view raw text
NOTED AMERICAN BREEDER DIES. San Francisco. Cal.. November 17. William OBrien Macdonough, who achieved distinction by paying .50,000 for the unbeaten English horse. Ormonde, some twenty years ago, thereby establishing an American record that stands to this day, died vesterday at the Peninsula Hospital in this city, following a stroke of apoplexy. The deceased was a native San Franciscoau who inherited a large amount of money. He was a bachelor and held membership in the Pacific Union and other prominent clubs of this city. Ormonde must have represented an Investment of at least 70,000 to Mr. Macdonough. The horse was purchased in Argentina for 50,000 and was brought to this country via England, from which couutrv ho had gone to Argentina only a short time previously. Tho transaction made a tremendous stir. Ormonde proved a great disappointment upon being installed by Mr. Macdonough at tho head of the stud that he established at Menlo Fark, near this city. He got a few good horses, it is true, but bv no means what was expected from such a great "race horse and high-priced stallion. Ormon-dale. Ormondes Right and Beau Ormonde arc those of bis get that raced with the greatest distinction. Ormondale won the Futurity of 1905 at Sheepshead Bay in the Macdonough colors. After Ormondes death lie was succeeded in the Menlo Park Stud by his sons, Orsini and Ossary, whicii have Sired somo good horses. Ormondale has been standing in Kentucky for two or three years, by special arrauge- 1UMr! Macdonough was a close student of thoroughbred breeding and continued his stud at Menlo Park after hostile legislation first crippled and then drove-out racing in this state. Last year he made a shipment of, his California-bred yearlings across the continent and ocean to England. The experiment was not sufficiently successful to -warrant its continuation and the output of the Ormondale Stud, as Mr. Macdonough renamed his Menlo Park establishment after Ormoiidalos Futurity success, was this year disposed of at Saratoga.
