As a Man from Abroad Views Us: Pen Pictures of Our Greatest Breeding Farms by a Competent English Writer, Daily Racing Form, 1916-12-18

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AS A MAN FROM ABROAD VIEWS US. Pen Pictures of Our Greatest Breeding Farms by a Competent English Writer. Last spring Mr. Edward Moorhouse. one of the editors of that admirable turf publication, The Bloodstock Breeders Review, came to this country and spent some time in inspection of our leading thoroughbred breeding establishments and in witnessing some of our racing. Returning to England he put his impressions into n 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 Komi will lay it before its readers in a series of installments, of which the following is the fourth: Fourth Installment. The district of which Lexington is the center is an area in a high state of cultivation. The moiety under grass receives careful attention, though I gathered from answers to inquiries I made that it does not receive dressings of lime and phosphates which English and Irish pastures periodically receive. Only recently have some stud masters in Kentucky thought it advisable to make applications of crushed lime to their grass. Then, again, the beneficial services of cattle are not taken advantage of to the same extent as in England and Ireland. The practice of running horses and cattle together is very rarely resorted to. These and other details might, I think, be studied with profit by American breeders. Nevertheless, the fact remains that wonderfully fine grass fields are met with all over the Blue Crass region. A portion of nearly every farm is devoted to the cultivation of tobacco, and the barns in which the leaf is matured are a conspicuous feature of the landscape. Apart from these structures, the countryside is very much like that one finds in many parts of England. Only hedges are needed to complete the picture. Many a 1im-- as I passed along the road between Lexington and Paris I suddenly realized that for several minutes I had been unconscious of the fact that I was a sojourner in a foreign land. The homelike surroundings lulled me into a sense of familiarity. The day before I reached Kentucky the twelve-day spring race meeting at Lexington had opened. I attended it nine of the remaining eleven days. It was at once an advantage and a disadvantage that my visit to these parts coincided witli the racing carnival. While I had the frequent opportunities of becoming acquainted with the men who are a power in turf and breeding circles of Kentucky, with the spirit and enthusiasm that animate them, with the qualities and, perchance, shortcomings of the horses I saw competing and Witli the distinguishing features of American racing, facilities for inspecting the many stud farms in the locality were of necessity greatly curtailed. I did, in fact, reach several of them, but, as a rule, my stay was very brief. If, therefore, my references to these establishments seem unduly casual and uiipardonnbly brief, the reason has been explained. I can assure all and sundry of the proprietors that I esteemed it a privilege to be permitted to pass within their gates and spend the little time available "behind the scenes." There has been racing at Lexington, on the site of the present race course, for close upon a hundred years. Many a horse, famous in the annals of American turf and stud, has been put to the test on this track, Alice Carneal and her celebrated son, Lexington, among them. Since those far oft days ideas have changed The Lexington course, an oval, just about a mile in circumference, has became a wee bit antiquated. Its imperfections can, however, be forgiven it by reason of its precious historical associations. Epsom and Chester have their bitter detractors, but where is the iconoclast who would wipe them off the map? Earlier on I alluded to the preponderance of sprints in the Lexington program. This is the more unfortunate because of the nature of the course. A four-furlong race, the first half of which is run round a sharp turn, is apt to degenerate into a scramble, in which luck plays a disproportionate part. And the case is not much better when the distance is extended to five or six furlongs. The chief aim of a jockey is to jump off in front and keep there. There is no scope for the exercise of finesse and the finer arts of horsemanship. In the great majority of the races I saw at Lexington the winner was lying either first or second when turning into the straight. Even in contests over a mile riders of the favorites preferred to be in the van all the way if possible. When I suggested that a straight five-furlong course would add greatly to the amenities of the establishment I was told that the public abominate straight tracks. There is one of seven furlongs at Belmont Iark, near New York. When I saw it I ventured to praise the bold spirit who conceived the idea but 1 was given to understand there would be some difficulty