Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-09-10
st. Julien, the California TrOttlng
Wonder.


An intimate friend of Mr.. Joseph S.
Dunning, of Denton, Orange County,
N. Y, who raised st. Julien and his
full brother, St. Reno, and who sold the
former to Mr.. James Galway, then of
Goshen, for 5000, said yesterday;
"St. Julien was a natural-born trot-
ter; he never knew how TO strike any
other gait. spent many a day with
Mr.. Dunning, and know all about the
horse, and IIickok never would have
bought him ii he was not just what l
tell you. OF course, St. Julien is a
wonder, and his full brother, St. Reno,
now owned, think, by DR.. II. A. Pool
er, owner of the Goshen Driving Park,
and being handled by the man, If any
one, who made st. Julien trotter-
Billy Sargeant-is likely to be another.
Now, if you. want the full history of the
early life of st. Julien, which has never
been published, l can give it to you.
Joe Dunning raised both horses on his
farm between Denton and Middletown,
this county. There is about one year
between their ages, and Volunteer is
their father. Both horses were driven
together in a team for long time, do
ing farm work, road driving and mar.
keting. They were then colts, and Joe
Dunning had no idea that he had such
valuable trotters. Neither was nervous
to speak of. Indeed-and especially st.
Julien-they were as docile and quiet as
colts could possibly be. One of the
principal features of the teams daily
work was driving milk to the railroad
station. This was how ST. Julien was
broken to harness, and it was about the
first work he ever did in fact, it was, l
think, a milk wagon that he first hauled
along the road behind him, and, too,
when he was but colt Many a time
have driven the team to the station
with milk myself, and St. Julien never
thought of striking any thing but a trot
He never showed the least sign of skit-
tishness, and what is more, never Rob-
bled all over the road like colts general
ly do. He trotted square and level, and
always straight ahead.
"I remember once, when visiting Joe,
we started out to 90 off to see friend
several miles away. We drove st.
Julien. The night was frighfully dark,
and it was impossible to see the horse in
front of us. Now, If there had been any
nervousness about him, do you suppose
we'd startedP We hadn't the least
trouble with him. And so it was al
ways with st. Julien until Joe Dunning
sold him. The horse was more like an
old mare, steady and reliable, than like
frisky, fretful and unmanageable
young colt. Nature made st. Julien a
level, honest trotter, and if any one is to
be credited with developing the speed
that was in him, Sergeant is the man.
Every horseman who saw him trot the
| first year he went on the turf knew this.
"Why, his performances that year
| speak for themselves. just look at it.
1t was the first time he was ever in
races. He started the big circuit under
the guidance of Sergeant, who made for
his owner, Mr.. Galway, at least S20,0
that year in seven or eight races. l
kept track of the horse after his debut
at Cleveland until he had trotted six
races, and in all of them he took first
money. And mind you he won them
all in three straight heats and in no race
did he make a skip or even hitch.
Don't that stamp him as a natural trot-
terP Like Goldsmith Maid, some of
the best of American trotters have made
their records by skipping and hitch.
ing, but st. Julien never in his life
trotted any other way than like a ma,
chine.
"Mr. Galway, who bought st. Julien Of
Joe Dunning, made fortune out Of him
in one year. 1t said St. Julien is the
only horse that sold for the same price
or less, who ever coined so much money
for his owner in one year. Cor. Nea
York Sun.