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The Stock Farms of Kentucky By W S VOSBURGH VI WOODBURN AND HARTLAND The Woodburn Stud really A Visit to blazed the way for the concen Woodburn tration of thoroughbred breeding in this section It was the first regularly organized stud for the breeding of thoroughbreds the holding of auction sales of yearlings and it also bred trotting stock and shorthorn cattle we remarked to Mr farm farmWell Well replied Mr Berryman as you seem so familiar with Woodburn wouldnt you like to drive over tomorrow and see it You woudnt see any thoroughbred stock there now but the place being on of historical interest you would find pleasure in visiting it itWhen When only a small boy wo each year ob ¬ tained catalogs of the Woodburn sales of yearlings we have them to this day and with a little friend who has since become a judge of the Supreme Court we would pick our choices of the Lexington Australian Planet and Asteroid yearlings and anxiously await their racing to test our judgment Pedigree students we judged purely on their breeding as we never saw them until they sported silks silksThus Thus with Mr Berryman BerrymanHistoric Historic Ground as our suide we started the following day bound for Woodburns classic shades Passing Castleton and its prettily wooded paddocks where Mr Keenes hosts of the spotted jacket once rambled in their coltish days the trotter now has residence Then on until we reached a section quite rough and overgrown with scarce a trace of cultivation Mr Berry ¬ man explained that it was neglected and allowed to remain so in order to strike the visitor by contrast to the highly culti ¬ vated portion of the estate farther on And so it proved for we soon passed into a section under cultivation beautifully undu lating and green as an English park and at last we are upon Woodburns historic ground groundIt It was impossible to restrain our emo ¬ tions as we gazed upon the scene before us and we would have done violence to our feelings if it were possible Whatever en ¬ ables us to recall the glories of the past to dim the casual happenings of the present elevates the dignity of our thoughts The man is not to be envied whose patriotism could remain unmoved when visiting the battlefields of Saratoga Princeton or York town nor could he who has any regard for the dignity of literature visit the birthplace of Shakespeare without feeling its Inspiration Here Lexington father of A Roll Call of tne American stud lived and the Cracks died Here Asteroid and Norfolk first saw light Here Australian Planet Pat Malloy King Alfonso and Falsetto each year sent forth sons and daughters whose fame became household words wherever horsemen abide Here Foxv hall was foaled and the weary bones of Planet are at rest What names start up as we ponder on Woodburns part in the pro ¬ duction cf renowned race horses Harry Bas sett Monarchist Preakness Helmbold Abd el Kader Duke of Magenta Springbok Spendthrift Fellowcraft Wanderer Baden Baden Joe Daniels Vauxhall Bayonet Uncas Kingfisher General Duke Acrobat Attila Wildidle Salina Sultana Arizona Glenmorc kings and queens of the turf and we might say with Macbeth MacbethWhat What will the line stretch out to the thecrack crack of doom doomas as they pass in the minds eye and we fancy we can again see Bassetts white stocking Hashing as he shows them to the field racing at the finish of the Belmont of 71 Wanderers wild eye in a fine frenzy rolling Springboks white face which his rivals seldom saw ride him out lad the electric rush of Preakness that brought dis ¬ aster to Glenelg and Helmbold in the finish for the Westchester Cup Spendthrifts Lor illard when left at the start he came from last in the field to pass his horses one by one and turned a forlorn hope into a thrilling victory victoryBut But the voice of Mr Berryman Mr Simms awakens us from our reverie at Home Mr William Simms residence is only a short distance up the road he says wouldnt you like to call upon him I think he would appreciate the attention and in a few minutes we were at Mr Simms which is a portion of the old Woodburn estate In ancient times the feu ¬ dal houses of Britain hung a helmet outside the door as a sign of hospitality There was no helmet in evidence at Mr Simms but a wealth of hospitality within Mrs Simms was not at home and the lord of the manor was glad of company His is a delightful personality and he is a prince of hospitality To hear him speak one would think it was his brother Mr Edward F Simms their voices are so much alike and he has much the same walk and that habit of biting at the end of his cigar that is a peculiarity of the master of Xalapa Farm FarmOh Oh I wanted to meet meetA A Gallery of you he exclaimed turn turnRacing Racing Cracks i to Mr Widener I wanted to congratulate congratulateyou you on getting Maria I wanted her myself The greatest cook in the world sir Perhaps you gentlemen would like to see my pictures some of them by Troye Heres one of which I am very fond fondThats Thats a copy of Stubbs picture of Eclipse we observed observedYes Yes see that turning to the others he knew it at once Well heres one I doubt if youll know that Scythian Mr Alex ¬ ander bought him in England the same time he purchased Lexington upon meeting Mr Ten Broeck there This is a picture of Aus ¬ tralian the old