in persuading the average racing man to contribute to a monument in his honor. The inevitable inference is that Americans desire that the spectacular side of racing shall not be sacrificed to other considerations. I can now appreciate more completely than heretofore the feeling of amazement which overwhelms our trans-Atlantic cousins when they attend for the first time one of our Newmarket meetings, especially if it is Cesarewiteh day, when half of the chief race on the program is decided out of sight. The Lexington meeting, to which I am alluding, was a wonderfully successful affair. Attendances were good all the way through, especially when there was a feature on the card a little out of the ordinary. One afternoon the governor of the state and Iiis gracious lady lent their patronage, and towards the close of the meeting there was an influx of prominent eastern sportsmen, who had "looked in," so to say, on their way to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby. Senator Fall, of New Mexico, who was to submit Mr. Roosevelts name to the Republican convention at Chicago, was also there with his friend Mr. Price McKinney, and I came across Mr. Rowe, the New York Jockey Clubs registrar of the stud book. I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Mr. and Mrs E. R. Bradley, and before leaving the district spent a night with them at their beautiful place near Lexington, the Idle Hour Farm, of which more anon. But if I were to mention all the notable and agreeable people I met I should have a long list to write. There is one more I must name. It is Catesby Woodford, the importer of Star Shoot, who lias been so successful a sire in the United States. Until recently Mr. Woodford, whose home is near Paris, was the president of the Kentucky Racing Association. His successor in the office is ex-Senator J. N. Camden, who was unhappily prevented by ill-health from attending the meeting. This was the more regrettuble because three or four races were won by his horses. It was particularly gratifying to many of us to see Mr. Hancocks smart filly. Embroidery, by Celt, win two races with consummate ease. She and Mr. Camdens horses are under the care of J. C. Milam, who saddled no fewer than thirteen winners during the tw lve days. An interesting happening the fourth day was the appearance of John Saufords colt George Smith in a race over a mile and a sixteenth for a purse of 00. This was his first public outing as a three-year-old, and as he was already regarded as a very likely winner of the Derby to be run at Louisville twelve days later his appearance and performance were naturally closely scrutinized. He was just beaten by the five-year-old mare Bayberry Candle to which lie was giving two pounds, and his admirers were perfectly satisfied. "The Derby is all over," was a remark I heard. Had the speaker forgotten Star Hawk? I wondered. The last day of the meeting "I saw a fine chestnut two-year-old colt named Harry Kelly, by Ultimus, win the Breeders Futurity in impressive style, in doing so he beat a better favorite in Westy Hogan, and covered the five-eighths in 5Sf, seconds, which clipped one and two-fifths of a second off the track record. This seemed to indicate that Harry Kelly is as good as he looks, and the "cognocenti" predicted that he had a brilliant career ahead of him. His owner is J. W. Schorr. Great importance is attached to the timing of races in America. They do not tell you of the rivals a horse has beaten but of the time lie has "done" and the weight lie carried. "Clockers" are very busy on the training track every morning, and even during the intervals between races. No sooner is the course clear than, as a rule, several horses are breezed-over various distances. These diversions greatly tend to lessen the tedium of waiting for the next event. Another peculiarity, if I may so term it, which I came across during my travels was the practice of judging a horses condition by weight. At many studs it is the custom to weigh a stallion or yearling at regular intervals. I was frequently nonplussed when asked how much I thought some English stallion or other weighed. In America stallions are more often than not called "studs." Readers of the Review are well aware that it has been a persistent advocate of the pari-mutucl form of betting. 