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AS A KAN FEOK ABROAD VIEWS US. Pen Pictures of Our Greatest Breeding Farms by a Competent English Writer. Last spring Mr. Edward Moorhouse. one of tlie editors of that admirable turf publication, The ktloodstock Breeders Review, came to this country F and spent some time in inspection of our leading thoroughbred breeding establishments and in witnessing some of our racing. Returning to England lie lint his impressions into a comprehensive article in the Breeders Review. His description of our bloodstock nurseries is so well told and so full of information of decided interest, that Daily Racing Form will lay it before its readers in a series of , installments, of which the following is the third: Third Installment. It was in 1S7S that Captain Hancock, who died three or four years ago, began to breed bloodstock at Ellerslie. One of his early endeavors was to buy the horse Eolus as a stallion. By imported Leamington son of Faugh-a-Ballagh out of Fannie Washington, by Revenue, a son of imported Trustee, by Cattoii, Eolus Avas bred by Major Thomas W. Doswell, at Hanover Junction, Va. When seen by Captain Hancock at Major Dos-wclls place lie had finished his racing career with ji record of eight wins in seventeen starts. He was a horse of great substance and in every way a commanding individual. Much to Captain Hancocks disappointment, the Major refused to sell. The former thereupon purchased Scatheloek, a half-brother by imported Eclipse to Eolus, the price paid being 1,000. About the same time lie bought tli;? mare War Song, by War Dance son of Lexington out of Eliza Davis, by imported Knight of St. George from imported Melrose by Melbourne. Mated with Scatheloek, War Song produced Lizzie Hazlewood, which was destined to gain distinction as a broodmare. After a year or two had gone by Captain Hancock learned that, without saying a word to him. Major Doswell had sold Eolus to a Mr. Ilarbeck, a breeder in Maryland. The captain at once set to work to find the horses whereabouts. He ascertained that Ilarbeck had authorized Governor Bowie of Maryland to resell Eolus, and that the governor lias actually disposed of the horse to a man in Cecil County. The name of the buyer and his place of abode had quite escaped Mr. Bowies memory. At that time there was a Colonel S. D. Bruce, who published a periodical called "Turf, Field and Farm," and Captain Hancock asked him to do his utmost to find Eolus. During the next two years all inquiries produced no tangible result. Eolus might have been engulfed by an earthquake, so completely had all trace of him disappeared. Then suddenly he came to light. Colonel Bruce, received for insertion in his paper an announcement that tlie uwner of Eolus was willing to match him against any horse in Cecil County to trot a mile! Captain Hancock was at once advised. It turned out that while using Eolus as a stalllion, his owner, a man named Craynor, had broken him to drive. Negotiations witli Craynor were at once opened. As it happened, he wanted to procure a stallion of a different line of blood, and little difficulty was experienced in persuading him to exchange Eolus for Scatheloek. And so it came to pass that Eolus was at last quartered at Ellerslie, and there he spent the next twenty years, for he was twenty-nine when he died. War Song was the first thoroughbred mare Captain Hancock put to the son of Leamington and the result of the alliance was Eole. one of the best horses of his day. When seven years old he was sent to England, where he ran second to St. Gatien for the Ascot Cup and third tlie following day for tlie Alexandra. Plate. From first to last Eole won twenty-seven races worth .834,000. War Song also bred to Eolus the filly Eon, a winner of thirty-four races, and the colt. St. Saviour, which was the best three-year-old of his year, and which retired to the stud at tins Elmendorf Farm, near Lexington, then the property of C. .7. Enright, but afterwards incorporated in the big estate owned by the late .7. 15. Ilagin. From first to last the offspring of Eolus Avon stakes to the value of nearly ,000,000, though he never had more than fifteen mares in any one season. It was Eolus that made tlie Ellerslie Stud famous. Greatly daring. Captain Hancock put to him the mare Lizzie Hazlewood, which, as I have explained, was by his half-brother Scatheloek. The result, however, was eminently satisfactory, because the produce was the good horse. Knight of Ell rslie, which was raced, in partnership, by Major Doswell and Captain Hancock. They sold him as a three-year-old to L. . Appleby for 510,000. Knfcht of Ellerslie begat Henry of Navarre, the sire of China Cocks dam. For many years Major Doswell and Captain Hancock were racing confederates, but eventually their stable became overcrowded and Tliev adopted the plan of selling their yearlings, first