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I i 1 i THOMAS F. RYANS BREEDING VENTURE. Imported Stallion. Sea King. Established at Head I of Oak Ridge Stud in Virginia. Ni uj Hoik, febrnary 27. —Thomas Fortune Ryan, one of tlie newest recruits to the ranks of American breeders of the thoroughbred, has followed the . examples of the veteran Cant. R. J. Hancock and Heavy T. Oxnard, and established bis stu.l in the . Piedmont section of Virginia, oak Bldge, bis va-t estate 10,000 acres la extent u picturesquely situated uitiiin the shadow of tin- Bine Bldge, midway . between Charlottesville ami Lyuchburg. It lies ? thirty u. mil- - distant, as the crow Hies, from Filer-lie. the birthplace of Morello and Bnssell and j the present home of Celt and Glorifier, and about t ISO aaUes from Bine Ridge, the country seat of Mr. oxnard. where are domiciled those veteran aspirants I for stud distinction. Prince of Melbourne sad Golden i Maxim, and the younger Btallloas, King .lame- :;inl I Fayette. Sentiment bad something to do with the selection , by Mr. Ryan of »ak Bldge as his country place, roc j. it wss in Kelson County thai be was reared, l "be j. old Ryan homestead is pari of the new estate. Mr. Ryan nixed shrewd business m ant witb sentiment J when be set out to buy Ids farm, with the result r that oak Bldge comprises the ssoat fertile and beat , watered land to bo found In Nelson County. a Virginian of old stock, Mr. Byaa is congeaitally . a lover of BBC horses and a business association of f many year- with the late William . Whitney . iharpcacd his Interest la the taorooghbred. Years s ago Mr. Whitney urged his younger sssodate to , mix I bit of racing in with business for diversion and recreation, and Mr. Ryan promised be would. II was not until live years after Mr. Whitneys I death that he felt be could scare time for racing, but when he decided lin.ilh to take up the sport £ lie did as Mr. Whitney had done before. He established a breeding farm ami prepared to ran .» only stock of his own production. Mr. Ryans is the eood old-fashioned English Idn , of racing, the idea thai has been followed In this country by snch distinguished sportsmen a Cot. William R. Johnson, himself a Virginian; G egi I.orillard and his brother Pierre, David Dunham , Withers. Col. William P. Thompson. John A. Morris. Alexander Johnston Cassatt. the BelSBOnhS, father r and son: Gen. Stephen Saaford. Robert Chan, Met t Hooper of Boston, James R. Keene. apt. E. B. ta— alt and Clarence H. Muekaj . In ■ quiet wa he set about to acquire suitable stallions and broodmares, and he has boaght without r considering price at the advice of Maj. Foxnall I Daingerfield, a fellow-Virginian, and Richard Croker, whom be km W tilteen or twenty years ago, when Mr. Crokers genius guided the councils of Tain nutay Han. rhroogh Major Daingerfield Mr. Ryan bought the ■ stallions Monsieur de LOrme and Fllisdale and the twelve thoroughbred mares which were the start of the Oak BMge Stud. On Mr. Crokers advice ha » purchased the handsome young English stallion Bes i King, a son of Persimmon and Sea Air she by iaaaoaay, and eight or ten big-boned mares of Irish i hunting stock. Mr. Ryan expressed to Mr. Croker and Major Daingerfield his desire to breed stout In ailed, iong-dis-tanee - runners, and iheir purchase- in his behalf were made accordingly. If. as will presently be shown, the stallions and marcs of the Oak BMge Stud do not got and produce n rare of distance runners, . there is nothing in the theory ol selection. Soa King was taken dm of training in 1910 m ],•■ ■ shipped to the Byaa faun s fea days after be had shouldered lis pounds and defeated a band of Rood distance runners over the mile and a quarter Course at Ayr. He be] aged to the stable of sir B. W. B. Jardine. and i- now seven Mars old. His racing record shows him a winner under heavy bOrden a; distances between one mile and two miles and ■ L half. And bark of this record Sea King has the strongest of pedigrees. Persimmon, ids sire. ■ an 1 of St. Simon and Perdita. was the tir t Derby winner and the greatest race horse King Edward VII. earned. The Persimmon the year won Derby -IBM-he ■ also took the St. Leger. An elder brother of Persimmon, Florisei II. . got Votodyovskl, winner in tin colors of William C. Whitney of the Derbv of 1901. and a younger brother. Diamond Jubilee, won the Two Thousand Guineas, the Derby and the St. Leger the coveted triple crown, of 1900. An other brother. Sandringnam, was brought to thi-country - by Mr. Whitney and bad a fair decree of success at Brookdale Stud. Angelas and Royal I tourist were sons Of HaiMJlllllhSIII In essential particulars, the head of the Oak 1 Ridge Sntd leavn nothing to be desired In individuality. He stands sixteen hands two inches on his 1 plates, altboagh.be does not seem w tall at first glance because be is well proportioned, and he tips the bean at 1,126 pounds. Before he attains bis tenth year Sea Kin:; will weigh all of 1.230 pounds. His sturdy, handsomely formed neck rises with just the suggestion of an arch from a pair of perfectly mould",] si ping shoulders and supports ii bead of generous proportion with unusual breath of fore bead, s.