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-: 4. * + T 4 JUDGE BURKES REMINISCENCES OF THE LATE JAMES R. KEENE «f 4. * + T J si, ! ll V r • e in ! or - s J , - ■ J I I I ! . , ; I . I - - - I - • , - , . New Vork, Jauuary ii. nu the day before Peter 1 lan wa- -,.nt awa.v to France about three weeks It 1 ago, 1 had conversation over the phone with the late h .lames K. Keeiie. Ii had tn do with the published 1: report, emanating from Lexington, thai he had id that horse t., Frank J. ISouId. Knowing that Mr. Keeue was not in the habit of leaving bis com a tiirialile apartments on the twelfth Boor. I asked I over the phone if it was true that In- had sold Peter S lan I was answered in Mr. Keeiie"- well renieni 0 in-red voice, but uh. BOW weak that vniee was. -oni- 1 pared with other times. Slowly be told me that the .1 A report of the sale was not true; that he had not it iii then decided as to whether the horse would go S either to England or France. Mr. Keene went on t ask it it was tine thai "Woody" Clay had s.ihl 1: his male Ocean Bound to Mr. Widen, r. ami when I I- told him 1 was, be -aid she was a cheap mare al 1 it the reported price IfW.OMO. that be always ml- a mired her. and that he could not blame Mr. Clay .- any ether American owner of high-class horses • for sending them out of the country. at Wishing Imu a speedy recovery, 1 hade Mr. Keene v good-bye, and that is the last of the inan. i-OUVet a sat ions I had bad with this truly great horseman. | In August last, alter the close of the Hamilton meeting, I spent an hour with blm In his rooms, r and talked over the sixteen yearling colts be then t owned and fur which, greatly to my surprise, there t had been tm buyer. I sureh thought that Mr. i Whitney WOUld lake the whole sixteen off Mr. 1 Keenea hand-, but be did not. While in Canada 1 during Cue season it became very plain to tin- that t there wa- ucinu to be a great scarcity ••! horses , in this country for 1913 and future years, and I 1 then suggested in several turfmen that it would 1 not nulj be profitable hut patriotic for them to buy 1 tin- Keeue yearlings and rac. them on this continent, John Y. Schorr asked He to arrange an Interview with Mi. Keene with a view of purchasing the colts, and this 1 did. The result was thai Mr. Schorr. 1 who had secured an option on them for a week, let the i, pi inn lapse becau e he could not interest either i Otto Stilcl or !:. R. Bradley in his effort to buy 1 the whole |ni and rue them In partnership. l„-itii they wei-i s- !d in a lump for 5,009 to a ; New Vork friend of Mr. Bradley, l.ut still utter t this gentleman decided net ti « Into racing nnd bo Mr. Bradley t. .ik them "ft his hands and arranged ; to sell ihein at auction, as an act of friendship to ids New York acquaintance. The total was more t than double that realised ai the private sale a short time before. 1 have often though since then t that Mr. Bradley is -i llrs-clasa man of business in : horse racing nnd breeding, as well as in his other enterprises. When the sale of tin- cits was over i Mr. Bradley said that he mlffhl race the best nt i them in th E soni Derby and St. Leger of mil. i for which meet Mr. Keeue had nominated them, but ; tat.- lias intervened and ley tin- operations of the -English rules ,,;■ racing all of Mr. Keenes entries in -takes in he run in England are disqualified. Hid -,. the cells will nu doubt new he kept on this side of the water. Nn doubt your readers are aware of the tart that many modern English turfmen are averse tn the present working ot the rule which disqualifies horses . when their nominators die. At tin- recent Gimcrack dull dinner at Vork, Mr. Huttou, owner of several prominent candidates for the Derby, took occasion !