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1 , i I - i i I L HORSES AT ASHLAAD STUD major Mcdowell giving the manager every chance to win fame as a sire. Old Bracegirdle at the Head of the Stud Matrons— Sixteen Fine Yearling-s Now Thriv- inir at the Farm. Lexington. Ky., February 20. — Thomas Clay McDowell i.- one of the few American sportsmen devoted to racing who personally direct the training and saddling of the horses ttiey breed to carry their colors. To employ a homely term, he is an all around horseman and probably the best of his house, though a number of his ancestors enjoyed a superior knowledge of breeding and racing. His father, the late Major Henry Clay McDowell, for many years the leading light in the Kentucky Trotting Horse Breeders Association, was devoted to the iiirrit harness breed rather more than to runners. Whether or not his success as a breeder is due in the main to his crossing of mares from the stout American families with English stallions, or the reverse, is open to discussion, but the fact re mains that the McDowell colors have been carried to victory in numerous notable races by runners from such matiiigs. The Manager, handsome seven-j ear-old son of Voter and Bracegirdle. which the master of Asnland Stud has eheaea to make his preuiier sire, is one such. His turf triumphs are too fresh in the memories of turf folk to need recounting here, but to see him and the first of his get. now yearlings, is to bring to mind instantly and forcefully the truth embodied in that trite saying, like lx-gets like." There is no denying that McDowell has faith in The Manager, for thirteen of the twenty-six mares in his stud are soon to foal to him and more of them would have been sent to his court last year had they not been so closely related to him. Bracegirdle is the most elderly of the Ashland Stud matrons. This famous old chestnut daughter of Fonso and Peg Woffington is now twenty-three, and to continue the stout line that traces back to the famous Maria West through Ballet dam of Modesty, the only filly to win the American Derby. Balloon, Heraldry and .Margaret Wood. McDowell has retained four of her daughters and three of her granddaughters. The daughters are Belle of Ashland dam of Batten. Premier. Grif, etc. I. Ladv Anne: Inderstudy whose first foal, a daughter of Jack Point, will race this year, and Miss Bellamy, now a four-year-old. The granddaughters are Dream Girl. Gossip and Wilful, the latter being out of Ecataay, which died about a month ago. Bracegirdle is in fi al to Ballot. She has been a remarkable producer. Her first foal was The Rival, which was third to his stable companion. Allan-a-Dalc. in the Kentucky Derby of 1002. Her next was Woodlake. winner of the Latonia Derby in 1366. After these came Belle of Ashland. Lady Anne. Prince Hohenlohe. Lady Alan. I.cstacy. | no Manager. Inderstudy. Aristocrat. Miss Bellamy, a chestnut illy by Voter, now a two-year old. and a yearling Chestnut filly by Ballot. In eighteen yeu-of life in the harem she has been only twice barren. In 1368 she slipped twins, and her foal of V.mis. ., chestnut colt by Sir Dixon, broke his leg when a yearling and Ii id to be destroyed. Belle of Ashland is in foal to Sain: Ladv Ami is barren: Inderstudy is in foal to Toddington: Miss Bellamy to Transvaal: IVream Girl to Hebaet; and Go-sip and Wilful to Stalwart. the mare- -non to foal to The Manager are Acushla, by Miser out of Cruiskeea, by Highlander, and her daughters Mirth, by Allan-a-Dale. and Can lion, by Plaiiuiles: Alan.irka dam of Florist i and her half-sister lima which will be i einembered as speedy, but crazy at the post, daughters of the good mare Monarka: Kings Daughter ia mighty good race mare and her half-sister Ellen-a-Dale. daughters of jueenlike II.. by Kinglike — Pouponiie. by Macaroon: Lucy Locket dam of Kitty Fisher. Lure. George Stoll. etci: Affable a daughter of Hastings tracing to Susan Ann. by Lexington: Fleeting Fashion a half sister to Flying Footstepsi: Telia wha dam of Nominee. Tenakoe. Romp. Tender lie in. Highbrow, Broom Corn. etc.. by Tenny out of a daughter of Florence, by Lexington; True Blue la daughter of Hastings and Miss Gus-io. by Chorister: Star Cat dam of Star Jasmine, etci: Ancient daughter of Ceeariaa and Grandma, by Riley: and Applause la yimng mare by Royal flush III. out of Pane/wood, a descendant of the Levity family. Fancywood. Monarda dam of Whim. Dark Flower. Checks, etc. and Afric Queen dam of Africander and Afric Jewel are barren this year and are to be bred to The Manager, as is also School Mistress half-sister to Sain, dam of the first foal of this year at Ashland Stud, a toppy looking chestnut filly by Ballot. We saw this little mis-, le-s than a week old at the time, galoping in front of her dam across the paddock as we proceeded from the broodmare barn to the quarters of the sixteeu yearings. and it was an inspiration for any sportsman, if anticipation is sweeter than realization, then there is much glory to be had in seeing and planning the careers of these running horses from birth to barrier. The yearlings are equally divided as to sex-eight colts and eight fillies — and they are as follows: Bay colt by Star Sheet — Kings Daughter . Bay colt by The Manager— True Blue. Bay colt by The Manager — Alanarka. Bav colt by The Manager — Caution. Bay colt by The Manager— Affable. Chestnut eoll by The Manager — Star Cat. Chestnut colt by The Manager — Lucy Locket. Chestnut colt by Trap Rock — Ecstasy. Bav tillv by The Manager — Ancient. Bav tillv bv The Manager — Fancywood. Bav tillv bv The Manager -Affable. Cbestaai fiilv by The Manager— Ellen-a-Dale. Chestnut tillv bv Ballot Bracegirdle. Black tillv bv Sain Ladv Anne. Bay filly by Peep oDay -Belle of Ashland. On looks, the six best —three colts ami line fillies — are the Star Cat. Lucy Locket and Kins-Daughter colts and Kllen-a-Dale. Bracegirdle and Lady Anne lillies. The Star Cat colt is the masters choice and he probably will prove the pick of the band when racing time comes, though he does not rank a great ileal above the Kings Daughter colt in looks, and the Lucy lywkel colt is close in with them. It is hard to choose as between the Ellen-a-Dale and Bracegirdle fillies. The former is quiet and sensible. The latter is more nervous and is bristling with speed. The Lady Anne Ally i* constructed along sprinting lines and is decidedly racy looking, yet her dam was not given to stbk-• bag it out in a grueling contest. The Lucy Locket colt has an abundance of substance and is more like The Manager in appearance tb.au any of his get. The Ancient till v is a big, stoutly made one and the men on the farm say she is the "front runner- of the collection whin they are turned into the paddocks. The Peep oDay Belle of Ashland tillv is attractive in appearance and like a ntnner. The Caution coll is the smallest of the aixteea, but In- is of that blacky, chunky type that can best l«- pictured by the expression •lies all boss" -o frequently employed by Keiituckiaus.