at Pimlico. Md.. and then at the race tracks in the neighborhood of New York. The list of good horses bred at Ellerslie is a long one. It includes the Futurity winner, Morello, which captured twenty-four prizes Avorth 1,500; Elkwood and Eurus", both winners of the Suburban Handicap; Di.iblo, a Brooklyn Handicap winner; Eon, Eolian .ind Russell, in addition to the others I have mentioned. Morello was admitted to be one of tiie best horses ever seen in America. The late Major Dain-Ktrfiild, Avho for so many years managed Mr. Keenes stud, used to say that he avus almost entitled to rank Avith Cr.Iin. Bred "on shares" by Captain Hancock and Dr. W. C. Hardy, of Norfolk, Va., Morello aa-us sent to New York as a yearling, but was in such bad shape that he only made .S100. The buyer was Bernard Doswell. avIio sold him as a two-year-old for ,000 to W. M. Sill-gerlv, of Philadelphia, and Frank Van Ness. He had Avon eleven out of fourteen races before he gained his triumph in tlie Futurity, which Avas that year worth 0, IKK. In this race he defeated sixteen opponents, although a sick horse at the time. As a two and three-year-old he Avon twenty-four races out of thirty-two and was only tAvicc un-pl.icsd. His health Avas never good and he died in 3S96. His dam aa:is Cerise Avhich had several other good winners by imp. Mocassin, out of Lizzie Lucas, by imp. Australian. Other stallions that have been associated with tne Elkrdie Stud are Charaxus, an English-bred horse bv Distin ; Fatherless, a great Metropolitan Avin-ner, bv Isonomy out of Orphan Agnes, the third dam of Pommern; and Eon by Eolus, whose daughters have been very successful producers, one of them being Network, the dam of Embroidery and Paddy Whack. Fatherless got many useful winners, particularly steeplechasers. When he died Mr. Hancock leased Celt from the late James It. Keene, and when the hitters horses Avere sold in 1914, Mr. Hancock gave 3,000 for the son of Commando. . The foregoing summary brings the history of the Ellerslie Stud down to tlie present day. One addition to it is, however, necessary. For many years before his invalided fathers death, Arthur B. Hancock had had the management of the establishment. It follows, therefore, that it is today enjoying the benefit of a continuous policy iioav that the farm is under Mr. Hancocks sole control. For tlie time being its prosperity may be said to be bound with tlie fortunes of the stallion Celt. All available data go to strengthen the belief that the contingency is one tliat can be regarded Avithout the slightest apprehension. Celt bar, made a very promising start, but it Avill not be until next year, or the year after, that it Avill be possible even to begin to gauge his merits by results. The now yearlings by him arc the first of his get since he became Mr. Hancocks property. In the seasons 19111 and 1913, Avhen he Avas merely leased, comparatively fCAV mares Avcrc put to him; all told, they Avere not as many or as good as those allied with him in 1914. And yet from them he got Avinners in Cclandria, Paddy Whack, Embroidery, Crank and several other useful performers. When, in 1911, Mr. Vosburgh learned that Celt had been secured for the Ellerslie Stud, lie Avrota urging Mr. Hancock to "hold on to him Avith hooks of steel": and in a second letter suggested the building of "a stone Avail around him as high as the great AA-all of China." I have not stopped to count the number of stallions I saw while in America, but fine looking horses as many of them are, I Avould certainly take Celt if given my choice. The yearlings and foals by him I came across at Ellerslie formed the best and most even groups by any one stallion I have ever seen. A chestnut horse of good size and splendid conformation, he shows great masculine character, combined with high quality. Mr. Hancock has every right to be proud of his horse. . , . . ,. Celt is a representative of the strongest male line in America that of Alarm, Himyar and Domino. Following tlie era of Glencoe, Australian, Lexington and Leamington, which gave to the turf such horses of the stamp of Iroquois, Parole, Foxhall and Prioress, there came an unsatisfactory period Avhich may be said to date from the importation of a horse called Phaeton. B.v King Tom out of Merry Sunshine, by Storm, he ran once at Goodwood, as a two-year-old, and once, at Newmarket, as a three-vcar-old, without shoAving any form. He carried the colore of Admiral Rous, Avho probably congratulated himself when Ten Broeck bought the colt and shipped him off to Kentucky, to his farm in Jeffer-Mii County. The buyer, as it happened, made a verv good bargain, because Phaeton sired tAvo good horses in Ten Broeck and King Alfonso. The latter, in his turn, begat Foxhall. American breeders noted these striking results and proceeded to buy in Lug-land a number of extremely moderate and low-priced colts, hoping