•■ mention that the first and second favurites in his opinion! inr th, Butium race are owned by men who are nnt their nominators, ami Unit ii the latter died, tin colts are disqualified. It this should happen a day of two before the great race, after vast -un. - of atone] hid been bet on them, what a bowl i would ;.rn ".p. Perhaps, If that should come tn pain this progressive day. the title might he altered s.« as lo permit the present owner tn assume all en- : gagements and race the inn---. This i- the nil- in America. It works well enough here, but the turf legislators of England an- extremely conservative and slew In alter rule- nt s,, radical a nature as this, and we amy not for another generation aee an] amendment. Reverting in the late Mr. Keene. I am free to say thai the popularjij "I his horses and time honored colors were so ureal that no other man seemed in enjoj a- large a public following. It i easy In recall that inr al least ten years, covering that period when James Howe had charge of th horses, not even the far r.nneil magpie colors of Lord Falmouth, tic- predecessor of the present nobleman of that name, enjoyed a greater success, when Matthew Dawson trained and Fred Archer rode the horses. 1 once, in a moment nt enthusiasm, declared I., Horace Theobald, an English gentleman of life inn;: experience with the best sort ol turfmen abroad and bere. that Mr. Keene was the mo**, successful breeder and turfman in the world. "Ilow about Lord Falmouth?" asked Mr, Theobald. Life is too simri to go into comparison between these two great turfmen, both now gone rorever, but I would ool hesitate tn -tick to nn lir-t opinion in favor of Mr. Keene-"- superior -nice—. 1 well rimeuiiier one night crossing the Thirty Fourth afreet ferry with Mr. Keene and riding a tew mil - mi tin- Isoug Island Railroad in the din-lion of Itis seaside borne. Cedarcrest. He was ac customed in take • -iai mi the right hand side ol the car. pull out tin evening paper which at that time wa- .in autborltj mi Wall afreet matters, and i,,i- ih,- i ..I i Ive minutes which it took in carry him t" Cedarcrest, In- never took hi- eve- from the columns of thai paper. Vet, an tbls occasion, be •;.-:i! pail of the time in talking over his then i-eeciii engagement of James Rowe in train his horses. This was in th. fall of I Vis. Mr. Keene had undergone worrlmeuts in the management of hi-iii-i-, - Various trainers had had them. Our was "Bill" Smith, the brother of "Pittsburgh Ihil." Another wa- I rank Brown. Tod Sloan at that time was at Un- height ••! hi- popularity in tin- saddle. and be i -I - w ol Mi Keenea horses. In fad. be rode Ornament f«* B. P. Norton when that horse, trained bj James Rowe. won the Brooklyn Handicap , in |s;is. in l-Mi Row had -nt three to the post for the Futurity and won the race with the least , den. I one. the tillv l/Alouette. the nnperu of the Messrs. Thompson. When. In tin fall of Iv.v I heard that Mr. K.-en, had engaged Rowe to train i bis horses. I t-...k the importunity afforded by meel ing Mr. Keene and congratulated him upon securing -n capable a man. He would he not only trainer, but controller of tin- -tilde. It wa- not a betting -talde. hence i u Im ina I ion call cui no figure. Ill! Ml Keene always liked in think that tin- public should I get il- :ii! nan. .|i a- to Hie plan- of the Riabh from first, himslef. next Mr. Rowe. It wa- nni Urns befon Rowe proved to Mr. Keene inai hi had made a "ten-strike" in engaging him. for. within nine months of that date, a great, big lusty colt railed bacismai owned bj Rowe. evln ill j at Saratoga form - i , mgh I • wis the Futurity al sin- -p-licnl Bay. ami when Mr. Keen* requested Rowe in put a price on him sn thai it be won II n «ld i- in ii Keeue- color* then was no Uesila timi which would liai l en pardonablci ami when the powerful son I Juvenal came home liisi in the |K99 Futurity, with the late Henr Spencer nn bis back, it was in Mr. Keene- "white, blue spnis." It was tin- second time that Mr. Keene had won the great race, nnt the first Cue- thai Rowe trained a j winner for him. as when Domino won in IHH3, he . hi- train, , I bj William l.aU.