view raw text
TRYING TEST FOR THE THOROUGHBRED. Man Sets Out from New York to Ride to Chicago and Back Again to Show Endurance of Racer. Xew York. Mav 22.— Mounted on the six year old thoroughbred. Esteban. II. II. Wealherlv set out from New York today on an interesting 2.000-mile ride to Chicago and return, an endurance test de signed to demonstrate the fallacy of the statement that "the modern race horse off the track is good for nothing useful. A journey of this distance has never been ai co n plished. if it has been attempted, with a twentie! i century thoroughbred in this country, or any Other. so far as known, and its progress will be followed eagerly by officials of the war department, the Jockey Club and all interested in trying out the hig.i mettled racer under londitions such as a eavali/ horse would have to endure. Ever since the English system of dash racing a1 short distances supplanted the early American s.vs tern of heats up to four miles, there has been a di-position in some tpiartors to sjuesttoa the endurance ot the thoroughbred and to belli his value as i cavalry noise for long, hard join n ys. Many racing men. on the other hand. uiaintu..i thai the modern thoroughbred is as stout and as valuable as eret li was. and that he can stand more hardships ai. 1 cove-more ground in a minute or a month than any otln r horse tile world has seen. Esteban is a light chestnut in col.... [steel hands high, rather long of leg and light of none, and at a casual glance does not give the impression of being a rugged horse. But Mr. Weatherly sav s la-is a big feeder, always ready for his dinner ami always ready for a gallop. Esteban was bred at the famous Rancocas Stud established by Pierre Lorillanl at .lobstown. N. J . and is by Locohatchee. a noted race horse and i s .i of Onondaga and Sophronia. by Ten Brocck. Tie-dam of Esteban was Flash, bv Ventilator, gland dam Molly Walton, by Mortemer. out of Florence dam of Hindoo and graniblam of Firenzei. by Lex barton Esteban was trained and raced as a tvvn-vear old and as a three-year-old. He has been in the hands of Mr. Weatherly about five months, and by way of preparation for his long Journey has lately covered twenty or thirty miles daily on the mad. mar Martinsville. N. J. No schedule has been laid out for the 2.1IMI niile trip to Chicago and return, but the rider of the horse expects to make it in forty days, thus doing .an average of fifty miles a dav. The route will be by way of Eastou and Reading, to Harrisbiirg. III. Beyond Harrlsbmg the general direction of the Penh sylvania railroad will be followed closely, probably through Altoona. Pittsburg and on to Chicago. Mr. Weatherly is an experienced long-distaiiee rider. He was born in England, nerved in the BlTtlah army with the Tenth Hussars in 1SS2. and from 188K to |8M was corporal and sergeant in the noiiliw. st mounted police force of Canada. In relating his experience with horses Mr. Weatherly said today that in 1889 he rode 1.300 miles in twenty-eight days and sixteen hours on a native Basuto pony iu South Africa, that journey having beiii made over a prairie country with a barefooted horse fed on grass and Indian corn. lie intends to feed, water and care for Estohan himself on the nresent journey. He will ride about eight hours a day and will take advantage of soft earth roads whenever possible in order to keep his horse from becoming footsore When macadam turnpike- age encountered lie will take to the grass at the side of the road to avoid the hard footing, Mr. Weatherly is about forty five years old and weighs 1.12 pound-.
