Revives Memories of Bygone Days: String of Horses from Breeding Farm of "Pa" Bradley Arrives at Jamestown, Daily Racing Form, 1914-03-27

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: REVIVES MEMORIES OF BYGONE DAYS. String of Horses from Breeding Farm of "Pa" Bradley Arrives at Jamestown. Norfolk, Va., March 20. An interesting link which binds the old order of the turf in Virginia to the present is seen in the arrival here yesterday, at the course of the Jamestown Jockey Club, of the stable of A. H. Bradley, of Charles City, nephew and heir of the late Robert Virginia Bradley, whose Robert Waddell won the American Derby and whose colors were conspicuously successful on the American turf a decade and more ago. The Bradley stable, which comprises five maidens, none of which ever has faced a barrier in a race, includes sous and daughters of Virginia stallions and marcs whose grandsires and granddams were foaled on the soil of the Old Dominion. Blood of the Bradley stars of former days runs in their veins, and they have grazed and been broken in the picturesque Charles City country, in the valley of the James river, where the Bradley plantation of 1,100 acres once was the seat of a pretentious thoroughbred breeding stud. The stable now at the seaside course will get into action shortly after the opening of the spring meet- ing. which begins Wednesday, April 1, to last fifteen racing days. In the old days turf history is made one day and well-nigh forgotten another not more than ten years or so agone, the advent of the Virginians at the Benning spring meeting, in the environs of Washington, was an event fraught with considerable interest to the race goers, and dire results, in the majority of cases, to the knights of the chalk and chamois, who then made books on the various events. Heavily-fancied youngsters, on whose achievements the public had little or no line, would come down the long Benning stretch iu front with surprising regularity, and as the colors of Bradley,- Carroll, Coles or Garth would Hash in front the welkin resounded with the cheers of the loyal Virginians, wide hats of astounding size described parabolic curves in the air, and the whoops of delight by the backers of the Vir ginia-breds generally meant that stable expenses for the long season, which later was to come to a close at Worth or Latonia. had been made then ami there. The hoarse cry of "Look out! The Virginians are coining!" was an awesome sound to the cars of the Benning layers. Then it was that the Bradley stable was in its heyday, and Blitzen, which won races in ice and snow, and the "iron horse." Roney Buv, Aloha, Ed Early, Peter Paul and Robert Waddell successively came and conquered. The successors to the Bradley band, which will be seen frequently in action during the Jamestown meeting are: Brown Bess br. f. 4, by Blitzen Eminence II. Jud Tollivcr. b. g, 1, by Blitzen Allie H. Checkbook, br. f, 3, by City Bank Eminence II. Greenway Boy, eh. g. ::, by Greeuways Best brother to Robert Waddell Annie L. Greeuways Queen, ch. f. 2, by Greenways Best Queen Mary. There is a three-quarter mile training track on the old Bradley plantation, and their present owner, who as a vouth was foreman for his late uncle In 1004 has broken and developed this band wholly on their native farm. They all are impressive in size and build and have done better quarters than 2 during the winter in snow fetlock deep. They are a hardy looking bunch, well-behaved and ready for the races. As they were led out on the Jamestown track yesterday they attracted great attention from the dockers and horsemen. "I intend to keep on breeding at the farm," said Mr. Bradlev. "and eventually hope to develop our stock until it again will be as prominent as it was ten years ago." . ... - ., . ,. , The fact that the breeding industry of this stale is to be enhanced by the return of the Bradley horses to the races, coupled with the investment of large sums recentlv by outsiders in the Old Dominion for the uplift of the thoroughbred, is a healthy sign as regards the prospects for thoroughbred racing In the future. ,, ,. r Other stables have" increased the present quota of horses ready to race at Manager Levys track to a great degree Among the latest arrivals are Ben Pope, former steeplechase rider, with a stable of jumpers from Benning. and a number of newcomers from far-away Juarez. Every indication is that when the date for the opening arrives, the meeting will be ushered iu with more and better horses and greater crowds than ever before witnessed the sport at the Jamestown track. : ; : : I ;


Persistent Link: https://drf.uky.edu/catalog/1910s/drf1914032701/drf1914032701_2_4
Local Identifier: drf1914032701_2_4
Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800