-land and ridden bj ii: ii nll iii Chicago, of course, recall Ihsulnos ih,, nn,- in Washington iir, hi IXM ind IMM in i II;,- first real . I mi i it: the Hyde Iar!: ind in the nexl I unplaced in Hie Amerfcan Derby. w««t b.i Rej el 1 Santa Anna. i:i Telcgrafo al-e won a his itak« in i «f 4. 1 It 1 h 1: a I S 0 1 .1 A it iii S t 1: I- 1 it a .- • at v a | r t t i 1 1 t , 1 1 1 1 i 1 ; t ; t t : i i i ; . i : , i I j IS93. That was Un- great year at Washington Park. wa- tin- Mecca of every liitrli class horseman and horse in the I nlted States and some came from i.nn land. I The year following Chacnrnacs victory. W. C. Whitneys Ballyhoo Bey, by Kingston, Sloan up. wun the Futurity. The coll had been bred by Eugene Leigh and sold as a yearling t Sydney Paget for Mr. Whitney Im- ;.H«i. in this race Tommy Atkins, one of Mr. Kecnes colts, carried 129 pounda m the 11 that Ballyhoo Hey had up. and ran a good third few days later occurred the memorable incidents , the riatbu-h Stakes, also won by Ballyhoo Bey. i Sloan up. with Tommv Atkins second. Spencer in , ti.e saddle, after a bumping match, which led to a , most exciting acene in the stewards stand when Foxhall Keene claimed a foul against Ballyhoo Bey. wa- ml allowed. Sloan hail been riding that year and the year before in England with such great success thai Mi. Whitney was impressed by hi- skilful work and Induced him to cross the ocean ami ride the sheepshcad Bay tall meeting. Those two week- netted Sloan 4.lMHi he afterwards t.dd me. , and this i- the largest known retainer and fee ever paid to a jnckev for so brief a term of service. However, the feelings engendered by the Flatbusli never quite died away, though I know for a fact that the younger branches of the Whitney and Keeue families were the best of friends later u. and I believe also thai Mr. Keeue gradually forgot the matter. Sloan went back to England and was soon followed by Eugene Leigh, whom Sloan encouraged In cress the ocean to s,-ek a new fortune, the defeat of lldrim iu he Realisation a -hurt time before this having crippled Hie trainer, Sloan also took hack with him the naare Lady Ma— cy. which be-came a frequent winner over hurdles under high weight. During th.- following winter Mr. Keeue sent in England another large division of horses. which included Cap and Bells, which had run unplaced in the Futurity win bj Ballyhoo Bey, hut which a few moist tin later galloped home an easy winner in the Oaks a1 Epsom. Two day- before this. Mr. Whitney had won the Derby with Yoloily-OVSki and. when the new- reached Bere, his owner .ave John .1. MeCraih. Un- caterer at the tiraveseud track carte blanche in have wine opened for thousands of visitors thai day at the course. When Cap ami Hells wun the Oaks. Mr. Keeue gave away the whole stake to charily. That was a great year nn tin English turf Im American horsemen. Vmi remember that Conroy Unit year 1991 won the Brooklyn Handicap for Mr. Keene He was s-nt ii. England in the fall, entered iu all the bis handicaps for 1992 that dosed nn January 1. and when the weights came out lo- and Volmlyovski I the Derby winner i. were handicapped alike. 