to achieve a similar success Naturally enough they failed, and not only that, but , wrought great mischief by damaging the quality of American bloodstock. Then, too, in order to meet the crowing demand for race horses that developed in the eighties, shiploads of cheap mares were imported. Judgment and discretion were thrown to the winds. Any animal registered in the English Stud Book was deemed good enough to buy. The stock bred from these importations began to cumber the ground, and managers of race meetings had to devise races in which the crowd of "weeds" could slaughter one another. They had no "bottom," and so scrambles over short distances became the general rule. From time to time, men like James R. Keene, William C. Whitney and Marcus Daly did much toAvards correcting the mischief that has been Avrought, and later still, the arrival of such horses as Rock Sand and Adam, imported by Mr. Belmont and Francis Bishop, foreshadowed a movement that Avas calculated still further to repair the damage done by indiscriminate importations. Unhappily, however this movement Avas nipped in tlie bud by the passing of the Hart-Agnew anti-betting bills by the New York State Legislature, Avith the strenuous assistance of Governor Hughes, iioav the republican partys candidate for the presidency. Latterly, the survivors among American breeders have, to a large extent, recovered from their despondency. Assisted by some notable acquisitions to their ranks, one of whoni is Price McKinney of Cleveland, they are earnestly seeking to place the American thoroughbred once more on a sure foundation. To accomplish their aims, they are again leavening their studs Avitli importations from the fountain head. But that is not to say that they have lost faith in their own lines of blood. Far from it. We must bear in mind that immediately after the stoppage of racing in New York and other states of the Union, there was a wholesale weeding out of bloodstock. Generally speaking, members of tiie best thoroughbred families were alone retained. It may be well, therefore, that the upheaval which created so much havoc in American breeding circles AA-as, in reality, a blessing in disguise. Before I Avas led away on that train of thought I AA-as saying that the line of Alarm is the most potent of the American stallion families. That of Hanover is practically played out in tail-male, though when it comes to brood mares the descendants of Hanover are looked upon as most valuable possessions. The family founded by imported Bonnie Scotland is still in a fairly flourishing state, represented as it is today by such sires as Ben Brush, Broomstick. Whisk Broom and Sweep, and other lines are being maintained by Fair Play and Uncle. But there is no denying that for the time being the Alarm family dominates the situation. In recent years the two most important links in its chain Avere Domino by Himyar and his son. Commando. It is remarkable, as showing on what a slender thread thoroughbred families sometimes continue to exist, that both Domino and Commando had been at the stud less than two years when they died. Domino, I believe, begat feAA-er than twenty foals, but among them were Disguise II. third to Diamond Jubilee in the Derby, and winner of the Jockev Club Stakes of $.10,000. Cap and Bells winner of the Oaks, Commando, Running Stream and Olympian. Commandos stud record Avas equally phenomenal, for in his tAVO seasons ho sired Colin, Celt, Peter Pan Superman, Peter Quince and Trans-A-aal. In 1907 his stock Avon stakes to the value of 70,345, Avhich stands as an American record. That a horse of his calibre and prepotency died so young AA-as a veritable calamity. Tlie sons he left behind him are, in consequence, all the more valuable, especially because proof is already forthcoming that his grandsons have had transmitted to them the qualities which brought him into prominence. On his female side. Celt is of pure English descent, for his dam. Maid of Erin, is by Amphion out of Mavourneeii, by Barcaldine. Voter, half-brother to Maid of Erin, is tlie sire of Ballot and manv other good horses. Celt was not overdone Avith racing. Botli as a two and three-year-old he started twice only, but he managed to Avin over $.50,000, liis successes including the Jockey Club Weight-for-Age Race and the Brooklyn Handicap with 10G pounds in tlie saddle. When a three-year-old, misfortune overtook him in the shape of an injury to one of his feet. But for this mishap, Mr. Keene Avould have sent him to England to be trained for our cup races, for lie believed the colt to be nearly as good as Colin. Mr. Rowe managed to patch him up sufficiently to enable him to Avin a race as a four-year-old, but AA-e may take it that Celt AA-as an infinitely better race horse than his record shows him to have been, and had more staying power than tlie majority of the other members of his family