Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-02-07
AN H0NOaED HORSE.
The Famous ''clay Pilot Comes Dat of the Wis
e0nsin Woods, to Grace the Stable OF
Former Hartford Man.

The Hartford Courant contains an
article on one of Wisconsin's famous
horses, which will be read with interest
by all turfmen:
Excellent photographs of the famous
sires Clay Pilot, aud Sphinx, have been
sent by Mr.. Randolph Huntington OF
Rochester, N. r., to The Courant which
have been framed and will be hung in
the eounting-room where they may be
seen by horse lovers. Mr. Huntington,
who by the way, is cousin Of PROBES
sor G. w. Huntington of this city, is
the acknowledged authority on the Clay
blooded stock and is known throughout
the country as a judge and breeder of
fine horse flesh. He was formerly OF
the wholesale drug firm of Lord, Hum
tington d McNary in New York. but
afterwards removed to Rochester.
Judge Gilman, the late S. Rutledge Nc
Nary, Eugene Kenroy and others OF
this city have purchased horses of MIR.
Huntington, and the Clay stock has
MANY admirers in this section. He had
recently made an addition to his stable
that IS sure to agitate eastern horse
owners as it is agitating those of Wis
consin aud California. The former
state has had housed up in its interior q
Clay horse of royal breeding, a trotteE
sired by q trotter and able of produc-
ing trotters. 1t was Clay Pilot, the
champion of the strain of that honored
name. Old Henry Clay used TO be an
important factor in tie breeding Of trot-
ting and road horses, but Hambleton-
ian, Adballah and other sires have been
more appreciated perhaps Notwith-
standing the aversion to the Clay blood,
it must be admitted that it figures
prominently in the pedigrees of many
of our greatest horses, both on the turf
and in the stud. But in California the
blood has been priced more than else
where, perhaps, and the most favorable
results have been achieved 1t is the
blood of Clay Pilot that started the trot-
ting world short time since, when his
progeny, Kinda Rose, as yearling.
made the unprecedented time of 2:31,
Sweetheart 2:264 Us two-year-old, and
Eva 2:26 at three years. The phenom-
email time made by Kinda Rose and
Ruby over Charter Oak park last fall
will long be remembered AS before
stated, Mr.. Huntington has Just become
| possessed of Clay Pilot, after seeking
him in Wisconsin for four years, and
the history of the acquisition of the ami
NAL is most interesting. Besides the
colts mentioned, he is the progenitor Of
nearly all the California trotters. His
dam was II half sister to the dams OF
Maud S. and Jay-Eye-See.
As far back as February, 1879, the
late Daniel 5. Lathrop of Albany, q
brother-in-law of Ex-Governor Stanford,
of California, urged Mr.. Huntington to
find Clay Pilot, believing him to be a
great and valuable stock horse. Mr..
Huntington tried and kept trying to find
him, but no one in Wisconsin knew
where he was. In the fall Of 1873, L.
j. Rose, the great wine grower of Cali
fornia, bought two-year-oId colt by
Clay Pilot, and through him fifty one
colts were got. These colts showed
great speed, and out of the thirty that
! lived, nineteen trotted close to 2:20. Al
this Governor Stanford became a con.
vert to Clay blood and bought every
i Clay colt he could find, and with sucf
success that he now owns the finest anG
fastest young horses in America.
/ All this while Mr.. Huntington was
seeking the paternal Clay, and at las
he discovered his whereabouts anC
through his local agents has bought hin
and had him transferred to bis stables
in Rochester. Clay Pilot VIII never
leave his possession, probably, certainly
never to 90 into obscurity again. Wei
may the Spirit of the Times speak o.
Mr.. Huntington as CLAY miser, mas
much rs he has locked up in his stables
the best Clay stations alive"