The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-09-10


Kentucky has been the seeding spot for |
American thoroughbreds since the soils and |
grasses declined in the worked out parts of
Virginia and Maryland. The limestone |
of Kentucky gives bone to the animal; he |
natures early upon the bluegrass. The |
men of Kentucky, bred to horseback, and |
adventurous wagcrers of physical spirit,
have kept up the turf for about sixty years,
and / believe that the Lexington course
dates back to the year 1873 The war alb
sorbed most Of the thoroughbred stock of
the south to seat officers in the saddle;
and, toward the close OF the conflict, we
heard chiefly of Alexander's stables. The
Alexanders, as have heard, were a Scotch
family with expectations of property in the
old country They owned Lexington and
Australian, and raised stock. A Chicago
member of family now keeps the stables
In 5000 number of rich New Y orkers,
brokers and Operators" resolved to go on
the turf Leonard Jerome, nervy bro
ker, formerly newspaper editor at Roches-
ter, n. T., taking the cue from his partner,
William Tracey, formerly of Baltimore,
founded the American Jockey Club after
courses had been established at Saratoga
and Paterson n. j He used all the in
fluence to which his means and acquaint-
ance entitled him, and brought into the
turf August Belmont, his friend, a cor
respondent of the Rothschilds, who had pre-
viously appeared with great brillancy on
the British turf. Belmont is commonly
called the head of the turf in America, on
account of his position in the American
Jockey Club, which is the ruling influence
in turtmatters in the United States, as well
as by his liberality in the purchase and i'm
portation Of the best thoroughbreds attain
able, both from Kentucky and England.
jerome himself met with heavy losses in
speculation about 1867, which necessitated
the playing of II comparatively inferior po-
sition upon the turf.
The establishment of the Saratoga and
| Monmouth park courses, and accessories
of Jerome park, transferred the manage
ment of the turf from the south to the
north, Kentucky itself becoming breed
ing and buying-place for the more wealthy
horse: ancicrs Of the metropolis. The fol-
lowing are some Of the great lights of the
American turf as at present constituted:
AUGUSTA BELMONT;
a highmettled Hebrew, probably of French
extraction, welded to Caroline Perry, the
brilliant daughter of Commodore Perry of
| Newnort, II. |. Mr.. Belmont has resided
in this country since his youth, and has
been negotiator, banker, and patron of
art and physical ejoyment, during nearly
the whole of that period. He has few of
the features or fancied national traits of the
! Hebrew character, and for some time was
social leader and beau in New York society,
whereby in some ladies' matter, he was
challenged to fight a duel and was wound
| ed in the foot, laming him for life. He is
a small, thick set, dark-haired man of en-
| gaging address, proud nostril, moderate
and prudent of speech, particularly where
the character Of third parties is discussed,
and of culture on almost all subjects, from
international politics and political economy
to matters of art, journalism, gastronomy,
towling and yachting lie has an inter-
esting family, a superb fortune, and is one
of the metropolitan leaders of the Demo-
cratic party, while national, and even Re-
publican, in his support of the war meas
ures and the faithfulncss of the public OBJ
legations He is generally supposed to be
American branch of the house of Roth
schid. lie appears on the turf in suit
Of white flannel with field-g glass strapped
around his shoulders, His stables are at
Babylon, Long Island. He is fond of win
ning takes his losses holly yet without re-
sentiment, backs his own stable at times
with opulencc and confidence, and is al
most universally regarded as a preserva-
tive and refining influence upon the turf.
He has had fair success. without being re-
garded as very lucky. He won at Saratoga
this year about $4,000, bets not counted.
Belmont is the owner, belivc, of the Gel
ebrated retired racer, Kentucky.
M'GRATH.
Price McGrath, owner of Tom Bowling
and large racing stable, is a Kentuckian,
originally tailor at the goose, like An
drew Johnson. Clvse, shrewd, dry, pecu-
liar, he became the favorite of men supe-
rior in life and position, and imbibed their
intelligence without their refinement. He
drifted along to New ORLEANS, where he
became the partner of the celebrated gam
bier, Roundtrees, and, when the city was
captured, was thrown in Jail, and, it is said
paid $4,000 to be released by Butler &
Co Repairing to New York at time of
universal gambling, when army and navy
men, and suffers and contractors gambled
like horsebacked beggars, McGrath was
taken in by John Morrissey for his acquain-
lance, business-knowledge and dry humOr.
He left the firm with about S24O 200, OF
which he put portion to establish John
Chamberlaine, a young gambler, in bust
ness in New York. and afterwards at Long
Branch. From the latter establishment, in
rivalry of Morrissey's track at Saratoga:
sprang Monmouth park. NIcGrath is just
on speaking terms with Morrissey. He
put the bulk o. his money in q fine farm
and breeding stable near Lexington, where
he is neighbor of other great stable
men, as Buford, Grinsted, Alexan'
der, Shey, Clay and others. Every
Every Sunday he entertains men of the re-
pute of John C. Breckenridge and James
Beck, and he is partner in the manufac-
Gala ,,fh hnr
etc.. of one of the brothers of Gen. John
Morgan, business said to yield the firm a
net revenue of $4,000 per annum. Nc
Grath is one of the long heads on the turf;
a compactly- cold-eyed, steel-gray-
whiskered man, who loves a horse and the
money he can win SO equally that we hardly
know whether to consider him wholly OF
half mercenary. His associate, Chamber
laine, has not kept worldly respect as Nor
rissey has, and his ''games" areiunder sus-
picion as ga little more than skin and less
than kind"
SANFORD.
NJ. II. Sanford, a person whose sagacity
observation, means and responsibility have
commended him to the caution an thought
of the camp'followers of the turf, is re-
tired cotton manufacturer Of Connecticut
whose health became impaired, and who
was oruered ny MS physicians 10 follow out
ot-door pursuits. Unwilling to be idle oil
to disburse his fortune without return, h,
resolve to take to the turf and to stocl
I raising on large and comprehensive
, scale, having had some experience in sport
\ ing life at New Orleans, when he was buy
: ing cotton there. He is, in some respects
, the successor of Ten Brock on the turf
\ both being northern men who imbbed thu
f passion for horses in the south
Sanford has breeding farm in Kentucky
/ and an eastern farm near Paterson, N. j.
which he calls "Preakness"- name ais,
t of his finest horse, which was beaten thi
n year by McDaniels Springbok. He Ia
e become a merchant in thoroughbred stock
4 pursuing the business with the efficiency O
: a New Highlander. This year. at Saratoga
s he was dissatisfied with the arrangement
s of starting, speeding, training and judging