-.i King is i stallion of i if inun girth strong ribbed and short backed, although he stands ■ over a deal of ground. Monsieur de LOrme. son of Ortne and Ladv Asphodel, by Hampton, out of Jersey Lilv. bv I.eau-elere, is I closely inbred stallion of the Ormonde stock. An injury sustained as a two-year-old which left a near n the right shoulder prevented Mon sicur de LOrme from racing In 1002 when lie was three years oM, but be is a horse of ample size. goodly proportions and constitutional soundness and Mr. Ryan intends that be shall have a fair chance at Oak BMge. Monsieur de LOrme was shipped from Kentucky in poor condition, but hi lias Improved notably under good treatmeat Seven two year-olds that will carry the Oak Bldge Stud colors during the coming season are s.,|,s .in.l daughters of Monsieur de LOrme. and they are a sturdy, well grown lot. The Monsieur de LOrsss foals of last year are Bve In number. They will i e two rear-oMi next January, and Mr. Ryan will race such as prove worthy. Ellisdnle. a highly tried son of Watercress and I. a Iriuiera. was purchased by Mr. Rvan at the time he boaght Monsieur de LOrme, because he was the only Watercress horse of suitable conformation available. Mr. Ryan wanted Waterfooy. but Mr Haggin « add not sell. Etlisdale, a foal of 9 M. was trained in 1908 and I.xit by Matt Allen for James B. Brady, and showed handsomely In private trial*. He was not, however, a brilliant race hois-and. because i f that, Mr. Ryan intends him for service with the Irish hunter marcs he imported in 1910 with the stallion Sea Kins. Mr. Rvan. it turns out, asknl for a price on the famous stallion. Plying 1 ox. but his representative was informed that this noted ham was not for sale. The eleven mares of the Rvan stud, one of Uneven down purchased by Major Daingerfield three years ago having died, are: anecdote 1898, by Tom Ochiltree— Lizzie Tabor, by Coltness. Debater 1898, by BaanU — Contradiction, bv Sterling — Casuistry, by The Miner. Ethelinda II. 1893, by Favor — Heleva, by Iroquois Ilev.i. bj Mortemer. Fairy Bird 1909. by clear the Way— Fairie Queen, by FaustUS -Cleopatra, by Rosicruclan Mayni. M. ||. 1898, by Falsetto -Macola. bv King Alfonso- Marguerite, bv Lexington. Mom 1902, by Freemason Mrs. Boas by Harvester—Sister to Peace, bj Thunderbolt. Weh of Fate 1898. by Tournament— Distaff bv Lowland Chief Homespun, by Hampton Worst 1903, by Lamplighter— Bad Luck by Strathmore Misfortune, by Gilroy. Secbelsea 1892, by Strathmore— Zeltea, by Virgil A-i i. by AUSI raliai . shekels 1900, by Juggler— Pelf, bv Parsebearer Bonnie Marden, by Lord Lyoa, cherry wild 11898, by Bon -Cerin, bv Moccasin Lfande Locas, by Aastrallaa. HORSE NEEDS OF THE ARMY. Major Henry T. Alien, at tin- renal Bnortsateak pinner at lln Waldorf Astoria, told BOffli infrestr. facts ot horse conditions in tin- army, and what had been done for - .it at the different posto In xuti stain ■ he said : "Tonight, winn we an- here to do honor to Kin. Horse, wlnn w,- are also doffing our bats to laru numbers of the royal branch of the family as thm-i ike ih ii departure for foreign countries." we bear of a proposition ii Congress t.. diminish the ,-_ nvalrj ••! tie- i nlted States by on.-third. ie;uiimr a country of 7 ».i eo mim.iiv mile, which, with il- lie pendencies, has KjO.OOO.OOO people, with a handful of cavalrj of ten regiments. A- patriots ami :. sportsmen I esrnestlj Invite yoor attention to tost proposal. "It is hardly worth while for me to tell you of in great difficult] the ststes bsve in maintaining ml Itla cavalry and ti id artillery, and of the time t q to -o tin: bones and men that they can at I to I ih r as in offensive military, weapon. It is jum as important to have .ii bami n supply of cavalry and held artillery as II is to imv. ;l reserve of rifles and cartridges, and especially Is this true In the i ..i Ij stages of war. "in ratio of our Aral line cavalry loom- Brat lin,-infantry on mobilisation i- already l«--s than In F: inci Germany, Bnssls or England, whereas our et stretches and prions other considerations d thai our proportion be larger than in other countries. "M reasons for appearing as ,-i qnasl-speskei it ■ hie i.. n belief by some that a short story might he told ■ i -port in the army. There is BO feature ol mounted spoil in which the arm. and especisllv the mounted branches, sbonM not he Interested. What for iii.niv of ] .ii i- purely sport and pleasu is f..r i- in addition a ,iut Intimate!] ailed a tb our efficiency and our worth to the government. Under tneae condition- ever] mounted man should be keenly iutcre»ted in that which you gentlemon I . . . ? j t I i I , j. j. J r , . f . s , I £ .» , , r t r I ■ » i i - a-scmbled liere tonight in sucii large numbers stands for. "The bone and hound racinit and cliasiti:; ahoald he in existence at every pool in the army win re there are mounted troops, instead of at Compare lively few posts, as at present, The progress we aie making is. however, very shrnlfieaat, and it is attributable essentially to two causes — the eaor- in. .us encouragement .vou jrcntlenien have given us in numerous ways, and the cordial support of the present Secretary of War and