12!. pounds each, which went to show that the Englishmen rated Con lev a- at bast as ;;ood as a Derby winner. This view is to a certain extent corroborated by .lames Rowe himself. Two daya before Convoy won the Brooklyn Handicap he had won the Morris Park Weight Im- Age Slakes, one mile aid an eighth, defeating Blues easily. W. 11. Rowe, the present Registrar of the Stud Book, was at that time writing tin! articles, and the year before had come out Rtronglj for Commando as a great colt. To this opinion, another contributor to Hie same paper, hid strongly disagreed, bin as Commando went nn and showed himself a craekeijack. W. H. Bow e found solace that he was right. However, on the same day thai Oonroy won tin- race above aumtloned. Commando won tin- Belmont from The Parader just half an hour previous. W. II. Rowe had gone to James Bowe in tin pad dock and congratulated him mi Commandos form. "Yen, he is a first class hmse. but do you know that mi his work Conroy ha- showed me nearly M good?" answered the trainer. W. II. Rowe then went tn a close friend, begged him not tn bet nn Blues the friend had already bet .*•" «• to win 09 nn Mm ami fore Inly induced him lo call off the first bet and to put the 00 nn Conroy at T in 5, nmkiug a difference tn hilll Of -IHI. On he very day that Mr. Keene was dying not having regained consciousness after the operation, both .lames Howe and William Lakeland sat chatting with W. L. Powers in the latter* office lure. Neither would concede that Mr. Keene was in danger. "He ha- come through too many tight places before," said Bowe. These two men, by their loyal service to Mr. Keene. put millions in his pocket. Lakeland had Domino, which won a fortune Im- Mr. Keene when he badly needed help. Rowe hi. nearly two millions for blm in stakes. Mr. Powers practically forced Mr. Keeue to buy Pastor ella I. lam of Odin later for 110.900. II was Mr. Powers also who secured Minteake Im- Mr. Keene for *"-. nisi and. in addition to Wild Mint, she threw Castleton. which wa- soW the other day in England Im- 4,090, II was Mr. Keene himself win. selected anil bid i. :.i ii i for Opttme. dam later of Sysonby. He paid 09,000 for English broodmares, which helped Domino and later his sons Disguise and I Commando lo become famous in the stud and on the . turf. Ii was Mi. Keeue and bis aon Foxhall who , paid ,000 for Domino a- a yearling. It Was Charley Bathgate, one of his agents in , IK79. who iii-isted upon Ids own responsibility in i buying Foxhall for Mr Keene as a yearling for 1913.shTa . Both Mr. Bathgate and Col. S. I. Bruce . acted as agents for Mr. Keene in buying Spendthrift I for tl.v ikni ami a 25 per cent. Interest in his stake . winnings. When lie was palled in favor of his stable . i ipaninn. Han Sparling, in the Withers of Wii Dan Swlgert. who -old Spendthrift, fell that there was something coining tn him. but Mr. Keene did 1 not have in he urged and he prouiptlv sent in Swl gerl a ch.-ck inr tin- 25 per cut. After Spendthrift I ia victim "shelly feet" was twice beaten by f Falsetto at Saratoga. Mr. Keene sent his commix -iniiets hack tn Louisville and bought Lord Murphy : which had won the Kentucky Derbj and defeated I Falsetto, the conqueror of Sfiendttirlft. but Lord I Murphy was defeated in Hie Baltimore Dixie Stak. s in llcorgi Lorillards Monitor. llnth Falsetto and Spendthrift wen- sent tn Eng land that fall. 1. Lorillard having bought Falsetto, Inn both failed abroad and came hack in go p. the stud. One of Mr. Keeue- first big race- here after r his English campaign of 1S79-1KK3. was when Dutch 1 Roller won tin- Hreat Eastern Handicap, ridden al t 90 pounds bv ••Snapper" Garrison. In is?s Sir. Keene paid 0,000 lor the English , horse Blue Oowa which had won tin- Derby uolj ten rears before that, but the horse died crossing . " il,,- nc. an. Iii issj Foxhall won for Mr. K e the .xvcol Hold Cup. That cup wa- in the great fire which destroyed the Equitable building last winter, inn Mr. Keen,- gave imperative orders tn ili-_ it nnt of th.- ruins in time for the Sportsmans Dinner last February, al winch it was exhibited. No doubt [ you know that the first horse actually owned by Mr. Keens for rack | nn j«.-. - wa- tin- trotting - lallmii Sam Iurily. .loSLIll .1. BURKE.