1 learn that during my absence abroad tills advocacy lias been taken up in other quarters. I am very pleased to hear it. If these hew cham pions of the totalizator want further evidence to strengthen their case let them seek it in Kentucky, where it has now been in operation about ten years. M has effected a wonderful improvement in racing in that state. Before the adoption or the pari-mutuel the average value of the purses offered at Lexington was 00 or 50. At the present day no race is worth less than 00 or 100 pounds, and prizes of 00 and 00 are quite common. This remarkable development is due solely to the enhancement of the income of the racing association by a deduction of 5 per cent from the monev invested in the "tote." Some of the bigger bettors do not like the machine, and find a way of investing their money elsewhere; but the general public are in love with the pari-mutuel, convinced as they are that it is the fairest method of betting. The smallest unit that caii be invested is , or eight shillings. It is deliberately fixed as high as that in order to check betting by those with slender purses. At Lexington the biggest unit in operation is 0, but at Louisville there are machines at which the unit is 5. The primitive system of working the pari-mutuel which still obtains or obtained before the war in France has in Kentucky been superseded by an automatic apparatus. By touching a lever, the attendant who hands you your ticket registers, with one movement, the total amount that has been put on tiie horse you have backed with the addition of your bet, and also the aggregate that has gone on all the runners backed at that particular machine. Tims, by a little calculation, you can tell, roughly, the state of the odds. I believe these automatic registers are also used in New Zealand. A popular mode of betting in Kentucky is to back a horse for a "place" which means 1, 2, or for a "show," otherwise, 1-, 2, 3. Money thus invested is dealt with separately, and the "dividend" returned is often surprising. To quote one case, a winner on the eighth day at Lexington was returned to the unit at 1916.sh.20 cents for a win, .70 for a "place," and .C0 cents for a "show." That is nothing out of the common, however. Some curious anomalies crop up at times. Another winner returned 5. SO for a win. or nearly .57 to 1, but only to 1 for a "place" and a mere 314 to 1 for a "show." You can bet for a "place" when there are only five runners. At one location you may invest SO "across the board," which means you are on each for a win. "place" and "show." It has to be admitted that the pari-mutuel form or betting is calculated to try ones temper when there is a crowd like that which attended on Derby day at Louisville. You have to take your place in a long queue of investors, and. unless you are early cn the scene, wait a long time before yon can make your bet. That trouble only occurs, however, on exceptional occasions. There were other features of the Lexington meeting on which I might dwell, such as the low prices of admission to the stands; the firm control the managers have over the jockeys; the number of races for which horses can be nominated witiiout payment of any entrance fee; the completeness of each days program, every horse entered in but what are called stake races, being compelled to go to the post unless the special permission of the stewards granted only in exceptional cases is obtained for their withdrawal; the saddling of horses in stalls numbered to correspond with those on the card; and other details of a like character, all tending to good order and the quick dispatch of the business of the day. But I must hurry on. The last stud we were at was that at Ellerslie; the next to which I have to refer is that owned by Mr. Hancock near Paris, a mile Or so along the Winchester pike. Here it was that I renewed acquaintance with that good horse Wrack, whom I assisted last autumn in buying for my host. The formation of the Claiborn Stud, as it is called, dates from the arrival of Wrack from England. Previously it was worked as an ordinary farm, but it lias easily been adapted to the purposes of a stud. The necessary embellishments will be added in the near future. Not that Mr. Hancock is addicted to extravagance in that direction. He pins his faith to utilities rather than ornamentations. I should find a difficulty in conveying to my readers an adequate idea of the enthusiasm witli which Mr. Hancock and many of his friends among breeders regard Wrack. So far he has more than fulfilled their most sanguine expectations. He has taken to stud life with alacrity and done his work most satisfactorily during his first season. All the thirty-five mares with whom he was mated are believed to be in foal. Many of these mares are first-rate individuals, so that there will be no excuse for the son of Robert le Diable and Samphire if results are not satisfactory in due course. NO horse could look better than Wrack did 011 the several occasions I saw him. He was "fighting fit," and yet perfectly tractable. When he readied America he had a hogged mane. The hair is now being allowed to grow, and in its present state gives him a somewhat rakish appearance. Among Wracks greatest admirers is Mr. Hancocks little son and heir. I heard him offer all sorts of sums in dollars to induce his father to sell the horse. Asked if he could produce the money, he said he would try to borrow it! Not so bad for a youngster of seven. The continuance of the Ellerslie and Claiborne Studs seems to be assured for another generation or two. anyway. The Claiborne property extends to 800 