J. R. Bradley and T. F. Dolan fifty shares each. The life of the corporation began November 1, and, within the next fortnight the purchase of the farm will be paid and the property deeded to the company. E. R. Bradley Is to be the president and treasurer, J. R. Bradley the vice-president and Thomas F. Dolan the secretary and general manager. There are adjacent acres that can be added to the farm when needed. Jean Bereaud and the Dolan mares will be transferred to the farm shortly. Contract for the building of a new twenty-two stall training barn has been let and It is to be finished this winter. At the close of the meeting at Aqueduct trainer Hurley will take the string now in the east to Lexington and, after a rest of about a month, will go to New Orleans with such-of the older horses and coming two-year-olds as are chosen for winter racing. Trainer Leigh is now handling about twenty yearlings at the farm and they will have their trials when Mr. Bradley and trainer Hurley arrive at Lexington from New York. It is the intention of Mr. Bradley to remain at Lexington for about a month and the probabilities arc that he will add to his marcs at the sale which is to lie held in that city Thanksgiving week. There are now about twenty weanlings at the Idle Hour Farm and last spring a number of1 the mares were bred to the best" stallions In the blue grass region. Tarpeia II., the dam of John Peters, was sent to the court of the great English horse, Rock Sand, and Plillistla, the dam of Phil Finch, was mated with the French horse Adam. Both mares are said to be in foal.
