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TRIBUTE TO DEAD TURFMAN Wilf P. Pond Writes Interestingly of "A Distinguished American Horseman," the Late W. K. Vanderbilt Under the heading. "A Distinguished American Horseman." Wilf P. Pond in the August issue of The Spur pays tribute to the late William lv. Vanderbilt, the following article, however, being written and printed before tlie death of Mr. Vanderbilt: "So much of the time or William K. Vanderbilt has been spent in France of reeent years that it has net been generally realized to what extent he has developed abroad the interest in racing and breeding that originated in the United States in his limited venture with a few two-year-olds by Ornament. In fact, It is net too much to say that he built up in France the greatest thoroughbred establishment in the world, regarding which the late Schuyler L. Parsons lemarked after visiting it: Truly, I never knew there were so many thoroughbred horses in tlie world. His two-year-olds by Oraament did not make a strong mark on American racing records. Yet it was on these fillies that Mr. Vanderbilts colors were first worn and the curiously distinctive and attractive, White, witli one black band on sleoves, while cap introduced to the racing world, fcr these arc the colors which in later years were so frequently seen in the van of tlie leading French turf events. "Buying many English n.d French mares, Mr. Vanderbilt also, in 1912. bought some splendid American stock from, the If.tt James It. Kccne and sent these over to France to mate with his stallions. Among the carefully selected ones were Maskette. Pope Joan and Court Dress by Disguise. Mcggs Hill and Stepping Sone by Ben Brush, the aptly named Early and Often by Voter and Mosquito by Commando, the latter representing the marvelous winning strain that Mr. Kecne built ! along the sile line of Alann-Himyar-Domino-Coininando and all the "est of that glorious strain .that traces on from Domino today. Thus were blended several of the very best United States lines with the French stallkns that dominated the Haras dii Quesnay, near D?auvllle, Beaumoiit-Eii-Auge, stallions that, of course, mainly traced back to English blood in the initial breeding crystal, but , were rendered French by generations born in that country. "Included among these stalrions were the great Maintenon, by Le Sagittaire Marcia and Sea Sick, by Elf Saf Saf, a winner in his day of the Frenfh Derby and other notable races, while from America, ; some years earlier, went Halma, by the great Hanover, j sold to Mr. Vanderbilt by the Fleiscliinanns, and whose son was Over Sight. CLOSE STUDENT OF BREEDING. "A good horseman and a close student of all , breeding matters, Mr. Vanderbilt has not handled his 1 vast interests in any dilettante fashion, but has given , close personal attention, as is evidenced by j entries in his own handwriting in many of the pedigree lists of his great establishment, marking the . periods when it has been necessary to add late additions of this or that family to the printed forms from which, in due course, tlie newer prints are , made. So it was not astonishing that he, too, had 1 his turf adventures of entertaining equine angels , unawares. One of these was the good race horse Prestige, by Le Pompon Orgnilleuse, bought out of an . auction list to be raced "and not lose a race in his sixteen starts, and yet after this scintillant racing career be sold to sire for his new owner the j great French staike winner and sire, Sardanapale. Of such is the luck of racing arid breeding. "While his colors were not seen on American courses after his first venture with the Ornament fillies, . Mr. Vanderbilt has had a much greater interest in American turf matters than is generally , Supposed, as for years, in fact from its Inception to j its closing, when struck by ex-Governor Hughes disastrous campaign against racing a decade or so ; ago, he wds the principal stockholder in the Coney Island Jockey Club and had also much to say concerning matters of American racing that were not 1 necessarily confined to that exceedingly popular arid I high-class racing organization. "Some Idea of what American racing lost by his c colors being carried in France and not in America r may be gathered from tlie fact that for about ten j years he headed the winning owner list, of the I French turf and that in one year, 1908, his winnings s amounted to over 02,815, and in 1900 the amount won was S245.9S0, These figures were, of course, 1 before tlie war, and it therefore may be confidently expected that just as soon as things racing become c more normal the Haras du Quesnay will a again be found at or near the head of the list. "Forfuiiately the stallions and mares suffered v very little inconvenience from the war and thus the i immense stud can be speedily brought back; to its I; highest plane of activity. Although conditions have,, 0 of course, changed materially in all other countries, t and there is not the amount of high class s stock that can be bought that there was before t the supply was so terribly diminished by the drain c of the war and by the resultant inertia that af-.fected ,f stud farms just as it affected all other-lines 1 of production all over the world, the Haras du J Quesnay is splendidly equipped to carry on all 1 breeding operations with the stallions and mares t that are still within its fences, and, as the future, c can only be judged by the past, there is every r rational expectation that even the brightest records 0 in the past history of his magnificently c equipped breeding farm will eventually be duplicated c or even surpassed."