acres, and Mr. Hancock has an additional farm near Lexington which can be used in connection witli the stud if necessary. A visit to Mr. Camdens stud near Versailles was arranged for the first Sunday I spent in the Blue Grass region. To reach it we had to motor through Lexington and then twenty miles or so along the road to the old city of Frankfort, the capital of the state. Mr. Camden, though still something of an invalid, was able to accompany us round his barns and paddocks. This farm, which covers 1,000 acres, adjoins the Woodburn estate belonging to the Alexander family, and where the stallions Lexington and imp. Australian were quartered for many years. Mr. Camden has for eighteen years had in his employ a colored man named Henry Overton, who, when a boy, weighing 05 pounds, was sold as a slave to Mr. R. A. Alexander, of Woodburn. Henry, as everybody calls him, was at once drafted into the stables and taught to ride. He remained at Woodburn forty-three years until lie went over to Mr. Camden. All who know Henry have the greatest respect for him. lie has charge of Mr. Camdens bloodstock, and takes a very keen interest in his duties and responsibilities. Having learned that he had charge of Lexington for several years, I plied him with some questions about that famous horse. It is generally stated that he stood 15.3, but Henry thinks he was nearer 10 hands. Ho had tremendous lung power, and it was said that when he was out at exercise his neigh could be heard five miles away. When at the stud, and afflicted with blindness, he was always good tempered, though n man had. to ride him because no boy was strong enough to control him. Even the men who used to ride him had sooner or later to suffer the indignity of being unsaddled. Lexington would never rest satisfied until lie had demonstrated that he could unseat them. Henry is inclined to think that the horses of fifty years ago were better tempered than those of the present day, though he maintains that, with very rare exceptions, stallions can be mastered by persistent kindness. He had a few notoriously vicious animals to handle in his time, but by, setting to work to convince them that he was their friend lie has quickly brought them to an amenable frame of mind. With regard to Australian, Henry said he was a great sire and a grand horse. Robert Alexander on one occasion refused 0,000 for him. Foxhall was bred at Woodburn. and here is the story of the wjy in which lie came to be bought by the late James R. Keene. A Mr. Bathgates, who was Mr. Keenes buying agent, went to Wood-burn in 1870 to see Mr. Alexanders yearlings. After looking them over he remarked that, they were a very nice lot. While he was returning to Lexington he met Henry Overton. After Mr. Bath-gates had explained that he had seen the yearlings, Henry s:iid to him: "There is one colt in that lot that is worth 300 acres of blue grass." Impressed by Henrys confidence, Mr. Bathgates returned with him to Woodburn and had another look at the yearling referred to. "I saw him make a memorandum of what I had told him," said Henry, "and he must afterwards have handed it to Mr. Keene. Anyway, Mr. Bathgates having died before the sale of our yearlings, Col. Sanders Bruce, who came in his place, asked me if I remembered the conversation about .the colt, and did I adhere to what I had said. I told him I was still convinced that the colt was a wonder. And what is more, I continued, you will probably be able to buy him for 1916.sh00 or less, because he is by a horse which has never got a winner and out of a mare which could not win a race herself, and this is her first foal. If I remember rightly. Colonel Bruce bought the colt for 1916.sh50. And that was Foxhall, by King Alfonso out of Jamaica, which, as a three-year-old, won the Grand Prix de Paris, the Cesarewiteh, the Cambridgeshire and other races." Versailles is in Woodford County. Somebody once said that "the Blue Grass region is the garden of the world, and Woodford County the asparagus bed of the garden." Without endorsing that fanciful hyperbole, I can truthfully say it is a very charming district. Mr. Camdens, estate not only has beauty to boast of; it comprises some excellent land. The mares, foals and yearlings were all in very good fettle. This autumn the group mares will be enlarged by the arrival from England of Double Dark, by Dark Ronald out of Dark Agnes, half-sister to Pommems dam. She has a colt foal by Matchmaker and has been muted with Lcmberg. Baronne, by Melton out of Baroness la Fleche was bought for Mr. Camden at last December Sales. She reached Versailles quite safely, but a few days afterwards died very suddenly. This was a groat loss, because marcs of that line arc not easily found. Mr. Camden lias two stallions, one the veteran Ben Brush, now 23 years old; the other. Peter Ouiuce, an eleven-year-old son of Commando. Ben Brush carried his years well and is still in active service. He is by Bramble, by Bonnie Scotland, which