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PASSING OF NOTED BREEDER J JOHN H. ROSSETER j John H. Rosseter, 67, one of the foremost breeders of thoroughbred horses in the history of California, died April 28 at Dante Sanitarium in San Francisco, following a lingering illness that forced him to abandon breeding activities some years ago. Several years ago Mr. Rosseters Wikiup Rancho at Santa Rosa was one of the leading thoroughbred nurseries on the West Coast At the Wickliffe Stud dispersal sale, held January, 1918, Mr. Rosseter purchased Disguise, then twenty-one years old for ,200 and took him to Wikiup, where several years later he died. He owned the - noted sire Friar Rock which he purchased from John ! E. Madden. He also owned Inchcape, a son of Friar Rock, which was sold as a two-year-old to the Rancocas Stable for the reported price of 25,000, the highest sum ever paid in America for a juvenile up to that time. Inchcape was unbeaten at the time of the sale, having won his only two starts, one the Tremont Stakes. He went wrong shortly after he became the property of Rancocas Stable, and never started in its color?. After some litigation the horse was turned back to Mr. Rosseter, who returned the purchase price and took him to California. The deceased sportsman narrowly missed the honor of owning Man o War. He bid ,500 for the wonder horse at the Saratoga yearling sales, but declined to go above the ,000 for which the great racer went to Samuel D. Riddle. Rosseter also bid for Exterminator, but failed to obtain him. These bids showed Rosseter to be an expert in appraising thoroughbred worth. Rosseter colors played a prominent part j in the racing at the old Tijuana track, but j failing health forced his retirement from the sport about the time the Coffroth course was crowded off the turf map by the newly built Agua Caliente. During the war Rosseter served as a member of the United States Shipping Board. Wickiup Rancho comprises 1,740 acres, 1,100 of which are given over to the thoroughbred.
