St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-28
w. X. VANDERBILT
How This Wealthy Gentleman
Drove on the II DAD.

Drove ON the Road.
We fear the demise of Mr.. William
K. Vanderbilt will prove serious blow to
fast road riding by wealthy gentlemen able
to purchase the higher class of teams. He
really revived double-team trotting in 1877.
1t was then virtually dead, on track and
road. His brilliant feat of driving Small
Hopes and Lady Mac at that time in 1923,
rendered essential service to the breeding
and development of the trotting horse. The
example he set was followed by business
men and others of ample means, for he
made the sport fashionable. His great
wealth at first entitled him to certain
amount of respect and consideration, for
wealth and talent are twin kings in this
democratic country, or as Horace puts it,
Sovereign money stands in the place of
pedigree" But Mr.. Vanderbilt assumed
no kingly airs. at the same time he bore
himself with dignity whether in the society
of the Duke OF Westminster or sitting with
his friends in quiet corner of the public
room in the little romantic hotel, at Nc
Combs bridge, on the Harlem. That he
had peculiar gift for managing pair of
trotters at speed, nobody will deny. The
performances of Small Hopes and Lady
MAJ. G2O, IdIlJ llOSC ABILITY, 1.SA.
and his last effort in this direction, Maud S
and Aldine, 2:1515, prove this conclusively.
The talent which he thus displayed and
the support that he gave the turf by allow
ing Maud to appear in public, made him
very popular with the masses. Since he
stopped speeding his horses, by reason of
failing health, Seventh avenue does not APP
pear so eniivening.
IT USED TO BE HIS CUSTOM
to drive out every fine afternoon and on the
return he would set the pace and a feet of
trotters would follow in his wake or pass
him if they could, and crowds stood at the
midway hotels to see them go by-you
would hear hundreds of strangers ask,
''Has Vanderbilt gone by yet?" Another
thing that made him popular was his will
lingness to give friend or stranger brush
on the road, and he was always a fair
driver. Isaac Woodruff informs us that
Commodore Vanderbilt was entirely diff
ferent in this respect and made himself
very unpopular even with his own set, if they
dared to speak out, as he would not start
up his horses until he saw chance to get
off in the lead and then whichever horse
attempted to pass him took the risk of find
ing himself and his driver in the ditch.
Yet 'sWm. H." as his friends called him,
undoubtedly inherited much of his horse
manship from his father. Both had real
fondness for the trotting horse, and now
the public inquiry is which of the sons will
perpetuate their sire and grand sires fame
as lovers of the trotter? Frederick w.
Vanderbilt, very estimable young man in
mind and department, has already given
signs of laying claim to the driving quail
tiles Of his father. He drove the Jewes5,
1926, for number of seasons and now
owns the handsome bay gelding Nickle, 2:21.
May he follow in his fathers footsteps or
may some other worthy gentleman mark
out the same course is doubtless the Christ
mas wish of every good turfman.- eritas
in Chicago Horseman.