was a son of Queen Mary. Ben Brush won the Kentucky Derby and many other races, and is the sire of Delhi and Broomstick, to mention onlv two of a long list of successful progeuy. In "Ben Brush, Broomstick, Whisk Broom and yearlings and foals I saw five generations of this highly successful family. Peter Quince, a good looking chestnut horse, is getting useful stock. Next season there will be a notable addition to the sires at Mr. Camdens stud. By the time this Review is in the hands of its readers the British Bloodstock Agency will have completed the purchase from Lord Derbv of Light Brigade 1910, by Pic ton out of Bridge of Sighs, by Isinglass out of Santa Brigida, the dam of Bridge of Canny. The sale was provisionally arranged some months ago. Light Brigade is a horse of such excellence, no matter from what point of view lie is regarded, that he can scarcely fail to be very successful at the stud in America. Certain it is that many English breeders will regret to learn the horse is about to be exported. In sundry ways Mr. Camden is displaying his keen desire to further the welfare of the American thoroughbred. There is no Kentuckian more respected than he, and the turf is safe enough so long as men of his standing and attainments come forward to support and superintend it. For the moment, the chief concern of his man- friends is to see Mr. Camden fully restored to health and vigor. Fortunately this is merely a matter of care and time. "Beaumont" was the next farm I visited. This is where Price Ilcadley has his stud. I had already come to know Mr. Headley by meeting him each day at the races. He is one of the younger men who are helping to "carry on," but lie is not afraid to assume big responsibilities. This stud of his is a large establishment, at -which 110 fewer than five stallions are located. That Mr. Headley stands well with the members of the racing and breeding community is evidenced by the fact that he is the president of the recently formed Kentucky Thoroughbred Horse Association, an organization whose aim it will be to safeguard the interests and promote the welfare of all engaged in the propagation of bloodstock. It was my privilege to attend, as a guest, the first annual dinner of the association, held at the Phoenix Hotel, Lexington, on May 0. Wo had witty Judge Charles Kerr in the chair, and were favored witli speeches by Governor Stanley, Gen-W. B. Haldeman of Louisville a member of the Kentucky State Racing Commission, Adjutant-General J. Tandy Ellis, and Mr. Shouse, a member of Congress. To my utter astonishment and discomfiture, I was called upon to make a contribution to the proceedings. Otherwise it was a highly successful gathering. It was good to hear the leading men in the state pay handsome, and obviously heartfelt, tributes to the great service iiorse breeders were rendering to the nation, and to have their assurance that in Kentucky, at any rate, legislation of a hampering character need not be feared. It was announced that several Maryland sportsmen had become members of the new association. This is as it should be, for it was Maryland alone that helped Kentucky to keep racing going in the dark days that followed the suppression of the sport in New York and other states. There are !00 acres of paddocks at Beaumont Farm, and 450 more 011 another farm not far away. Mr. Headley has, therefore, ample accommodation for his congregation of thoroughbreds. Circumstances conspired to make my visit a very short one, and I was merely able to inspect the stallions and a few of the yearling colts, some of which have since been sold privately to Mr. Macomber, the owner of Star Hawk. The stallions at Beaumont, which is two miles out of Lexington, on the Harrodsburg road, are Uncle, bv Star Shoot; Cock o the Walk, by Peep oDay; Buck-horn, by Broomstick; Jack Atkin. by Sain, and Ivan the Terrible, by Pirate of Penzance, a son of Prince Charlie. The pride of the stud is Uncle, a magnificent chestnut horse, with four white socks, lie stands just under 15.3, shows great masculine character, has a fine head and neck, and a wonderful hind leg. Bred by Mr. Madden, he was sold as a two-year-old to Sam Hlldreth for 0,000. and was afterwards owned by the late Mr. Kohler. who had him at the stud in France at the time of his death. Asked how the horse was kept in the splendid condition in which I saw him, Mr. Headley replied: "In addition to walking exercise, he is daily cantered twice and galloped twice round a half-mile track in one of our paddocks." Th.e yearlings by Uncle are the first of his get since he returned from France. I brought away with me a vivid mental picture of a superb chestnut colt by Uncle out of IJlanutess, which was one of the few yearlings I had time to see. In Kentucky breeding circles Uncle is regarded as a tower of strength, and easily commands a fee of 00 a very big one in America. Another day we took a run out to the well-appointed Nursery Stud, owned by August