Woodburn sire a great sire too But here is a greater one old Lexing ¬ ton sir Theres another smaller one of Lexington on the landing at the top of the stairs Come up and see it Youll notice its painted on cardboard Ive heard Mr Troye was so badly off financially that he couldnt afford to buy canvas canvasVon Von havent lost your interest In race horses we asked askedOh Oh no a man seldom does We had race horses You remember Yale 91 He was named for me I was one of the 11 class at Yale Whats that Do I remember McClung Bum McClung I should think I did But he was in the class of 92 Then the talk turned to toHeres Heres to Good Ynte and old football days Old Yale Drink Billy Rhodes Judge It Down Heffelfinger Stagg Gill GillStanley Stanley Morrison the great battle with Princeton in 89 when Snake Ames ran thirty yards through a broken field and Jesse Riggs made the touchdown Then back to racing and the exploits of Yale 91 only beaten a head but it cost me a hundred I was only a boy then just out of college Father knew more than I did for he backed the winner and gave me his winnings winningsA A merrier man within the limit of becom ¬ ing mirth mirthI I never spent an hours talk withal His eye begets occasion for his wit For every object that the one doth catch The other turns to mirthprovoking jest jestThat That aged ears play truant at his tales So sweet and voluble is his discourse discourseRefreshments Refreshments were served The Hartland they say a man does not like Stud t ° o to a place from whence whencehe he comes out exactly as he went in and we were off for the Hartland Stud where Senator Camden has long and successfully bred race hcrses It was late in the day The sun had gone down to rest be ¬ hind the hills and the shadows of evening were falling fast Hence we were compelled to make our visit brief Mr Camden was away but George Miller his attentive fore ¬ man kindly offered to show us the stallions Darting down the steep hill he soon emerged in the twilight leading an enormous brown horse it was Light Brigade BrigadeLight Light Brigade is a tall Light Brigade horse but possibly seen in the gathering gloom of a winter evening he may have seemed taller than he really is yet as he appeared he looked a mammoth A twelveyearold he was bred and raced in the black white cap of Lord Derby and is a son of Picton from Bridge of Sighs by Isinglass He was a good race horse winning eleven races with ¬ out a break we are told and had already made his mark as a sire of Fair Phantom Sobrigade Rangoon Irish Brigadier Light Rose Fair Agnes etc His sire Picton was a grandson of Bend Or and he is inbred to Isonomy IsonomyPeter Peter Quince we wanted to Peter Quince sce f ° r old times sake and Miller again descended the hill into the gathering darkness and soon re ¬ turned with the stallion whose children are so dear to Cal Milams heart Dust Flower Anna M Humphrey Miss Joy Dominique How can you beat them for speed is Milams query A chestnut foaled in 1905 by Com ¬ mando Fair Vision by Touchet he carries his age lightly He is a long horse through the bridle with full quarters rather short middle piece he is the ideal for speed He has yet to establish a reputation as a sire of stayers but as Mr Tom Welsh remarked What can you do with stayers theres so few races for them themWe We could not fail to notice the freedom and the natural condition of the Hartland Studs stallions Our stallions said Miller are turned loose about June 15 after the breeding season is over and are allowed perfect liberty to roam about as they like They are left out day and night but can go into their lodges whenever they feel like it or to keep out of the rain After New Years they are taken up and kept in their stables during the service season but they are ridden for exercise regularly Miller also showed us a very attractive filly from that beautiful marc Casurina which was at Saratoga several years ago but it was now pitch dark and we were compelled to bid goodbye to the Hartland Stud and its oblig ¬ ing George Miller who exclaimed as we bid him goodnight It looks good to see some ¬ body from old New York YorkNight Night had closed upon uponHomeward Homeward Bound The lights of Ver ¬ sailles twinkled in the distance as we resumed our journey On the road we cast a longing glance at Bosque Bonita where Enquirer was foaled and where good old John Morris presides regret ¬ ting that we could not call Then on to Lexington and back to Elmendorf stretch ¬ ing our benumbed limbs before the log fire while Mr Widener did justice to Chopins heavenly music and we were off for the good car Lynnewood and the train for home Dinner preceded by a delicious oyster soup followed then a cigar then to bed and we were flying through eastern Kentucky TJp betimes in the morning we were going through the mountains and valleys of West Virginia then fair Virginia mother of presi ¬ dents Staunton Charlotteville Orange and as night closed we saw the waters of the Potomac Then into Washington where the great dome of the capitol loomed in a flood of light then on through Baltimore Wil ¬ mington and Philadelphia and shortly after midnight we rolled into the station and New York home at last and as Mr Tom Welsh bid us goodnight and disappeared in the darkness he remarked Well this ends our trip as the French would say its Jusqu au Bout
