Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-09-02

TIE RACING MATCHEs.-No doubt
several spirited trotting matches will
take place at the Fair grounds to-day,
and as considerable interest is mani
tested in the "Bay Charley" and "Bil.
ly O'Neilr' match, we give place to
the history of the two horses, taken
from the Galena Gazette:
BILLY o'NEILL.
Notwithstanding the fact that Bill
ly O'Neill has won considerable dis
tinction upon the turf, his history is
but little known in this section, and
but few have seen the animal. He is
at present owned by Messrs. w. S.
Fisher and p X. Maher, Of Galena,
and is valued at $4,000. The horse
J appeared upon the turf for the first
time at the Hazel Green Fair last fall
and attracted no little attention at the
time. Messrs. Fisher and Maher, be-
ing practical horsemen, discovered
that the animal possessed all the traits
of good horse, and that under prop
err training he would gain distinction
for speed and bottom. They accord
ingly purchased him Of his then own
er, Bryan O'Neill, of Platteville, for
the sum of $500, and placed him in
the hands of practical trainer at
once. He is a dark brown, as hand
some as picture, with muscles of
brass and staying qualities unexcelled
by any horse in the Northwest. Billy
O'Neill comes from famous trotting
stock both on his father and mothers
side. Ethan Allen and Augustus Tay-
lor's Black Hawk are his brothers,
and Bermont Chief and several other
famous American trotters hisrelatives.
Billy was sired by Tyler's Black
Hawk, he by David Hills Black Hawk
of Bridgeport, Vt. His dam is still
living at Platteville, and weighs 1900
TBS. She is Bull Rush Morgan, and
has considerable local reputation as
PAGER. Billy weighs 94O1bs, and is Is
hands and ( of an inch tall. He has
trotted nine races thus far, and has
never been fairly beaten in any of the
contests.
BAY CHARLEY.
"The stallion was foaled in 1866,
and at 2 years and past, was purchas-
ed by his present owners, the Lagen
Bros. He was sired by Pinchen, he
by Patchen, Jr., and was damned by
the celebrated mare Belle Founder.
He is Is hands, II inches high, is
beautiful bay, perfect as a statue, and
weighs. we should judge, about 925
lbs. He has brilliant record as a
trotter, having been successfully
matched againt some of the best hor-
SEES in the West. His first contest on
the turf was with Surprise, at Dubu-
que, for purse of $1,000, and was
won by the Bay in 2:48. The same
season at Rockford, he trotted in 2:44
and the following season at Madison,
where he Tapped out Mona in 1874. At
Freeport, still later, he was second to
Woolford Zee in 1888. The Bays
most noted race took place at st. |
Paul, where he was matched against
Oak Grove Girl, and making the
handsome record Of 2:39, 2:39 and |
2:37. At Boscobel the stallion was
matched against Hartford, winning
race in three straight heats, but fail
ing to take the money. At the Du-
buque Exposition last Fall, the Bay |
was entered in the stallion race against |
Robby Golddust, which resulted in
signal uictory for the first named |
horse. The race during the present |
season between Bay Charley and Bill
ly O'Neill, in which the latter horse
was decided the loser, will be well re-
by our readers, and marks
the period at which a rivalry sprang
up between the two trotters i'll this |
section"