Belmont. Til is is where Rock Sand stood when he was in America, where Tracery and Norman III., and the many other horses that have carried Mr. Belmonts colors in England, were bred. For the time being the president of the New York Jockey Club, whom T met at Belmont Park, is turning his attention more closely to American racing. The way in which he and Mr. Whitney are assisting the revival of the sport in the states is greatly appreciated. The most notable of the younger stallions at the Nursery Stud is Fair Play by Hastings out of Fairy Gold by Rend Or, the dam of Golden Measure. A chestnut with a white blaze, he is a remarkably fine individual, revealing a lot of character. The oldest of his stock, among which are several good winners, are now five years of age. During his first two or three seasons he was given comparatively few mares, but this year he had thirty, and in the near future is pretty sure to take a prominent place in the winning sires list. Last season he finished tenth from the top with winners of fifty-one races worth 5,000. I also saw old Hastings himself, looking wonderfully vigorous despite the twenty-four years that have passed over his head. A queer tempered animal, which requires very careful handling, I found him to be a nicely-balanced dark bay horse of medium size. His career as a sire has been a very successful one, but the best of him has been seen. This season only five mares have beer, mated with him, and last year was a blank one. However, as was shown in the last number of the "Review," he has well played his part in maintaining the Melbourne line in America. Trap Rock, a dark chestnut, brother to Tracery, was also on view. He was a smart performer on the turf. Ilis conformation is somewhat unbalanced by an unduly long back. There were five two-year-old winners by him last senson. Curiously enough, half an hour after I had left the Nursery Stud, I saw Hawthorn, by Hastings, win the first race of the day at Lexington, and an hour or so later, Trappoid, a three-year-old filly, by Trap Rock, was also returned a winner. Vulcain, winner of the Prix Gladiateur in France, a big, powerfully-made brown horse; and Watervale, a massive son of Watercress, are also located at Mr. Belmonts stud. There, too, is Danger Rock, the son of Rock Sand and Delusion, which broke down so badly when competing for the Zetland Plate at Newmarket last July. I saw him in a paddock still favoring" the injured fore leg. He made a start as a sire this year, when he was mated with eighteen mares. There are forty-six mares at the Nursery Stud, and Mr. Belmont has thirty more in France. We caught sight of some of the yearlings in a paddock near the road as we motored by, but lack of time prevented a close inspection. It had, however, been agreeable to pay even so hurried a visit to a farm with whose name one had long been familiar. I now come to the Idle nour Stud, where, at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. E. R. Bradley, I stayed a night. Here, too, I met Mr. Hammon, who trains Mr. Bradleys horses. Mr. Hammon spent a month in England last autumn, and during that time bought several broodmares and race horses for his principal. Having assisted him in these purchases, I was naturally interested in seeing how they had fared since their arrival in America. I am glad to be able to report that they have all done well. Two of the mares were bought from Mr. Leopold de Rothschild. They are Presanella, by Cyllone out of Ayah, by Ayrshire, covered by St. Amant; and Macaroon, by Marco out of Rosalia, by St. Frus-quin, covered by Buckwheat. Both now hnve really good filly foals at foot. Presanellas youngster, well made, and bubbling over with vitality, is particularly promising. Badoura, another of the imported mares, had the misfortune to lose her foal, and Acutissima, a Forfarshire mare, which seemed sure in foal to Matchmaker when she left England, proved barren. Among the horses in training, a two-year-old filly by Dark Ronald and a colt by Desmond, bought at Newmarket, are both shaping very well, and Mr. Bradley is thoroughly satisfied with the way in which his English -bred stock is progressing. It may well be that the fillies out of Presanella and Macaroon will more than recover the whole outlay when the time comes for them to perform on the track. Mr. Bradleys colors are "white, green hoops and cap." These are reproduced at the stud, because all the posts, rails and gates which surround the paddocks are painted white or whitewashed. The farm, which covers an area of 350 acres, all but twenty acres being under grass, is a self-contained and in every respect a well-appointed establishment. Its perfection has entailed a lavish expenditure, but both Mr. Bradley and his lady find in it their happiest relaxation. Mrs. Bradley is every whit as enthusiastic about the stud as her husband, and takes an active part in furthering its interests. There are four stallions at the Idle Hour Stud