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..r... ,v r---- -I - - - - - - . . . . !New York Breeding Farms Nos. 1 and 2 By NELSON DUNSTAN J Despite the fact that New York state cannot be called a breeding center, it is rather remarkable that three men who have played a prominent part in the American breeding scene for the past quarter century maintain pretentious establishments within its con- fines. I refer to Willis Sharpe Kilmer, John Sanford and Robert L. Gerry. It is further remarkable that the Aknusti Stud, the Delhi establishment of the last-named sportsman,-boasts the presence of Chance Play son of Fair Play Quelle Chance, the leading sire of the 1935 season. The Empire State, often called "the fountain-head of racing," has had no greater compliment paid it, from a breeding angle, than the continued presence of this great stallion, whose service fee could be placed materially higher were he stands ing in Kentucky, Virginia or Maryland. New York state will probably never be a popular region for thoroughbred production. Ideal in the summer, the upper part of the state is bitter cold in the winter months, and thus violates one of the cardinal requisites of breeding success by its constant descent under the zero thermometer readings. That was the reason Willis Sharpe Kilmer transferred his vast breeding operations from the Empire State to Court Manor, Virginia. SUN BRIAR COURT. Although Sun Briar Court is little more than a way-station since Willis Sharpe Kilmer transferred his breeding operations to Virginia, the Binghamton, N. Y., plant is maintained today with the same care it received when it was the home of Sun Briar, Exterminator, Sallys Alley and other Kilmer colorbearers. When the late Will Rogers was a visitor there, he said: "After seeing this I want to run back to my hotel and give up my room." It is easy to understand the words of the beloved Will, for Sun Briar is an estate of such rare beauty a visitor Is loathe to leave it. Approaching Sun Briar Court the eye is caught by a huge training stable of vitrified tile, with inner and outer structures being separate units, and yet is one building. The immensity of the structure can only be realized when one views the indoor race track a fifth of a mile in circumference and surrounded by approximately one hundred stalls. Overhead are storage bins for hay and grain. A steam-heating plant supplies the heat for the employes and office rooms, but is so planned that no heat enters the stalls. The stalls 20x20 feet square are illumined by electricity and fully equipped with safety devices for protection of the occupants. The outdoor training track has a three-quarters mile straightaway along the banks of the Susquehanna and, connected with the half-mile circular track, provides for gallops of one and one-quarter miles. Among the first foals at the Binghamton plant were Sallys Alley, winner of the Belmont and Pimlico Futurities in 1922: Siin-sini and Sunference. These were later followed by Sunny Man, Sun Flag, Sunspero, Mint Briar, Sun Altos and Sun Ayr. So while it is true that the Binghamton sports-man transferred his operations to Virginia, it remains that many of his stake winners Avere foaled, raised and trained at Sun Briar Court.- 1 A visit to the clubhouse at Sun Briar Court is one that will not be" forgotten, for many a day. Priceless horse paintings and numerous photographs adorn the walls, while in the trophy room are. many objects of interest along with the - beautiful cups and plate won by Kilmer colorbearers. Original shoes worn by Exterminator, Sun Briar and Sallys Alley are glass encased on the walls, while the mantlepiece, piano and even windows hold one or another of the cherished Saratoga Special Gold Cup, Saratoga Cup, Pimlico Cup, Latonia Cup, George Hendrie Memorial Trophy and Washington Handicap Trophy. The case of cups won by Sun Beau, worlds money winning champion, occupies one complete side of the room. Court Manor and Remlik Hall in Virginia are now the active breeding and training centers of the Binghamton sportsman, but Sun Briar Court will always loom large in breeding history as the genesis of his successful operations. AKNUSTI STUD. New York state as a breeding center has no greater booster than Robert L. Gerry, owner of Aknusti Stud at Delhi, Delaware County, N. Y. A true lover of the thoroughbred in every sense of the word, Mr. Gerry is one of the deepest students of the sport, And two years ago privately printed the book "The Matriarchy of the American Turf." a work that soon became an authority on the subject of mares. A firm believer in the worth of the Empire state as a breeding center, Mr. Gerry deliberately placed financial return among the minor considerations when he opened his vast 4,000-acre farm at Delhi, a village some seventy-five miles above the picturesque city of Kingston, N. Y. Knowing that the cold weather which grips the Catskill mountain country in the winter months would be a problem to contend with, Gerry was most careful in planning his barns and having them constructed so as to be wind-proof. Some thirty mares are quartered at the upstate New York stud, and among them, Bird Millman, Stump, Mistress Polly, Notion, Nubia, Foolish and Juniper. In the winter months, when the weather is not too severe, the mares are permitted to frolic in the snow, and a healthier, happier group would be hard to find. An authority on blood-lines, Gerry takes a personal interest in the Aknusti matings and is a constant visitor at the farm during the breeding months. The Star Shoot stallion, Audacious, was originally at Aknusti, but Gerry disposed of him on acquiring High Strung; Chance Play and Peanuts. A year ago he sent High Strung to Adolph Pons, and the handsome winner of the 1928 Belmont Futurity is now standing at the latters Country Life Farm in Maryland. With a ten-acre paddock each, Chance Play 1923 and Peanuts 1922 are galloped daily and then allowed to roam at will. The former, by Fair Play Quelle Chance, by Ethelbert, was a winner of sixteen races in thirty-six starts, was eight times second, once third and earned 35,496. He has sired Psychic Bid, Good Gamble, Grand Slam, Chancery, Chancing, Chance Ray and many other winners, and last year soared to the pinnacle of equine fame when he led the sire list by virtue of thirty-eight of his get winning 91,490. At a fee of 00 and return, it is clearly obvious what Gerry is attempting to do for breeding in New York state. In any other breeding center, Chance Play would have a "full book" at more than twice that sum. Although some writers are quick to shout "chance-bred" at the very mention of Top Row, they cannot shout down the fact that in this one youngster, his sire, Peanuts, justified the faith Gerry placed in him. Exceptionally small, Peanuts was one of the gamest and most popular horses that ever raced on the American turf. By Ambassador IV. Agnes Sard, by Sardanapale, he established a worlds record for bne and one-eighth miles 1:48 and before entering the stud earned 8,740. On one occasion Brooklyn Handicap he defeated his contemporary, Chance Play. His outstanding son, of course, is Top Row, but this writer puts little faith in the cry he will never duplicate, due to his isolation from high class mares. The old line about "beating a path to the champions door" is applicable to little Peanuts. He did it once; he might do it again, and once an owner is convinced of the "nick," he will not hesitate to ship a mare from Paris, Ky or Paris, France, if he thinks he can get another Top Row.
