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COLIN RESEMBLES HIS GRANDSIRE. John Mackeys Views of the Crack Colt of the Year. New York, Decerning 17. The veteran breeder, Jofm Mackey, who lias been manager of James B. Hagglns Kuncho del Paso Stuil at Sacramento, Oal., for a number of years, has been ill at the Ashland House in. this city with bronchial trouble. Mr. Mackay has sufficiently recovered to return to CsUjCorniu, an.a will leave, shortly, for tiQS Angeles, J where he will spend the winter. Mr. Mackey will probably always be Mr. .Hagglns chief adviser in matters pertaining to breeding.. In a conversation with a number of horsemen who had congregated In the old-fashioned lobby of the Ashland House to visit with him Mr. Mac-key, when the talk turned to the matchless Colin, made some observations which are worthy of preservation. He said: "In the reception room of James B. Hagglns suite of offices downtown there hangs a picture of a magnificent brown horse, with a big head and Roman nose, which strikes every one who sees It forcefully, and upon close Inspection admirers of James R. Keenes great two-year-old Colin will note a remarkable resemblance between the horse portrayed and that gallant son of Commando and Pastorclla. I will not say just now that Mr. nag-gins picture would pass as , a picture of Colin, but a little later on it will be discovered that naggins picture is that of Colins paternal fr. eat-grandslre", Darebin, the daddy of Emma C, the mother of Commando, to whom the American turf is indebted for Colin. I never saw a more pronounced case of atavism in horse breeding than this case of Colins. And the longer Colin lives the more like Darebin he will become. I was at Sheepshead the other day and saw Colin running about the lot In front of the Keene stable. "He was a picture of Darebin In conformation and markings, and when I flaunted, my handkerchief at him he trotted to a corner of the lot and regarded me with just such an expression as I used to see on the face of Darebin when he was at Rancho del Paso. His walk is Darebins walk and his trot is Darebins trot. In a year or so Mr. Haggin.will be alle to point to this picture of Darebin and say that it Is a picture of Colin. "All Colin has to do is to fill out a little and he will do that. He is wintering finely, and it is my prediction that he will make one of the handsomest three-year-olds ever seen in this country. Some persons profess not to like Colins head. They do not seem to care for its length and the Roman nose. But that head suits me. You will never find a breeder or horseman of experience who will object to it. It denotes character and determination just as a big rugged head indicates like qualities In a man. I could never abide a stallion with a pretty head. Pretty heads denote effeminacy. We want in the heads of horses length, bigness of jowl and breadth of forehead. Always look for a. fine head when you go to buy a horse, and do not purchase anything that hasnt one." "I am not prepared to say that Colin is the best race horse I ever saw. I have seen too many good ones to proclaim any racer the horse of the age or the horse of the century. If handicapper Vosburgh should In some miraculous manner be called upon to handicap Hindoo, Luke Blackburn, Henry of Navarre, Hanover, Miss Woodford, Ethelbert, Ort Wells, Stalwart, Kinley Mack, Hermis, Sysonby, Waterboy, Africander, Golden Maxim and some others that have raced in this country for a gallop of one mile and a quarter, about the best, thing he could do would be to load each of them down under a burden of 100 pounds and let em rip. And what a horse race the public would see. "Certainly no better two-year-old than Colin ever liued up before a starter. He did everything .asked of him like the gentleman he Is by breeding and individual excellence. He packed all kinds of weight and he won at all distances. He was indifferent as to going and he never seemed to mind the size of the field in which he found himself. Colin ran In big fields and met Interference more than once. Yet James Rowe has never had to make an excuse for him. "If he has good luck this winter and escapes sickness, there is no telling how good a three-year-old he may become. A horse of his splendid action should carry his speed any distance. Unless I am very much mistaken he could have taken up scale weight and beaten any horse in America one mile and a quarter at Belmont Park last fall. "Colin does not have to grow a great deal to make a handsome three-year-old. He was bigger and better developed than most three-year-olds last fall. He merely wants to fill out a bit. There is no better trainer than Mr. Rowe. He may be depended upon to see Colin safely through the winter, barring accident, and to train him successfully for next seasons racing. "Colin came from a superbly bred mare. There is not, perhaps, an English matron of higher quality on this side of the Atlantic than Pastorella. And Colins paternal pedigree is all right. Commandos sire line Is one of the most brilliant in the world, and Emma C. was a great race mare. She had speed enough to beat sprinters three-quarters of a mile and she could go any distance. "Africander," said Mr. Mackey, referring to some of the good horses he had sent to the races from Rancho del Paso, "was a great colt. He was fast and he was game and he is going to make good at Elmendorf farm. He has grown into a magnificent stallion and he i getting big-boned and nicely turned youngsters. But I am not" sure Golden Maxim was not the best horse we ever bred. "GOlden Maxim was an unfortunate three-year-old. He lamed himself and did not get a fair chance to fulfill his destiny.- But he was a splendid colt of rugged type and he is sure to make good at Blue Ridge Stud in Virginia. Mr. Oxnard has some great mares there,, and Golden Maxim cannot fail to get good horses from them. "Mr. Edward R. Thomas is fortunate in having at Holmdcl Farm, Golden Garter, the sire ,of Golden Maxim. Golden Garter is himself one of the best bred English stallions on this side of the Atlantic and has not by any means outlived his usefulness. "Mr. Thomas has some good mares at Holmdel. No better matrons than Amourette, Flora Mac, Maximal, Sweet, Bellane, Braw Lass, Baby and Brillar were offered at the recent dispersal sale of Rancho del Paso nnd Mr. Thomas bought them all. And In addition to Golden Maxim, Mr. Thomas has a brilliant stallion at Holmdel Farm In Hermis, winner of the Suburban of 1904. Better race than Hermis Suburban was never run at Sheepshead Bay and it was not Hermis only good one."