Iunard, Helmet. Beachcomber and Blick Toner. Of these Canard is, peshaps, the best known, biit there are strong indications that Helmet is destined to become the most prominent. The latter is a handsome dark brown horse by Disguise son of Domino out of St. Mildred, by St. Simon out of a Scottish Chief mare. Mr. Bradley gave ,000 for him at the Keene sale in 1011. Helmet was then three ye.irs old. The previous season he had won., the Hopeful and Champagne Stakes, and had also"! the credit of having been placed third to Maskette and Sir Martin in tiie Futurity. For his new owner he raced two seasons, during which he was initiated into his duties as a sire. In his first three seasons as a stallion lie was mated with eight mares. Jrom these six foals were obtained, and now getting the chance he deserves, and we mav expect to hear great things of him in the years that are to come. In a sense he is still in training. on on1 Mr. lir 18JSBSca. Bradleys aml "Pil four miles every day private training track. Dnriiig the season he and tiie other stallions are turned into paddocks in the afternoon, and after the season hey spend the entire day out or doors. it National treatment, and it is to be hoped that breed- tZ" co""trj" wl i,,,lt tIie American practice, which seems generally to be very successful in Reserving the health and good tempers of stal- Cunard, by Coldfineh, is a brother to Star Hawks YaVl ?oocl I-mcr on the turf and has sired a host i of winners which have, for several sue-ftTin1, Iace,l.In nmons the twenty leading stallions in America. Beachcomber is a verv ,L K,0Ck ,Sa,Ul 0,lt f Pa"y Slipper. and St bt. Serf herf, and he shows ,-. good deal of St Serf Peter Pan. Only five years old, he will, when he has fully developed, make fine a picture of a sire lie broke down when in training after showing use- k"; Ar- Bn"JIc3r I,as ten yearlings-fh-S colts and 1 f five fillies Among the former is a colt bv Radium out of Badoura. and the fillies include -i sharp one by Mauvezin from Macaroon, am verv in-omising bay by Helmet out of the dam of Jack Atkin One of the best of Mr. Bradleys brood -mares is Love-not, which ran third in the Futurity after bolting for half mile a before the rice PiJfC?- Evi"?t 1,1011 she ,ooke,1 lik w"n"ff i tU S 1r,"e- "er owner ,,nd !l hlZ ,jet " bor that uaj. Xm;re is now at her side a beautiful colt foal by Helmet, which already looks a race horse from what I saw at the Idle Hour Farm it was borne in upon me that, successful as tiie establishment has been already, there are much greater results coming m the near future. In the last ten years Mr. Bradley has been carefullv laving a good foundation, and now that he is sure of" his ground he can proceed confidently. If a Futuritv and a Kentucky Derby winner do not come from these surprised111" bufore vety lons 1 sha11 b; mucli Mr. Price McKinney was entertaining a big partv of friends when we arrived at the Kingston Stud one fine noon. We were periously near sitting down thirteen at lunch. Mr. Daingerfield made the discovery just in time and the catastrophe was avoided What with doing justice to refreshing mint juleps it was a broiling day and the careful examination of stallions and yearlings, the pre-luncheoii hour was a busy one. Situated on the-Russell Cave Pike, within easy distance of Lexington, the Kingston Farm was formerly the property of Mr. Ferguson, who uwned St. George and other horses. He was for a time in partnership as breeder with his son-in-law, Mr. Phil China who, when in England two years ago. bought for Mr. Jefferson Livingston the Your Majesty colt. Royal II.. whom he trained to win last rears Latonia Derby. Mr. Ferguson sold the estate to E- Baker, and it was then leased by Clarence Mackay, who continued there until he moved his stud to France. About that time the late Major Daingerfield, who had managed for James It Keene the famous Castleton Stud, which is only a few miles away was in want of a farm, and lie took over the Kingston Stud shortly before his lamented death. It is one of my greatest regrets that I never met Major Daingerfield, for he was a man who had a profound knowledge of all matters pertaining to the history, breeding and rearing of bloodstock. He did much to shape the American thoroughbred as we know it in modern days, thanks to the resources placed at his command by his brother-in-law, Mr. Keene. It will be remembered that these two worthies died in January, 1913, within a couple of days of each other. Since then the Kingston Stud has been under the very capable management of Miss Elizabetli Daingerfield, who inherited from her father those great natural gifts, which are so essential to a proper understanding of the thoroughbred. I esteemed it an honor to make her acquaintance. The Kingston Stud embraces two adjoining farms, one of 500. the other of 300 acres. The bloodstock to be seen in the paddocks all belonging to Mr. McKinney, who is a very virile and genial personality. A man who has