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Virginia By NANCY LEE Much Rehabilitation Work af Audley Farm Lies on Almost Level Ground Now Owned by James Edwardses EdwardsesMIDDLEBURG MIDDLEBURG Va May 4 An old farm with a long established history at the race tracks but with a completely renovat ¬ ed appearance is Aud ¬ ley Farm near Berry ville Well Icnown in tthe annals of racing activities here have been dormant for some years but with the purchase just over a year ago by Mr and Mrs James Edwards there 4s no limit to the progress being made Oddly enough in a countryside which is just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and in many cases such countryside is heavy with outgrowths of limestone Audley Farm lies spread out on almost level ground giv ¬ ing one practically a quick eye view of the 667acre layout Since its purchase the farm has been completely fenced with new plank fencing around all the paddocks Around turnout fields for barren brood ¬ mares and rough horses Edwards has brought in something rather new to this part of the country and the addition has proved to be completely satisfactory These fields are fenced in 9gauge wire which is very stiff 6 feet high and starts at one inch on the ground level and goes to 4 inches at the top Some of the fields have 52inch wire that starts at iVz inches and goes to 6Yz inches Across the top of all the wire fences is a creosoted plank and with the posts also creosoted the whole ap ¬ pearance is a very neat one A The before pictures of Audley make one wonder how a person could possibly plan where to start a renovation program The 52 stall training barn was a good ex ¬ ample with the roofing in sad need of re ¬ pairs and the indoor track showing the sad effects of having cattle roaming over it for a long period of time The stalls were in a like condition while the road leading to the stable was completely covered with saplings which had just about passed the stage where they could be classified as such Lumber roofing and paint have made a terrific change in the training barn and with all the roads now hardtopped the picture has changed completely completelyAnother Another picture which comes into the after group is the threequartermile training track which is 70 teet wide and offers a fourstall electric starting gate for yearlings and young horses This required quite a bit of work to bring it up to its present condition where horses can be trained and then shipped to tracks ready to run runThe The fourstall stallion barn had been the residence of a cow whose sojourn would end in one stall whenshe couldnt negoti ¬ ate the debris and she would be moved to another Trees bushes and vines complete ¬ ly covered the stable but now the neat well appointed stable houses three stallions the Argentinebred Mister Black an eight yearold by Full SailMadame X by Fox Cub the imported Skeeter II a sixyear old liver chestnut by NasrullahParavane by Fairhaven and Stuyvesant an eight eightContinued Continued en Page FortySeven VIRGINIABy VIRGINIA By NANCY G WEE Continued from Page Ten Tenyearold yearold bay by PrincequilloFicelle by byRhodes Rhodes Scholar The broodmares are stabled in a barn which was really in a state of decay but which has been rebuilt and now has 26 box stalls and four large foaling stalls Two of the latter stalls offer sun parlors which open directly off the stalls so that a mare and her young foal can meander out of their stall and back again when the weather is good goodYearlings Yearlings are stabled in a 24stall barn and at the present time Mi Edwards has three yearling colts by Blue Swords Mr Trouble and Deliberator and five yearling fillies who represent such sires as One Count One Hitter and Crystal Boots In addition to this stable there is a 16stall weanling barn barnA A farm barn which appeared to be on its last legs has been repaired and it even ¬ tually will be the isolation barn where s6me four or five stalls will be available for that purpose Out in the fields where one shed just collapsed the other four sheds have been rebuilt painted and are for the use of turnout horses horsesAn An item which is most important at any breeding shed is the laboratory and this is being well taken care of in the building designated as the hospital Three vets are within call and the lab will be well set up upThe The present broodmare group is made up of nine matrons and the group will be limited to 12 as Mr Edwards will keep only the best fillies for the stud and sell the rest restAll All of the horses are under the manage ¬ ment of Grayson Greer who formerly was associated with Joseph Roeliling and with R N Webster when he ran Brookdale Farm training the horses of Mn Webster and leasing some of the barn to other trainers Manager Greer shipped seven horses on May 3 from Audley to join the band of 12 who are now at Chicago The latter group had been racing in Florida this winter Among the seven shipped were Craigwood Jodi Golden Music Golden Blue Bull Strength and My Dare DareWith With his own group of horses in train ¬ ing stallions broodmares and foals Ed ¬ wards has facilities for roughing or leg gingup race horses breaking yearlings and boarding broodmares all of which will make work toward putting Audley Farm back at the top topVirginiana Virginiana Glasses are needed in this department In the April 29 column the trainer of Randolph Rouses Curly Joe was listed as W B Cocks when it should have been D M Smithwick as the person who saddled this years winner of the Mary Mellon Memorial Steeplechase Oddly enough Mike Smithwick the fivetime winner of The Maryland Hunt was among the spectators at this years running of this classic over timber which was won by Mrs Paul Dencklas Neds Flying ridden by Eu ¬ gene Weymouth Mr and Mrs John Mobberley own the last Apache to be foaled This sire who came to Virginia from Clai bome Stud died last spring and the colt foaled by the Bull Dog matron Grit on April 28 is the last one Grit is headed for Sagamore larm where she will be bred to Loser Weeper
