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HURRICANA STUD WELL WORTH A VISIT Famous Breeding Establishment of John Sanford But a Small Journey from Saratoga Saratoga X Y July 31 Visitors here for tlic race meeting that are interested In the breeding of the thoroughbred horse will find it worth while to run over to Amsterdam where is located the splendidly appointed Ilurricana breeding establish ¬ ment founded by the late General Stephen Sanford and now presided over by his son and heir John Sanford SanfordIn In the death of General Stephen Sanford who dcd in 1913 New York has lost its foremost breeder of thoroughbred horses and the turf one of the most notable sportsmen that ever illumined the pages of its history There were many whose names were higher up on the winning owners list at the end of each racing year but no man ever raced a hcrss more purely for sport than did the gentle ¬ man of Amsterdam With a true sporting spirit he raced those of his own breeding and his season of iictirity was almost wholly confined to Saratoga Springs where his neighbors could enjoy the sport When this or that one of his favorites was to per ¬ form in a stake of importance it was a holiday for all the hands in his big carpet and rug mills that practically supports the town of Amsterdam and all would journey to Saratoga and cheer the horse to victory victoryEach Each year the old gentleman would have a priv ¬ ate nice meeting of his own over his firstclass training track at the Ilurricana Farm It was a final tryout for the horses that had been selected to nice at Saratoga hut no one was barred Purses were hung up and horsemen were invited to send their best along to try conclusions with the Sanford colts These were race days for Amsterdam The places of business would close the mills were shut down and the whole population enjoyed the hospi ¬ tality of the general It was at these same little matinees that most of the latterday cracks that came from Ilurricana first showed the quality that afterward took them on to turf distinction among the best horses in the country countryWith With General Sanford it was only sport lie spent millions in the establishment of the llurricana Stud and its upkeep and lie had a comparatively small monetary return but he never counted dollars when it came to his favorite sport and his hobby of en ¬ deavoring to breed the best thoroughbred horse in the country countryAfter After the horses had their final prep at this invitation matinee at which the whole countryside was present the elected were sent down to Saratoga and no more popular silks were ever shown on the American turf than the purple and gold of the sterling old sportsman sportsmanSPENT SPENT LAST DAYS AT HTTHRICANA HTTHRICANAThis This was when racing was good and before the clamor of the selfappointed guardians of morals found evil in the running of horses and by tiieir vicious campaign almost wiped out the greatest of all sports in this state The passage of the anti racing bills was a severe blow to this grand old man and he announced that he would sell out his horses and give up breeding lie thought he would but his devotion to the thoroughbred was such that he continued to breed and right up to the time of his death he spent his days at Ilurricana among his horses which he had come to love iu a way that cannot be comprehended by any but the red blooded ones who know the horse and his noble deeds deedsGeneral General Sanford inherited a love for horses and after being graduated from West Point he went into business with his father and with the building up of an immense fortune he quickly turned his attention to breeding Born in the town of Mayficld Slay a 1826 he spent his long useful life not far from his birthplace The Ilurricana Farm was es ¬ tablished while he was still a comparatively young man and his first appearance ou the turf was under the name of the Ilurricana Stable Under that name he raced many good horses one of the early ones lcing Tramp a product of his fa nu being a chest ¬ nut son of Cliimneysweeii Barmaid This colt in 1887 was winner of the Foxball Stakes at Sara ¬ toga when he gave the western colt Carey a thorough beating beatingIt It was the breeding that first attracted General Sanford and to carry out his plans he purchased Laureate and several good mares in England and brought them over to Ilurricaua He purchased Potomac from M J Dwycr when his racing days were over for something like 30000 and he gave 7MQ for Clifford after he was through on the track He purchased Isidor and the English stallion Consalvo and made many notable purchases of high class mares maresSome Some of his more notable purchases of matrons were Crown Princess Lady Primrose Lady Viola for which he paid the elder August Uelmont 20000 La Tosca purchased from Pierre Lorillard White Frost Queen of Song and many others that have made themselves famous both on the turf and as matrons matronsWith With such a sturdy foundation it was no wonder that the Ilurricana Stud was capable year after year of sending rarely good ones to the races The nales were few and far between and within a short time purely bred Hnrricana foals were produced and they all raced in a manner to sustain the wisdom of selection and mating as carried on under the theories of the gentleman breeder breederSOME SOME OF ITS FAMOUS HORSES HORSESSome Some of the famous horses that were produced in later years at Ilurricana were Chuctanuuda Caughnawaga Molly Kraut Sir John Johnson Mo ¬ hawk II Danoscara Cliff Edge Hill Top Uiirnt Hills Kennyetto Kiamesha II Fort Hunter Hoff ¬ man and scores of others that have played an im ¬ portant part in racing and some that still play an important part partDown Down in Fayette County Kentucky Jolm E Mad dens farms may be measured by mills and Major August Uelmont also has something in the way of a show place in his Nursery Stud as have J O Keene II P Ileadley and E II Bradley There they have the blue grass and the limestone water but none of these Kentucky breeding establishments has anything iu the way of barns paddocks and other conveniences as has Ilurricana Farm of Amsterdam Taking the place of the blue grass the pasturing of Mr Sanfords place is timothy and clover and there is plenty of it and to y are areAt At this season of the year Ilurricana is at its best and presents a pleasing picture to the eye Along the road which in Kentucky would be called a pike is a perfect training track threequarters of a mile i round roundAlmost Almost surrounding this track are stables and paddocks for the broodmares stallions yearlings and other horses to be taken care of including an imported IVrcheron stallion and a prize hackney Off to one side and still nearer tho public highway is the winter training track with the stable for the horses in training alongside alongsideTills Tills training track is entirely covered over and Ss nu oval of an eighth of a mile where the boys may gallop the horses in the worst of weather It is a regular track inclosed so as to keep out the rigors of winter weather aud nearby is a separate stable for the broodmares where there is always steam heat when heat is needed neededMr Mr Sanford has a man in charge of each and every department II W Hoag a former western horseman is in charge of breaking the yearlings and handling the horses in training that are to be sent to trainers Uurch and Young William Lawson has charge of the broodmares and Charles Cunningham has the stallions under his care careAmong Among the stallions by the way may be seen old Chuctamiuda now 21 years of age haic and frisky despite the weight of years The Curragh the son of Sitearmiut Currajoug is a grandlooking Eng ¬ lish stallion that always attracts the eye of the visitor Then there is Itockton the sire of the good twoyearold Yurucari a splendid specimen of the thoroughbred thoroughbredLooking Looking over the mares Onaga dam of St Isi ¬ dore and Ute when called came all the length of the hig paddock to display a suckling filly by Rockton The former speedy racer Trance was in the same paddock with a suckling colt by The Cuiragu by her side sideDanoseara Danoseara also had a bay filly by her side by The Curragh while a colt by the same sire ran alongside of Sadaquada dam of the good twoyear old Tuscaloosa TuscaloosaAt At present there are but eight yearlings of home breeding at Hurricaiia but a consignment of fifteen from Kentucky is expected almost any day now they mostly being Frenchbred youngsters purchased by Mr Sanford at last years sales salesIn In order to reach Ilurricana Farm one must pass the great Sanford manufacturing plants established in 1841 which at present comprise over sixty separate buildings covering acres of ground First time visitors to Saratoga will indeed be well re ¬ paid by a trip to Amsterdam to see the wonders of the great Saiiford establishments