amassed a big fortune in mining enterprises, he finds it necessary, to a full enjoyment of life, to retain his hold on business affairs. And so he now has two hobbies Ii is business and his stud. His home is in Cleveland, Ohio. It is only within the last two or three years that he has participated in the pleasure of breeding and racing thoroughbreds, but he has already acquired a prominent position in this sphere of endeavor, and it is as certain as anything can be that before very long his name will be a household word in American Turf circles. There are now at the Kingston Stud twenty-six yearlings and twenty-seven foals. The broodmares number fifty-six, and I saw five stallions, viz., Ultimus, Colin, Delhi, nippodrome and Disguise. Their names make is unnecessary to state that Mr. McKinney was a big buyer at the sale at which the Keene Stud was dispersed. Colin, I am pleased to say, is looking well and doing splendidly. This is the third season he has had since he returned from England. I noticed that he had filled out considerably since the days when he was located at Newmarket. Disguise, now twenty-one years old, is still nourishing. His reputation as a sire is due chiefly to the excellence of many of his daughters, one of which is the Futurity winner, Maskette. Delhi was a winner of over 3,X0. He was foaled fourteen years ago and is by Ben Brush. In every way he is a lirst-rate individual. By Commando, out of Dominoes. Hippodrome, it is claimed, has more Glencoe blood in his veins than any other living horse in America. Ultimus is also by Commando. He and Hippodrome are both incestuously inbred to Domino, for they are by his son out of two of his daughters. This was a very daring experiment. It has generally been supposed that while inbreeding in this way may produce a brilliant race horse, it is unlikely to yield a successful sire. For more than a hundred years there has been no stallion of note bred like Ultimus and Hippodrome. There is, however, proverbially no rule without an exception, and it certainly looks as though Ultimus, at any rate. is one. How he would have turned out as a racing proposition can only be a matter of conjecture, because he broke down when a two-year-old and never set foot on a race course. Neither, by the way, did Hippodrome. But, as a sire, Ultimus has already acquired considerable fame, and he is only ten years old. In Luke McLuke he claims one son of exceptional merit, and there is every reason to believe that iu Harry Kelly, the Lexington Futurity winner, he has another. During the greater purt of this year Ultimus has been a hosp!;al patient, suffering from a clot of blood in the vein of one of his legs. When I saw him lie was on the mend, but was naturally lacking in condition through enforced inactivity. In Miss Daingerflelds opinion there Is no stallion in America with more brilliant prospects than those possessed by Ultimus, and for her sake alone I hone the son of Commando and Running Stream will make a speedy and complete recovery. What with .Colin, Ultimus and Hippodrome, the Kingston Stud has a large and important share of the Commando blood, the virtues of which are already apparent. Hamburg Place, on the Lexington-Winchester road, is, I suppose, the largest stud in America. It is Mr. John E. Maddens. When Mr. Hancock and I called there Ave were once more pressed for time owing to a multiplicity of engagements, and so it came to pass that we had to content ourselves with an inspection of the stallions. How much I missed will be understood when I state that the farm covers 2,300 acres of grass on which there are 150 brood mares and a due proportion of yearlings and foals. I also missed the pleasure of meeting Mr. Madden, for lie was away in New York. This gentleman occupies an unique position. He is a great trader, buying and selling on a big scale. Scarcely a week passes in which he does not make some important deal or other, because horses bred at Hamburg Place have a deservedly high reputa- " tion. It is a stud to which buyers can go knowing they will have a wide range of choice and get good value for their money. There is a large amount of capital invested in the farm and stock, and any slackening of the effort to uphold the prestige of the establishment would quickly place the whole concern in jeopardy. All who know Mr. Madden are, however, prepared to grant him a tirst-class certificate for his industry, perspicacity and cleverness in every way. His knowledge of breeding matters is as sound as it is wide; his methods of applying that knowledge is never haphazard. English readers will, perhaps, be the more interested in this reference to Hamburg Place when I remind them that it was there Sir M"rtin was bred and reared, the son of Ogden and Lady Sterling being sold by Mr. Madden to Mr. Winans. To be continued.


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Library of Congress Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/unk82075800