have possessed. Mr. Hancock has the utmost confidence in the son of Commando, and is giving him OA-ery possible chance. There is a second stallion at Ellerslie in Glorifier, a son of Hastings. This is the American branch Of the Melbourne line. The claim is made for Glorifier that he is the second best of his sires sons, the first place, bv common consent, being given to Mr. Belmonts horse, Fair Play. Glorifier has already had several winners, and there are assuredly many more to come. During tiie past twelve months. Mr. Hancock has added to his list of mares by buying others in England through the British Bloodstock Agency. These acquisitions are Merriment 1912, by Sundridgu Marian Hood, half-sister to Polymelus; Pietra 1905 by Pietermaritzburg Briar-Root; Patricia IV. 1909 by Aid Patrick; Princess Caprice 1911 by Marco Roval Marriage. These mares have been mated with Black Jester, Myram, Llangibny and Junior. The American-bred mares at Ellerslie include representatives of tlie best winner-producing families. Every one of them lias good credentials. Mr. Hancock has no use for mediocrities and -will not allow his judgment to be Avarped by sentiment. The marcs he owns must "make good or quit." The farm, in short, is conducted on practical business lines. I cannot close these notes on my visit to Ellerslie Avithout paying a tribute to the skill Avith AAhicIi Mr. Huston, the foreman of the stud, discharges his responsible duties. Mr. Hancock lives at Paris, five hundred miles away, where there is another stud that receives his personal attention. He pays frequent visits to Ellerslie, but during his absence he has the comforting knoAV.-dge that his interests are being thoroughly safeguarded by the faithful Huston and his loyal and competent staff. Charlottesville is the seat of the University of Virginia, one of the founders of which was Thomas Jefferson. Before AA-e boarded the train for Lexington Mr. Hancock showed me round the University buildings, Avhich count among tlie glories of the state. We travelled through the night to Kentucky. It AA-as the only night Journey I had Avhile in America, for at other times I made it a rule to move from place to place in daylight so as to see as much of the country as possible. I must have missed some fine scenery during that trip westward, because Ave crossed the Blue Ridge at Staunton and passed through a district famous for its apple orchards. We AA-ere sleeping, or trying to sleep, while Ave traversed tlie state of West Virginia, which broke away from old Virginia owing to a difference of opinion arising out of the Civil War. Incidentally, it became necessary during the journey to put our AA-atches back an hour, for avc crossed the line that divides the territories Avhose people conform their activities to eastern or central time, according to their location. We left Charlottesville on a Chesapeake and Ohio train at six in the evening and arrived at Lexington, the capital of the Blue Grass region, shortly before ten tlie following morning. Mrs. Hancock awaited us Avitli a motor car, and an eighteen mile run through the heart of Kentucky landed us at the thriving little citv of Paris, which is one of the centers of the tobacco industry. During the next fortnight I was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Hancock, and to them I am indebted for a very memorable and en-jovable experience. I cannot describe here the many social engagements in which I participated. The chronicle is outside the immediate scope of this article. I will merely state that abundant opportunities were offered mo of becoming acquainted Avitli the manner of life of the leading Kentucky families, and that I haA-e never mingled with more delightful or goodheartcd people. Their one desire seemed to be to extend the warmest of AAClcomes to the stranger within their gates. They succeeded in making the stranger feel very much at home. This is but a poor acknowledgment of the kindness shown to me. I am, indeed, fully conscious of the fact that no mere expression of thankfulness AA-ould adequately liquidate the debt I oavc. The Blue Grass region of Kentucky extends OA-er an area upwards of a hundred miles square. It is an elevated plateau, from 000 to 800 feet above sea level. One has to take notice of the fact that with one or tAAo exceptions Brookdale for instance the nurseries of tlie American thoroughbred are situated on high ground. I cannot remember ever having seen the point raised, but I have little doubt this elevation is due in in mv own mind that to large measure the way in which bloodstock flourishes in the United States. Whether the location of tlie studs is a matter of accident or design I cannot say. Maybe blue grass, on the virtues of which so much reliance is placed does not flourish on loAV-lying land. Some botanical authority might enlighten us on that matter. To be continued.