Chief of Staff. General Leonard Wood, bj his precept and example, lias set a pace tmeoualed by any chief of staff or commanding general, and the results will sorely eventu-ste in better officers, better horses and belter s, rvice. "Stecplechasing. During the past twelve months Jumping pens, and in many cases steeplechase courses, have been ordered constructed at all posts . where there are mounted troops. In this same direction more activity will lie inaugurated during the ■ c ining year, for it is the intention of the depart event to have every commanding otlicer of mounted regiments lead all his officers over a course of about three miles with obstacles within a reasonably fast time. "Our officers have participated against each other for liberal prizes offered by various association at Belm ml Dark Terminal. Rrooklinc. Ron Tree al Mr. Wideners place. Laurel. Richmond and Plmlico. At the latter place they were emboldened to try Issue in one of the open amateur class,-. The re-salt was very satisfactory. It goes without saying : that the interest awakened here in the east is spreading to all our garrisons wherever they lie. "Polo has been materially improved, especially in i the Philippines, in the Hawaiian Islands, at Foit Rilcv and at Fort Sam Houston. It now seems prob-! able that there will be tournaments at Fort Riley. Fori Sam Houston, and also at Washington. The three lust teams will then compete at Washington, and from all of these players an army team will be selected to compete at Narragansett this year. i"n-. der the proposed policy of keeping fewer regiments of cavalry in the Philippines, whence no horses nor polo ponies can. under any circumstances, be brought back, army polo should be greatly improved, and I predict modestly, be it said that within three years from this date we will have array represeuta-tioo at the international matches. "In the horse shows our officers have participated with Increasing skill: but. as we started at a very low rung in the ladder, it is natural that some time will be retpiired in reaching the rungs near the top. 1 believe you will agree with me that our progress has been something. The future should show con-. tinned Improvement in that direction. At these sh,,ws our efforts have, in the main, been directed toward inculcating in the minds of our officers and of the public what we believe should bo the appear-, :incr of charger! and service horses and what training they should possess. "Fifth Olympiad.— It may be that we will have no representation at Olympia this year, but we w II be represented at Madison Square and also at the Fifth Olympiad in Stockholm. For the latter the Chairman of the Military Committees of both houses of Congress have promised to provide for the ex-penses. That is a long and valuable step for- us. but it does not logically follow that this consideration would occur again. "In this connection it seems to me that we should increase our efforts in the general campaign of edu- . ■ : i ealiou. having as its common purpose the betterment of tin- horse and of the aoneinaa. Naturally i tt.it touches tie- army vitally, but we need much assi-lauce i:i bringing the Importance of Hie sub jeet so forcibly to our people at large I hat the i d blood of their belags and their pride of ran wili dominate anaemic auplneness and niggardly parsimony. As a nle, Congress cannot travel far in advance of public sentiment. If there were no such valuable retana as our service scenes for the small out lav of money involved. I should still say that in the name of sport our great country should yield to no etln-r in its tcpccscntatloa at international contest -. "This is a rather long digression from the Filth Olympiad, for which I apologue. The tests there are extremely difficult and cover a period of tbreje days for th - name horses. The hrat par; consl A of ■ thirtj three niih- ride, of which the last tl Mf nubs will be over a cross country course the whoT to lie covend in roar hours. The second part will be over a steeplechase course, about two miles and MM furlong, with ten obstacles, maximum time flv minutes and lifty seconds, the third part is prize jumping oyer a small steeplechase cuiirse comprising fifteen obstacles as follows: l. hedge; 2. fence, , :;. -ion. nail: I. railway gates; 5, triple Par: 6, fence in dike: 7. hedge and top bar; s. fence, dike, hedge; p. fence; 10, brick wall: II, country road. Swedish fence on either side; il. earth wall with bar: 13, st.ne wail. dike, sl.uie wall: 14. bank fence: 15, dike. The liltli pari coiisi-is m a prize-riding competition; in other words., in a military schooling contest. In all these cases the horse must carry i [ghty kilograms, say 1M pounds. Bach a test will truly prove the value of the charger in ail essentials, -peed, endurance, capacity to carry weight, ability to negotiate all kinds of obstacles. and tnctabillty with nandlness. "In behalf of the service, I cannot fail to express to you. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, the sin erest appreciation and deepest gratitude lor your continued assistance to us and. in truth, to make us elearij -■ • wherein a strong element of our duty Ilea."
